12 January 2027
Tuesday. New year, new patients, and tonight’s group told me they had never done an escape room before. Never! Their very first! I was honoured, and then I was concerned.
My practice is not gentle. The puzzles are, I am told, eight out of ten, and they are done in the dark, in a cell, with a voice in the wall that will not stop being encouraging. That is a lot for a first appointment.
The management recommends that new patients practise elsewhere first, somewhere brighter, perhaps with pirates, and come to me once they know how these evenings work. I think that is sensible. I also think it is a shame, because first-timers have a particular kind of panic I find very refreshing.
Tonight’s four did their best. They searched the cell from top to bottom, twice, and asked the staff for help with tremendous dignity. I wrote “promising” in their file and “come back in a year” underneath.
Resolution for the new year: be just as welcoming to beginners, and slightly less pleased when they struggle.
— Your Therapist
