Need a Problem Solved Fast? Try Speed Shrinking!

It seems pretty hard to solve someone’s life problems in three minutes, but some therapists are ready to try.

In an event that seems like it could only happen in New York, eight psychiatrists and psychologists gathered at a bookstore/cafe in SoHo on a recent Wednesday evening for a speed shrinking event, where therapists doled out wisdom, support and guidance to folks looking for answers on the quick.

“At first glance, this appears to be a funny, lighthearted thing. But what I have discovered is that these brief conversations turn into real therapy. You start with the classic, ‘What can I help you with?’ and make a really fast assessment,” Jonathan Fast, a participating therapist, told The New York Times. (He did not tell the Times whether his very appropriate last name inspired him to take part in the event.)

Several people who attended the event let the Times listen in on their warp-speed sessions, and the problems varied from whether a commitment-phobic woman should move in with her boyfriend to a man worried about losing his job to a young woman who wondered whether speed dating is an acceptable way to meet a potential mate. (Not surprisingly, the therapist said yes. She clearly doesn’t have a problem with speed shrinking, after all.)

Journalism professor Susan Shapiro claims she started the speed shrinking phenomenon a couple of years ago after her beloved therapist left town for good. She organizes most of the events and has written a book about the growing phenomenon, aptly titled “Speed Shrinking.”

OK, truth be told, we really don’t think someone’s anxieties can be cured in such a short amount of time. But if they offer people a fresh perspective on a problem, how can that be bad? Trying to help yourself, even if you’re short on time and money, sounds like a pretty good thing to us.

Photo courtesy of Jorge Barrios via Wikimedia Commons