You are on page 1of 2

A Service of Dr. Val Karan - 558 Anderson Avenue - Cliffside Park, NJ 07010 - http://karan4u-info.blogspot.com/ - (201) 943-2726 - Karan4U@aol.

com - September 2008

KARAN 4U NEWSLETTER
In Israel, In Treatment is In
Dear Family, Clients, and Friends,
generations. These men and women, survivors of po-
I am writing this on the eve of the seventh anniversary groms, the Great Depression, and the Holocaust, had
of the attacks on the World Trade Centers. September little tolerance for anyone who did not work hard. They
11, 2001 is indelibly etched into our collective minds. were tough and even gruff, and they didn't have time to
That morning, I was driving across the George worry or be depressed. The pioneers who settled in Pal-
Washington Bridge on my way to work, and I could estine had to be even stronger and more resolute as
plainly see acrid black smoke pouring from the Twin theirs was a constant struggle for survival in an inhospi-
Towers. Suddenly the stark reality of terror came table environment. The Sabra, a prickly cactus with a
ashore to my home town, to my native country. mushy inner core, became the trademark for the new,
native Israelis who could be abrasive, stormy, and not
At the beginning of September 2001, I wrote a submitting mindlessly to authority or convention. Psy-
Newsletter entitled "Let My People Flow." It described chotherapy for these people? Fagetaboutit!
my impressions of the Israeli psyche as I saw it during
my summer trip to the Holy Land. It was the height of When I first visited Israel in 1969 flush with a Masters in
the intifada and there was a horrible suicide bombing psychology, I could not at the time imagine the role of
the day we arrived which killed 14 people and clinical psychologist in Israel. I spoke to a leading psy-
wounded 132 men, women, or children. Yet I found chologist in the country who graduated from my college,
that the Israelis reacted with an uncanny calmness and he painted a bleak picture of the field in a land
and remarkable resilience in the face of terror and where denial, abrasiveness, suppressing true feelings,
death. They seemed to be determined, implacable and venting (i.e., complaining without taking action) were
people. They continued to go about their lives as if primary survival mechanisms.
there were no terror, going with the "flow" to maintain
a sense of control in uncertain times. When I returned to Israel in 2001, I still got the distinct
impression that analyzing or dwelling upon problems
Not more than a week after I published this newsletter, was not an Israeli pastime. I recall that a cousin asked
Al Qaeda attacked the World Trade Centers. me to explain what a psychologist can do for a person
that, say, a friend cannot do, and I don’t think he was
Much has happened since that fateful, unforgettable swayed by my answer.
day. I focus often not only on the American psyche
since 9/11 but what seems to be happening to the Fast forward to the present time and it is clear that many
Israeli mindset. Are the Israelis still flow-meisters? As of the fundamental Sabra characteristics are still evident
Israel celebrates its 60th birthday, is the country in Israel. However, whether due to increased air travel
showing signs of maturing as well? and globalization or the media revolution, today's Israelis
live in a capitalistic, digital world with a more materialis-
This year I had a chance to see first hand. I spent tic, hedonistic, egocentric orientation. Furthermore,
more than two weeks in Jerusalem during the where even the boundary setting capacities and viability
Passover Holiday season. As an avid film watcher, I of the nation-state are uncertain, there is growing frag-
have also spent countless hours this year watching a mentation, polarization, and identity confusion among
flurry of movies originating in Israel. The impression I the people.
am getting from cinema and from direct observation is
that a radical shift in consciousness is taking place in The upshot is that Israelis are becoming more invested
Israel: from the national collective culture that in trying to relieve emotional problems through American
emphasized toughness and suppression of emotions, style talk therapy. This is rather remarkable considering
Israel, it seems to me, now projects a more that American style baseball has not been successfully
individualistic culture that emphasizes introspection transplanted to Israel. “Baseball is too boring and not
and personal development. much happens,” popular opinion in Israel goes. Yet the
same fast-action-seeking Israelis fell in love with an Is-
To better appreciate how far-reaching this new cultural raeli TV show called B’Tipul in which the main character
approach is, consider the historical context. The state spends most of his time in a chair just talking and listen-
of Israel was created in the twentieth century by ing. This was a daily half-hour drama about a 50ish psy-
pioneers of my grandparents’ and parents’ chotherapist who treated a different regular patient each
generations. These men and women, survivors of day of the week- except for Friday when he went to see
pogroms, the Great Depression, and the Holocaust, his own therapist to discuss cases as well as some mid-
A Service of Dr. Val Karan - 558 Anderson Avenue - Cliffside Park, NJ 07010 - http://karan4u-info.blogspot.com/ - (201) 943-2726 - September

life issues of his own. The show swept the Israeli It is perhaps no coincidence that these forays into unex-
Academy Awards for best drama series, best Director, plored emotion are happening as Israel is turning 60
best screenplay, best actor and best actress. Ironically, years old. Ethics of the Fathers, a classic Jewish text
the therapist was played by Assi Dayan, the son of devoted exclusively to the ethical and moral statements
General Moshe Dayan, who with his eye patch was of the Sages, states that “Ben Shishim L’Zkaynah,”
possibly the most quintessential Sabra of all time. meaning “at 60 a person is old and wise.” One can,
therefore, argue that Israel is achieving a new maturity,
B’Tipul was so successful and so innovative that it be- a coming of age in dealing with feelings. For the first
came the first Israeli drama series to be bought by US time, the stigma of therapy seems to be lifting; and there
television. HBO imported the series, translated it and appears to be a willingness to seek out psychologists
modified it only and therapists. There is an affirmation that talk therapy
slightly, and re- can be a helpful and healing experience.
cast it as In Treat-
ment, starring Make no mistake about it: Israelis are not flocking en
Gabriel Byrne and masse to counselors, healers and traumatologists.
Dianne Wiest. The While there may be more acceptance of the concept of
series ran for psychotherapy, I suspect that the number of people ac-
eight weeks, and I tually engaged in therapy in Israel is still quite small. Ob-
thought it was one viously, many Israelis are still ambivalent or skeptical
of the best televi- about traditional therapy. Impatient for speedier results,
sion programs I some of these skeptics are seeking alternative types of
had ever seen. treatment. Lots of Israelis, I have been told, visit ash-
The series was rams in India, turn to Kabala, or rely on antidepressants
renewed for a rather than spend months in a therapist’s office.
second season,
and production on And what about those who do complete a full course of
Season 2 will be- psychotherapy? As “In Treatment” showed, not every
gin this fall in New patient who worked with Paul had a happy dénouement
York with a debut or could claim complete victory over self-defeating pat-
scheduled for 2009. The cases were compelling; and terns. Therapy is not a magical panacea, particularly for
Dr. Paul Weston, the therapist, played by Emmy nomi- some problem situations that are practically intractable.
nated Byrne, was at times brilliant (the show received
three other nominations, including one for Wiest). In- There is also the risk that too much “therapism” erodes
stead of an all-wise guru, the therapist portrayed by self-reliance: In One Nation Under Therapy, Christina
Byrne is a flawed man who finds his own life mirrored Hoff Sommers and Sally Satelthe describe the American
in his clients and who questions his marriage and his psyche becoming vulnerable, emotionally self-absorbed,
professional abilities. anguished and apprehensive because of over-
dependence on therapy.
In short, In Treatment revealed for the whole world
some of the deep, personal, archetypal problems of life Fortunately, there are fundamental characteristics in
in Israel. On Mondays, we followed the case of Laura, the Israeli mentality which I feel will protect against
an attractive young anesthesiologist in the midst of a the excesses or dangers of therapism. As a vestige
relationship crisis with a boyfriend who is also strug- of the pioneer Sabras, the Israelis of today still
gling with flirtation and boundary issues with other maintain a strong nonconformist, in-your-face atti-
men, including her therapist. On Tuesdays, Paul’s pa- tude towards authorities, even therapists; and in
tient was Alex, an arrogant Navy pilot who sought ther- general they are blessed with vibrant vitality, a
apy after a disastrous mission in Iraq. (In the Israeli sense of irony, and unrestrained hope.
version, Alex was an IAF pilot floundering in the after-
math of a deadly accident in the Palestinian territories; In short, gone are the days when Israelis with psycho-
and his father was a Holocaust survivor.) On Wednes- logical problems such as anxiety and depression were
days, Paul treated Sophie, a precocious teenage gym- met with diffidence and intolerance from those who con-
nast whose career and life were on hold as she strug- sidered therapy disgraceful and shameful. No longer is
gled to deal with her parents’ mistakes. On Thursdays, psychiatric distress accepted as part of everyday life
Jake and Amy came to talk about their extremely vola- with sufferers forced to “suck it up.” Like the sabra plant
tile marital relationship. On Fridays, Paul visited Dr. itself, Israelis still exude great strength and toughness,
Gina Toll, his own therapist and former supervisor, to especially on the outside. At the same time, on the eve
explore Paul’s own disintegrating marriage, his “lack of of the country’s 60th anniversary, Israelis are demon-
patience for some patients,” and even unresolved is- strating the unprecedented wisdom and courage to
sues from his earlier work with Gina. Through these be more open-minded to professional assistance,
mesmerizing encounters, we come to know Sophie, when needed, to deal with life’s inner angst.
Laura, Alex, Paul, Jake, and Amy from the inside out
or, as one critic put it, “as if looking through a tele- Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!
scope onto their souls.”

You might also like