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Therapy Daddy

Phil Stutz has made a career in Hollywood doing what most psychologists advise against: telling his patients exactly what to do.

Part of what distinguishes them from exercises provided by, say, cognitive behaviorists is their mystical imagery — black suns, hollow towers, realms of “pure light.” Stutz claims they can help patients access what he tends to describe as a “higher world.” The American Psychological Association’s code of ethics instructs therapists to avoid “dual relationships,” meaning they should not engage with their patients outside the therapy room, as such behavior can reasonably lead to conflicts of interest, role confusion, and boundary violations. You do everything, I do nothing.” Immediately after the audition, Azaria would run through a routine Stutz called “Afterburn”: He would appreciate the things he’d done right, then contemplate the moments when he felt he’d slipped up, then meditate on whatever he happened to be looking at (the play of light on the wall, a potted palm), and finally buy himself an ice-cream cone or a slice of pizza.

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