The Nuance
You’re Hardwired to Spill Your Guts
‘Social sharing’ is a core human trait, but at times it can reinforce negative emotions and disordered thinking
In the video, a middle-aged man named Bill — no last name given — wears a denim shirt and sits in an upholstered chair.
Slowly, fumbling a bit over his words, he recounts the last days of his father’s life. “He was not real happy,” Bill says, “but he insisted on staying in his home.”
His father was old and ailing. He had bouts of incontinence and delirium, and Bill was the only one around to care for him. Near the end, Bill’s fatigue and frustration got the best of him. He told his father, “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” The next morning, when he went back to check on him, he found his father frozen to death in his backyard.
For the next eight years, Bill didn’t talk much about what had happened. He shut himself off from his friends and family, and he spent his time working or watching TV, alone. Over and over again, he thought about those final days — his harsh words — and he wondered, “Did I drive him to this?”
Finally, he visited a therapist. His treatment involved recounting, in as much detail as possible, the days and months leading…
