The Fat Lady Essay -- character Analysis, Dr. Yalom, Betty

The Fat Lady Book Report In the third story of Loves Executioner: â€Å"The Fat lady†, Dr. Yalom decides to treat a twenty-seven year old overweight woman named, Betty. Though Dr. Yalom was reluctant to treat Betty at first due to her being overweight, Dr. Yalom decided to put his counter-transference issues aside and views treating Betty as a way to improve his skills as a therapist. Not only does Dr. Yalom learn throughout working with Betty that there was more substance to her than he had initially had thought, as throughout the course of treatment Dr. Yalom connected with Betty, overcoming his counter-transference issues, while helping her uncover the pathology of her depression and the reasons for her binge eating. During Betty and Dr. Yalom’s first initial meeting, Yalom is taken back by Betty’s physical appearance as he goes into explicit detail for his distaste for fat woman as he states, â€Å"I always been repelled by fat women. I find them disgusting: their absurd sidewise waddle, their absence of body contour, breasts, buttocks, shoulders, jaw lines, and cheekbones, everything I like to see in a woman obscured in an avalanche of flesh.† (Yalom, 2000 p. 94) Dr. Yalom then asks Betty what is troubling her, which she tells Yalom that she has been depressed since she has moved to California due to a job transfer and her eating has been out of control. Dr. Yalom, realizing his counter transference issues may make it hard for him to relate, or even treat Betty, instead views Betty as a challenge of being able to overcome his aversion toward fat women and decides to wholeheartedly give all the time and dedication into treating her. (Yalom, 2000) In the next few sessions, Dr. Yalom finds Betty’s endless chatter about her life unin... ...anged; embarrassing Yalom admits he did not feel comfortable with obese people. Betty berates Dr. Yalom, telling him that he never once touched her in the whole therapy session, let alone look at her directly for the first six months. Betty then lets Yalom know that ironically she as well cannot stand fat people either which is the reason why she has hates groups. Dr. Yalom then gives her a hug, surprised that he is able to put his arms around the once obese two hundred and fifty pound woman. Not only in the end did Dr. Yalom learn to move past his counter-transference issues he had with fat women, but he grew with his patient as they both took something away from therapy, Dr. Yalom became more empathetic towards Betty’s despite her initial obese appearance. As with Betty as she not only lost weight, but she became more confident in herself and intimate with others.