Will the real Dr. Phil please stand up? If you're into television, radio and online therapy, these personality-driven talk shows and websites are just what you're after. And Dr. Keith Ablow is one of the pack. A psychiatrist who has ventured onto TV (Fox) and written books, he's premiering a Web “community” for people who want to tell all about themselves and their problems to like-minded folks. Free of charge. Considering how real-time therapy in offices with doctors and licensed therapists can cost big bucks if you're uninsured, there is something to be said for these online and media-based wellness “communities.” Ablow's website premiered a few weeks ago along with his paperback edition of “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life Through the Power of Insight and Honesty,” available from Back Bay Books. But I was stunned when I clicked on the site. It seemed more like an online dating site than a “wellness” community. Maybe this is the point. People who are suffering from all sorts of anxieties about themselves may really just need a way to connect in a non-threatening manner, as the Internet provides. What throws me is the pitches from his public relations agents and, OK, the site, itself. From the PR people: “The new online community features members-only chat rooms, discussion forums, blogs, video downloads and an e-newsletter.” “The experience of visiting LivingTheTruth.com is a powerful one that will smoothly transition the members from identifying the source of past pain to walking confidently into the future.” Excuse me? Over the Internet? Confession: I'm not into MySpace and don't have a Facebook profile. Yet, the idea of interacting with people whom I am invited eventually to meet (offline) to discuss my insecurities and angst doesn't sound like the best approach. Another PR statement: “Dr. Ablow hopes to change millions of lives through LTT online, which will be a social networking, self-help community for people seeking to improve their mental, spiritual, physical or financial well-being. Now, the power to heal emotional wounds can be re-created in people's own homes.” Online therapy is gaining popularity among licensed therapists who have arranged to conduct sessions this way with clients. But do I really give credence to a site that encourages me to post a photo and e-mail my concerns to somebody named “dudley84”? - he describes himself as “Quiet, musically inclined, tendency to overeat and overanalyze.” He has my sympathy, but not my personal information or my desire to read posts about how he struggles. Ablow says we can all find inner peace by digging into our past, confronting it, and putting it behind us. One, two, three. If it were that easy, we'd all be OK in a nanosecond. I am not against therapy. I've been there and done that. I'm not against personal connections. People who have social supports live longer and healthier lives. But, even for free, I don't get how psycho-babbling online is going to make me a better, healthier person. Maybe I should consider one of his retreats at an “upscale resort” instead. – Cox News Service __
