Alex quotes from In Treatment

Alex

Feelings are not a philosophy. You either feel or you don't. You can't bullshit about it.

Alex

If you hold on to this organ... called guilt feelings... And I believe that's what it is. It's an organ. Like the spleen or liver. The system will cut it out of you completely. Understand? I have no way of feeling guilt anymore. I don't have the organ.

Alex

So, are there any rules?

Paul

Rules?

Alex

Ground rules. Anything I should know before we start?

Paul

Oh... Not really. It's more or less... It's more or less up to you.

Alex

Oh, right, right. I'm a customer.

Paul

Yeah. Though in my profession we say that the customer is always wrong.

Paul

That's a... It's a therapists' joke.

Paul

You can't see any way in which you and your father may have married the same kind of woman? It seems to me that you both married women whom you admire, but... But you don't necessarily love.

Alex

That's some bullshit. You actually buy this shit? That I'm repeating my father's mistakes? Let me tell you something: what's going on in my marriage has got nothing to do with my father, so stop comparing us.

Alex

I want you to tell me something. Honestly. Do you really think you can help me? If we sit here, we talk about fucking a few times, you'll be able to solve all my problems?

Paul

I don't have the answer to that question.

Alex

Yeah, I knew you'd say that. You know, that's what kills me about you people. 'Cause any other professional... I go to a doctor, he takes a look and he says, 'This what you got. This is how long you have to live.' If I went to a mechanic, he'd say, '$2,000, it'll be good as new.' But you people, you don't guarantee shit.

Alex

OK. I'll tell you what happened. Otherwise, you won't feel like you're doing your job, right? But before I start, something I've gotta know. Did you ever jerk off to anything a patient told you?

Paul

What?

Alex

Come on. Come on. I mean, you must hear some crazy stories from women. Explicit shit. Fantasies. Did you ever jerk off afterwards?

Paul

Are you concerned that I'll masturbate to something that you tell me, Alex?

Alex

Me? No. I'm talking about you've got women, they sit here on your couch. They tell you all about fucking. It must get to you sometimes. I know it would get to me.

Paul

Do you masturbate?

Alex

There you go again, you're answering a question with a question.

Paul

All right. I'll answer with an answer. I'm a human being. I masturbate sometimes. My fantasies are about many, many things. All sorts of women. Is that what you wanted to hear? That in that regard I'm not that substantially different from you?

Alex

That's the first time you've ever answered one of my questions. In any case, you won't masturbate to me and Laura's story, I guarantee you that. You may think of it the next time you're having sex with your wife and you're trying not to come.