Column Chronicles: Ask Dr. Shrink - Frank Cotolo on 148.ca

Ask Dr. Shrink

Frank Cotolo
November 30, 2017

His name is Wendell Pencilmark and he is, or at least claims he is, one of the best psychiatrists in the field today, known to many as Dr. Shrink. Begrudgingly, Dr. Shrink agreed to answer questions people have sent him about their emotional problems. We hope to continue to feature Dr. Shrink intermittently.

Q: Anger is so much a part of my life that I become angry at myself for getting angry at so many people. I don't know what to do about this.

A: Did you ever think that perhaps some, if not all, of the people who make you angry deserve it? If you could pick a few, you may stop being angry at yourself.

Q: My father left our family when I was five. I am now fifty-five and the thought of him leaving me sends me into a fit of depression. What can I do?

A: Interesting that the memory was ignited when you turned fifty-five. You must be behaving differently than you were before reaching that age. Start behaving as you were before you were fifty-five and see if you forget your father left.

Q: My marriage seems to be on the rocks since my wife joined a bowling team with our masculine plumber. I suspect she is having an affair.

A: If the marriage is taking very bad turns for the worse since she began bowling with the masculine plumber, chances are she is having an affair with all the team members. If this continues to bother you, you may have mother issues.

Q: Nothing I do is right. I can't seem to do anything without botching it. I'm a total failure.

A: You are suffering from fear. Should you do things correctly, such as construct a grammatically correct sentence, you will realize your father never paid attention to you when you were a child. Also, you may be stuck in the oral phase of development.

Q: My mother told me I was a whore even before I was able to do anything a whore could do. I have been married six times, each times to men who degraded me and loaned me out to their friends for sexual activity. I feel that perhaps my mother is to blame. What do you think?

A: Duh.

Q: Is anxiety fear?

A: Only if you are afraid to feel both.

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.