Columnists

20 percent of U.S. women have been raped and another 40 percent have experienced some other form of sexual violence. I mention this because as the Kavanaugh confirmation has veered from his conservative beliefs to his veracity and then to his sexual behavior, the contentious hearing entered territory that was traumatic for many women. For this reason, September 27th represents a tipping point in American politics. A point where U.S. women declared they have had enough abuse.

In retrospect, it's not surprising that Donald Trump, an unrepentant sexual predator, would nominate a Supreme Court Justice from the same mold. At first we thought that Kavanaugh was a clone of Justice Neil Gorsuch, a deeply conservative jurist hand-picked by White House Counsel Don McGahn and a few other archconservatives. (Gorsuch and Kavanaugh knew each other in high school, Georgetown Prep, and both clerked for Supreme Court Justice Kennedy.) It was not until Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward that we realized that Kavanaugh suffered from a sinister pathology -- as an (alleged) sexual predator. -more-

My wife and I along with many Americans watched with fascination Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh testify before the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Dr. Ford’s testimony was courageous, and entirely credible. Especially compelling was when she said that the strongest memory she has of the alleged sexual assault by Kavanaugh is of him and his friend laughing at her expense.

In contrast, Kavanaugh became angry, blustered, failed to answer some questions, and was at times disrespectful to some of the Committee members. In short, Kavanaugh lost his cool. He certainly didn’t exhibit the judicial temperament one would expect from a 12-year judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals let alone a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. -more-

Since I am in a more intensive level of treatment than I have been in a while, I have a chance to be in group therapy on a regular basis. Sometimes, not always, the subject matter is irrelevant to anything people must normally deal with in life.

The above isn't necessarily a shortcoming. It occurred to me the other day that the subject matter probably wasn't the object of the meeting.

While we interact in the group, we are being observed. The facilitator was probably observing people's levels of engagement, and numerous other things about how group members have interacted. And this is fine for clinical theory and practice.

My participation in a clinical program is temporary, and I plan to move on from it fairly soon. However, I have benefited from it. I've been able to use their services in order to deal with specific problems. Now, the problems are different.

But it is good to take a pause and let group therapy help me. I do not actually feel trapped by this, nor do I feel that I am in a dead end scenario. The program that I am attending is allowing me to refurbish parts of my insides that I have long neglected. -more-