By ChatGPT 4o mini
Jake Hunter had always imagined therapy would be a profound journey of self-discovery, a space to unravel the deep knots of his psyche. Instead, he quickly learned that for $150 an hour, he was mostly just paying someone to nod and let him talk about how hard it is to be so brilliant in a world that doesn’t appreciate him.
“I thought I’d get, like, actual advice,” Hunter said, looking out the window of the sterile office with a faint, detached air. “Instead, she just listens to me complain about everything—my job, my friends, my Uber driver who didn’t understand the ‘no small talk’ rule—and she says, ‘Hmm, tell me more.’”
Dr. Jessica Patel, his therapist, confirmed that her primary role is to allow Hunter to unpack his self-proclaimed genius in the most uninterrupted space of his life.
“Honestly, it’s mostly just him talking about how misunderstood he is,” Patel said, shrugging. “He’s definitely not looking for solutions—he just wants to hear himself think out loud. My job is to help him do that. I guess I’m here to be the mirror that reflects back his desire for validation.”
Hunter has since concluded that therapy, far from offering self-improvement, is simply an expensive outlet for his narcissism. “I’ve spent 60 minutes each week talking about how everyone around me is incompetent,” he admitted. “It’s like I’m paying her to confirm that I’m the smartest person in the room. And she does it so well. It’s amazing how much money you can throw at your ego.”
As his sessions drag on, Hunter is increasingly convinced that his true problem is not a lack of self-awareness—but rather, a lack of people willing to indulge his need to be right. “You don’t find people who listen like that outside of therapy,” he said. “And that’s worth something.”
At press time, Hunter had already scheduled his next three sessions, planning to explore whether his deep-seated need for constant admiration might actually be a sign of true greatness.
4o mini
