Reading: "SIBYL OF DOOM" from the novel Rituals of the Antithetical (A.Glass 2023). *I will be doing a reading every 3 weeks from my current book 'Rituals of the Antithetical'. I have a new book due at some point in the future.*

 

“What about pornography? Do you view it often?”
“When I was married…” Kinsman pauses, as she thinks back to an early memory. “...I caught my ex-husband masturbating to some porno footage on the internet. I despise it.”
“Why?” The psychotherapist asks, tilting her head slightly curious of Kinsman’s answer.
“It’s fake. Just prostitutes and drug addicts, being paid to have sex.”
“Do you feel any arousal from it at all?”
“Of course, but I don’t need it. He did…” Kinsman with her right index finger, points in a metaphorical way to her left side. “...I mean, when my arousal is always switched on. Pornography to me seems primitive and excessive. Aimed at male responses.”
“Did you get the virus?”
“Yes, I did. Around about the same time last year. Wasn’t pleasant, it really hit me hard.
“The hyper-sexuality happened a year before you caught the virus?”
“That’s right,” Kinsman replies.
“And did the persistent arousal occur after the virus or before.”
Kinsman nods, understanding what the psychotherapist maybe alluding too. “After”
“You see what I trying to determine Deborah, is that the hyper-sexual behavior began as what could be seen as a coping mechanism or trigger for a failed relationship. We’ll need to look at this in its timeline that could extend back to your adolescence. But, the persistent arousal disorder could be and I mean this speculatively, brought on by the virus.”
“Really?” Kinsman replies.
“It’s a possibility…” Jamal, reaches across and lifts her notes again, placing them down onto her knees. “...With the first consultation last week and this session, what I wanted to do, is eliminate factors that maybe the reason of the hyper-sexuality and the persistent genital arousal disorder. An awful term isn’t it?” Her facial gesture is of understanding and concern for Kinsman.
“I know, why is everything a ‘disorder’ these days?”
“The medical world is rather blunt in its description of things,” Jamal replies.
Kinsman looks away, her expression blank, as she briefly thinks of Essy Zabel. There was this woman I met, a year ago, it was, a strange encounter.
“Deborah?” The psychotherapist asks, as she leans forward in an effort to gain the attention of Kinsman, who remains staring down at the carpet. She then turns and smiles at Jamal.
Exhaling, Kinsman sits back into her chair. “Did I just say something...about a woman I met?”
“No you did not”
“That was odd”
“Has that happened before?” Jamal asks.
“It has, sometimes when I am in a relaxed state, calm, like here with you. I blank out a bit, my mind wanders and on some occasions I think that I have been in a conversation, if I am with someone, but I can’t remember if I actually said anything. Hard to explain.”
Jamal stands, as does Kinsman.
“I am going to refer you to a neurologist. I think that we should also have some brain scans done. In the meantime, I would like to see you in Two weeks from today.”
“That’s fine. Yes, please refer me. I’m very keen to get to the bottom of this.”
“Well, this is a good start. I will send the referral off today and email you our next appointment time and date,” Jamal replies, her demeanor sympathetic towards Kinsman.
“Thank you,” Kinsman says in an appreciative manner, as she leaves the psychotherapist’s office closing the door behind her.
Lifting up a pen, Jamal writes down onto her notepad. "Kluver-Bucy Syndrome?"

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Reading: "SIBYL OF DOOM" from RITUALS of the ANTITHETICAL (A.Glass 2023)