How It All Goes Down
- Dolores tells us that she was a patient at Gracewood Institute, a private mental hospital, for the next seven years, an inpatient for four. Geneva Sweet is footing the bill.
- After Dolores runs off two psychotherapists, she ends up with Dr. Shaw in the winter of 1971.
- He teaches her visualization techniques "to conceptualize the beautiful person" (3.17.31) she really is, but all Dolores does is visualize mold on her food.
- It works: She stops eating and loses a ton of weight.
- They deal with issues of her sexuality (no, she's not gay just because she had sex with Dottie) and try to find the root of her overeating problem.
- He decides it would be a good idea for him to pretend to be her mother, and for Dolores to pretend to be a fetus in the womb.
- In this case, the womb is the swimming pool.
- Dolores floats naked in the pool while Dr. Shaw says things like "My baby is very active this evening" (3.17.180).
- He decides to play some classical music, and almost electrocutes himself because the extension cord is in a puddle.
- Dolores feels responsible for almost killing him, but she races to his side and slaps him until he regains consciousness, then she sits and holds his hand.