Session notes from Aizen's psych ward doctor
It is time for Aizen to find himself committed to a psych ward! Here are the notes from his doctor.
Today’s patient was referred to me by a Dr. Urahara (I have not had the pleasure but his credentials are impressive). Patient is currently an inmate at an unknown prison, and has been temporarily transferred here for psychological evaluation. Dr. Urahara has warned that he must remain restrained at all times. (I now wish that I didn’t watch Silence of the Lambs last week.)
I will know more after the intake interview. Information listed above was provided by Dr. Urahara. Patient himself has not yet spoken.
I asked the subject to confirm the details that were provided to me by Dr. Urahara. Subject became highly agitated about Dr. Urahara’s answers being “wrong.” He lists his age not as 45 but as “far longer than your human mind could comprehend.” He says his hair color does not matter, only its length. He also insists that “unemployed” gives the wrong impression, as he is employed by his mission to “occupy the empty throne in the sky.”
The subject seems to have a hostile relationship with his previous doctor. This may, in fact, be why Dr. Urahara asked me to step in as a neutral observer.
Subject may have an inferiority complex about his age and current unemployment. Interestingly, instead of insisting that he is younger than he truly is, he insists that he is far older. This, psychologically speaking, allows him to embrace an old age that frightens him by turning it into something special and impressive. A very neat psychological trick.
Today the subject complained that the shampoo we give patients at this hospital is “not adequate.” I apologized on behalf of the hospital, and then asked why the subject felt that it was inadequate. Subject did not answer immediately. Finally he said, with evident anger, that his “hair lock had gone limp!” He then blew upwards in what I assume was an attempt to make his one long piece of bangs less limp. He then looked at me and said, “See?”
It was in fact hanging into his eyes a bit. I asked if he wanted it to be cut, or perhaps clipped back. He seemed horrified by both suggestions.
Is the subject’s hair lock a stand-in for his penis?
Today I asked the subject if he would be willing to tell me about the reason he is incarcerated. This time, I did not mention that Dr. Urahara already gave me the details of his crime.
The subject told me that he was attempting to overthrow the “soul king” but that the king’s “senseless and unthinking subjects” stopped him and locked up him up for his supposed crimes. I asked what this “soul king” was ruler of. The subject answered “the universe.”
I then pointed out that according to the police reports submitted by Dr. Urahara, the subject was arrested because he was attacking a 15-year-old boy while dressed as a butterfly. I asked what connection this teenager had to the “soul king.”
The subject merely smiled and answered that it was “not yet time” to reveal that.
It is clear that the subject, in order to validate what he fears is a mundane existence, has created a narrative that elevates himself and his actions. Here, he has taken common assault against a teenager and turned into a narrative of political resistance - no, more than that. For he is not resisting a governor or politician, but the king of the universe. Subject must always see his actions in the most epic of terms.
The question is: how does he fit this teenager into his delusion? And why a butterfly? Also, what does the this “soul king” represent? Did the subject have a traumatic experience involving jazz?
I may have discovered the root of the subject’s delusions: he needs to feel that he has complete control over every aspect not only of his own life, but any life that intersects with his.
I give an example from today’s session. When I asked the subject to talk more about the teenager that he attacked, the subject corrected me, saying that the teenager had attacked him. At first I thought that the subject was merely deflecting responsibility, but it was quite the opposite: the subject went on to explain that the teenager attacked him because the subject *planned it that way.*
The narrative into which the subject launched was as long as it was scarcely believable. The subject bragged that he had manipulated this teenager from birth and even before - the subject even credits himself with bringing the teenager’s parents together. The subject bragged that he made this teenager strong enough to fight him, and that he did so deliberately. He added, near the end, that he only lost the fight because he wanted to.
This is fascinating. Most people, when faced with failure, will make excuses for how it is not their fault. The subject does the opposite: he justifies his failures by declaring that failing was his plan the whole time. Not only that, but he feels the need to take credit for all events leading up to that failure: his own and those of the other party. This far beyond any need for control that I have ever witnessed before.
Perhaps, given the subjects pathological need to control everything, I have my answer for who the “king of the universe” represents. He may represent the forces in the subject’s life that he cannot even pretend to control: this would explain the subjects overwhelming need to destroy this king, and his belief that the king’s “rule” is “corrupt.” In the subject’s mind, nobody but him should have control.
Today the subject asked if he could have some tea. I said that I could not remove his restraints, but that he could have some tea if he was willing to allow me to feed it to him. I was curious to see if a man with such a strong need for control would allow this.
To my surprise, he did. He must really love tea.
He did, however, inform me that he could escape any time he wanted.
Today I asked the subject to tell me about his former employment. I wished to see if I could gain more insight into his need for control. The subject asked me which job I meant - his time as the “ruler of Hueco Mundo,” his time as a “captain of the Gotei-13” or his time as the “lieutenant of the Gotei-13.” Most of these words were unfamiliar to me (although Gotei-13 sounds vaguely familiar - have I heard this mentioned by a patient before?), still I noted the use of ranking words - lieutenant then captain then ruler.
I decided to ask him first about his time as a lieutenant, curious as I was about how he would describe a time in his life when he was another person’s subordinate.
The subject told me that his boss, Hirako Shinji, was afraid of him, and therefore refused to get close to him. As a result, the subject caused Hirako (and all of his friends!) to get fired. He then took over his former boss’s position.
There is probably a core of truth to this obviously exaggerated tale. Although it unlikely that the subject managed to get *eight people* fired, it is possible that he had a hand in Shinji’s firing. Although, to be honest, I doubt it. Much more likely is that his boss happened to get fired, and the subject (unable to credit anything to an agency other than his own) decided to make it part of his “plan.”
Another question is what the actual job was, as it is unlikely to have been a military post. My guess would be some sort of impersonal office job, which the subject turned into an exciting military post.
The detail that Shinji “refused to get close to him” intrigues me - perhaps the subject’s pathological need for control has made it difficult for him to make human connections. Loneliness may be a driving factor of his pathology.
Today I asked the subject if he had ever had other problems with not connecting to people, as he had had with his boss Shinji. The subject responded that he has always had problems connecting, because his “spiritual pressure” is so great that nobody can understand him (it seems I was right about loneliness being a major factor for him). The next bit is worth quoting in its entirety.
Me: So people have always kept their distance from you?
Subject: There was one woman - my subordinate - who became obsessed with me. Her name was Hinamori.
Me: Did anything come of that?
Subject: Of course. Her obsession was all part of my plan.
Subject: I faked my death, and then left a note telling her to kill one of her closest friends. She attempted to do so, but failed.
Subject: I had intended for her and her friend to kill each other.
Subject: As it was, I was forced to stab her myself.
Subject: No, she was fine.
Me: What happened to the friend she was supposed to kill?
Subject: I stabbed him too.
Subject: No it worked perfectly.
Notice that the subject’s obsessive need for everything to be part of his “plan” coexists with his admission that details of his plan failed entirely. It is fascinating - the subject is able to excuse anything and everything just so long as he can call it a “plan.” Even if it makes no logical sense.
Today I finally asked the subject why he fought the teenager while dressed as a butterfly. The subject informed me, with some annoyance, that he was not *dressed* as a butterfly - he turned into a butterfly.
He then said that butterflies, as messengers in the afterlife, are symbols of death and change, and that therefore it was perfect for him as the emblem of a new era.
I pointed out, as gently as I could, that he lost to the teenager and then got arrested, so how was he the emblem of a new era?
He said that his plan wasn’t done yet. He seemed annoyed.
I am sad to report that orders came in from the subject’s doctor, and he as transferred back. I may never know what motivated this man to put on a costume and attack a teenager. Somehow “part of a plan” is a singularly unsatisfying answer.