Bloomberg and Wondery Present: The Shrink Next Door

Joe Weisenthal (0:02)

Hello, Odd Lots listeners, it's Joe Weisenthal. Psychiatrists see us in our most vulnerable moments. All of our problems and dysfunctions laid bare to a stranger. We hope that they keep our secrets and help us solve our problems. We place our inherent trust in them. But what if they use that knowledge against us for their own benefit? In a brand new podcast from Wondery in Bloomberg, the Shrink Next Door, host Joe Nocera takes you deep into what it looks like when a psychiatrist becomes something much more. You'll hear of extravagant parties attended by movie stars, a lavish home in the Hamptons, and the man at the center of it all.

You're about to hear a preview of The Shrink Next Door in which you'll meet host Joe Nocera and hear about a relationship that would go on to affect two people's lives for 29 years.

While you're listening, go subscribe to The Shrink Next Door on Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening now. There's also a link in the episode notes that will take you there.

Joe Nocera (1:00)

By any measure, Marty Markowitz was a success. He had an Ivy League diploma, a law degree, his own business and plenty of money.

But when he hit 38, he found himself feeling seriously overwhelmed. His rabbi recommended a therapist, he knew, who had an office on Manhattan's East Side.

Marty Markowitz (1:23)

I go into his office, which was, you know, a modestly furnished office with a desk and a chair and a couch.

Joe Nocera (1:30)

The therapist's name was Dr. Isaac Hershkoff, but he told Marty to call him Ike. He was a young, handsome man with a round face, a close-cropped beard and curly black hair.

He was dressed casually in an open collar shirt and shorts.

Marty Markowitz (1:48)

I sat down right across from him and we looked at each other and he said, okay, why are you here?

Joe Nocera (1:54)

Marty had seen a therapist before, the kind who would listen while you lay down on the couch and talk about your dreams. This therapist was different.

Marty Markowitz (2:03)

His modus operandi was basically, I'm your pal, tell me what's bothering you and let's take it from there.

Joe Nocera (2:10)

Marty spent the whole session laying out his problems. He told Ike how his father and mother had recently died, how he'd inherited the family business, how he was having a hard time dealing with his new responsibilities.

When he'd finished, Marty says Ike looked at him and said, I'm going to take you on as a patient.

Marty Markowitz (2:32)

And I said, okay, nice.

Joe Nocera (2:35)

Not only was Ike taking him on as a patient, but he made Marty a promise.

Marty Markowitz (2:39)

He said, don't worry, I'll take care of everything. I was overwhelmed. And to have someone say to me, don't worry, calm down. This is nothing to get upset about. We're going to straighten everything out and we're going to do it fast.

Very comforting to me.

Joe Nocera (2:57)

Marty wrote him a check.

Marty Markowitz (2:58)

I think it was for $160, something like that back in the day.

Joe Nocera (3:02)

It was June 1981 Marty had come to Ike because he needed help. But if he had known what his new therapist had in store for him, he probably would have walked out the door and never come back.

From Wondery and Bloomberg, I'm Joe Nocera, a columnist with Bloomberg Opinion. And this is The Shrink Next Door.

This is episode one, Welcome to the Neighborhood. Every neighborhood has its share of mysteries. We can live our entire lives and barely know the people just one door down. I have a summer house in South Hampton, a couple of hours outside of New York. This part of the Hamptons is called the Bayside. It's quiet, peaceful, a place to escape from the city in the hot summer months. Sampson and Jackie Guillott have a house on the same street as me.

Jacqueline Guillott (4:21)

My name is Jacqueline Guillott, and we're married 35 years.

Joe Weisenthal (4:28)

We're married 52 years.

Joe Nocera (4:31)

They've been coming here since the 80s.

Most of the houses on our street are single story with wooden clapper fronts. Sampson and Jackie's house is no different. It's a lovely home, really. But there's one house on the street that stands out. For starters, it's just bigger than most of the other houses. It's two stories instead of one, and it's the only one on the street with a separate guest house out back.

And then there's the way it looks.

Jacqueline Guillott (4:58)

The house is spectacular with windows and windows and windows.