Summary: Robert Akeret, "Naomi: The Dancer from the Dance"

Matt Hayes

In "Naomi: The Dancer from the Dance, Robert Akeret illustrates his experiences as a psychotherapist working with a seemingly troubled patient, Naomi. In his illustration, Akeret is faced with a moral/professional challenge in diagnosing his patients in a very intimate context, yet remaining a passive listener as well.

The story opens with Akeret's first encounter with Naomi: she is a voluptuous and sensual woman, who is quite aware of her sexuality and the power it holds. Akeret was warned of this by his colleagues, and is ready, suppressing his sexual urges/thoughts. Naomi divulges her hatred of life; she believes she was born into the wrong family. As a child her mother and father would chastise her for being born a woman who "talks and acts like a Jew". Further, her sensual nature was frowned upon by her parents who would label her a "whore", despite her somewhat normal tendencies to date boys and socialize. As a product of this, Naomi began to rebel by dressing scantily, surely reinforcing her mother and father's opinion of her as a "whore". More importantly, Naomi eventually begins to believe that she was not only born into the wrong family, but that she was another woman in a previous life: Isabella Cortez.

It is from these childhood traumas that Akeret is able to draw conclusions regarding her behavior. He assures her that her mother's hatred of her is not without origin; in fact, Akeret puts forth that the hatred is a byproduct of her mother's hatred of herself. This self loathing has been transferred to Naomi in the process of adolescent development and has, in a sense, brainwashed Naomi.

As the story continues, Naomi makes a snap decision to leave her parents after an explosive argument one night. Without scheduling a final appointment with Akeret, Naomi is off to Mexico to escape the "wrong" life she had been born into. Akeret, though nervous about letting a patient into the world on such short notice, and without a final appraisal of her mental status, wishes her well.

It isn't until years later that he encounters Naomi again. She has completely assimilated her Spanish surroundings; the "home" she never had. Now adamant about going by "Isabella", her "true" name, she has established herself as a prominent Flamenco dancer in the community, even taking on a thick Spanish accent. She visits Akeret to thank him for all he had done in helping her realize her "true identity" and even rewards him with a personal Flamenco dance. Just as fast as she left him years ago, she exits his apartment for Mexico once again.

After 35 years from their first meeting, Akeret speaks with Naomi once more, now living back in the United States. He agrees to meet her at her home/business in Florida, where he finds Naomi has returned to her "original self", bereft of the Spanish influence as seen years earlier. They catch up on what had happened in Mexico, discussing her mother and husband whom she met in Mexico. The two go out to dinner and Akeret reminisces on their appointments years prior. They separate at the end of the night with a mysterious farewell.