The man sitting before the psychiatrist is deeply troubled. It has been 14 years. He has gone from one doctor to another. He hardly sleeps. Faints often. Has frequent headaches. There are chest pains and aching muscles. He lies in bed all day, too weak to get up. He worries a lot, he says. But strangely he never shares his thoughts with anyone. Not even his wife of twenty years. Whenever he is angry or hurt, he keeps it to himself. He never could find a way to express, he says.
This is the first time he is opening up. He speaks of his life. The failure, the guilt, the frustration. The youngest of seven siblings, he was the least educated. His business ventures did not reap the rewards he expected. His conjugal life was haywire. He attributed his bedroom troubles to a youthful misadventure. He still lives with the guilt of that incident. He beat himself up every time he thought he had offended someone.

You could try speaking to the voice recorder on your phone, the doctor suggests.

Slowly, over the next few sessions, as the recorder plays, it all tumbles out. Pent up anger. Countless guilts. Unspoken words.

The aches lessen. The fainting becomes infrequent. The spirit lifts up.

A lifetime of unheard regrets that had found their way out as bodily symptoms finally find closure.

# DrDebasmitaPsychiatrist