One day last autumn，my associate flew up to Boston to attend a session of one of the most unusual medical classes in the world.Medical？Well，yes，it meets once a week at the Boston Dispensary，and the patients who attend it get regular and thorough medical examinations before they are admitted.But actually this class is a psychological clinic.Although it is officially called the Class in Applied Psychology （formerly the Thought Control Class—a name suggested by the first member），its real purpose is to deal with people who are ill from worry.And many of these patients are emotionally disturbed housewives.
How did such a class for worriers get started？Well，in 1930，Dr.Joseph H.Pratt—who，by the way，had been a pupil of Sir William Osier—observed that many of the outpatients who came to the Boston Dispensary apparently had nothing wrong with them at all physically；yet they had practically all the symptoms that flesh is heir to.One woman’s hands were so crippled with “arthritis”that she had lost all use of them.Another was in agony with all the excruciating symptoms of “cancer of the stomach”.Others had backaches，headaches，were chronically tired，or had vague aches and pains.They actually felt these pains.But the most exhaustive medical examinations showed that nothing whatever was wrong with these women-in the physical sense.Many old-fashioned doctors would have said it was all imagination—“all in the mind”.
But Dr.Pratt realised that it was no use to tell these patients to “go home and forget it”.He knew that most of these women didn’t want to be sick；if it was so easy to forget their ailments，they would do so themselves.So what could be done？
He opened his class—to a chorus of doubts from the medical doubters on the sidelines.And the class worked wonders！In the eighteen years that have passed since it started，thousands of patients have been “cured”by attending it.Some of the patients have been coming for years—as religious in their attendance as though going to church.My assistant talked to a woman who had hardly missed a session in more than nine years.She said that when she first went to the clinic，she was thoroughly convinced she had a floating kidney and some kind of heart ailment.She was so worried and tense that she occasionally lost her eyesight and had spells of blindness.Yet today she is confident and cheerful and in excellent health.She looked only about forty，yet she held one of her grandchildren asleep in her lap.“I used to worry so much about my family troubles，”she said，“that I wished I could die.But I learned at this clinic the futility of worrying.I learned to stop it.And I can honestly say now that my life is serene.”
Dr.Rose Hilferding，the medical adviser of the class，said that she thought one of the best remedies for lightening worry is “talking your troubles over with someone you trust.We call it catharsis，”she said.“When patients come here，they can talk their troubles over at length，until they get them off their minds.Brooding over worries alone，and keeping them to oneself，causes great nervous tension.We all have to share our troubles.We have to share worry.We have to feel there is someone in the world who is willing to listen and able to understand.”
My assistant witnessed the great relief that came to one woman from talking out her worries.She had domestic worries，and when she first began to talk，she was like a wound-up spring.Then gradually，as she kept on talking，she began to calm down.At the end of the interview，she was actually smiling.Had the problem been solved？No，it wasn’t that easy.What caused the change was talking to someone，getting a little advice and a little human sympathy.What had really worked the change was the tremendous healing value that lies in-words！
Psycho-analysis is based，to some extent，on this healing power of words.Ever since the days of Freud，analysts have known that a patient could find relief from his inner anxieties if he could talk，just talk.Why is this so？Maybe because by talking，we gain a little better insight into our troubles，get a better perspective.No one knows the whole answer.But all of us know that “spitting it out”or “getting it off our chests”bring almost instant relief.
So the next time we have an emotional problem，why don’t we look around for someone to talk to？I don’t mean，of course，to go around making pests of ourselves by whining and complaining to everyone in sight.Let’s decide on someone we can trust，and make an appointment.Maybe a relative，a doctor，a lawyer，a minister，or priest.Then say to that person：“I want your advice.I have a problem，and I wish you would listen while I put it in words.You may be able to advise me.You may see angles to this thing that I can’t see myself.But even if you can’t，you will help me tremendously if you will just sit and listen while I talk it out.”
However，if you honestly feel that there is no one you can talk to，then let me tell you about the Save-a-Life League—it has no connection with the Boston Dispensary.The Save-a-Life League is one of the most unusual leagues in the world.It was originally formed to save possible suicides.But as the years went on，it expanded its scope to give spiritual counsel to those who are unhappy and in emotional need.
Talking things out，then，is one of the principle therapies used at the Boston Dispensary Class.But here are some other ideas we picked up at the class-things you，as a housewife，can do in your home.
1.Keep a notebook or scrapbook for “inspirational”reading.Into this book you can paste all the poems，or short prayers，or quotations，which appeal to you personally and give you a lift.Then，when a rainy afternoon sends your spirits plunging down，perhaps you can find a recipe in this book for dispelling the gloom.Many patients at the Dispensary have kept such notebooks for years.They say it is a spiritual “shot in the arm”.
