Asylum Walk (10)

“Spirit Balm Boogie”

The following treatments have proved to be efficacious antidepressants in the past week:

Watching the stern chopper blades lift Bush away.

Hearing Obama on the radio. The possibility of a new channel.

Singing “Amazing Grace” a capella in the car.

Observing a squirrel nibble the lacy fringe of rooftop ice.

Eating chocolate with over 70% cocoa content (limit: 1 bar per day).

Sitting on the orange chair in Jon’s painting room, listening to The Clash while he works on Brian Wilson’s hair.

Beginning to re-learn German (Die Welt von Gestern, Stefan Zweig, 1 page per day).

Ongoing plasticity trials: Challenging the Inner Prosecutor’s hard-wired loops by strengthening counter-circuits, following established protocol:
1. Interrupt the I.P. mid-spiel (“breaking in” is vital; decorum leaves the loop intact).
2. State the Inner Advocate’s counter-argument (belief in the client—or his attorney!—is not necessary; make the case as strongly as possible. Take the floor!).
3. Reward the I.A. (simple but key, without it consolidation falters: do something pleasurable right after or along with the new thinking, reinforcing the loop with a dopamine spritz. The I.P. is retained by the state. Do you expect his adversary to work for free?).