Logan receives the gift of free...

Wolverine's the best he is at what he does and he'll be back in movie theaters on Friday, May 1 in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"!

Here on Marvel.com, we'll be celebrating the Canucklehead's return to the silver screen all month long starting today with the official kick-off of Wolverine Month!

Throughout April and leading up to the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" premiere on May 1, Marvel.com will highlight Wolverine's illustrious four-color history in addition to giving you ever-present updates on the upcoming movie with all the latest photos, videos and more!

Plus, every Friday, we'll be posting COMPLETE Wolverine stories in Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited and stay tuned for WOLVERINE: HUNGER, an Exclusive Digital Comic coming Wednesday, April 22!

So sharpen your claws and dig in, True Believers—we're four weeks away from Wolvie's big screen return and Marvel.com's the place to be!By Tim Stevens

James Howlett, who prefers to be called Logan or Wolverine, is an adult male of indeterminable age. He is of below average height and appears to be in excellent physical shape. He is self-identified as a mutant and serves as part of the mutant rights group, the X-Men and one of the three teams currently identified as the Avengers. He presents as gruff and direct, displaying little desire to engage the writer. Despite his manner, however, he was, at times, capable of thoughtful introspection and self evaluation.

Logan came to session when a prior client, Wade Wilson (Deadpool), paid for a free session for him. The client claimed that while he did not see the point of therapy, "free is free, bub." This would be the first of many times the client would refer to this writer as "bub," indicating either a discomfort or disrespect for authority figures. This bears out in his pattern of relationships. While he seems inexorably drawn to teams, (he works on at least three at this time), he also resists hierarchy. Often, for "personal reasons," he will quit a team or teams and strike out on his own. Then, nearly as quickly, he will rejoin the team. Given what is known of his past history, this makes sense. He has repeatedly been taken advantage of by government institutions and possible mentor figures. They have experimented on him, erased his memories, implanted false ones, and generally done so with little regard for him as a human being. Add to this the fact that he is a mutant and therefore consistently targeted by politicians come election time, it is easy to see how he might have grown distasteful of listening to the instruction of others.

However, it is clear that he has not given up on connecting with others as he does continue to join and rejoin groups. He might fear how the leaders will treat him, but he also longs for the interpersonal relationships that grow out of these associations. Being a loner might feel "easier" for him in the short-term, but he actually thrives on camaraderie.

An unusual offshoot of this desire has been seen in his counseling of younger women. At least three times in his life, he has taken a teenager under his wing and guided them towards maturity. This writer finds this practice disconcerting. Until Logan can come to terms with himself and his past, he is an ill-fitting choice for mentor and role model. Add to this his tendency towards uncontrollable rages and one cannot help but imagine such a relationship to be a very volatile and invalidating one for the younger party. He, however, disputes this, pointing out that Kitty Pryde, one such mentee, recently saved the earth from a "giant bullet." This is, admittedly, compelling evidence.

The client does demonstrate some features of PTSD, including hyper-vigilance, outbursts of anger, feelings of detachment, and a resistance towards connecting with others. However, this writer cannot diagnose Logan as a PTSD sufferer as it is unclear whether or not the client is truly experiencing any of the symptoms that would qualify him for "persistently re-experiencing" the traumatic event or events. This is due to the implanted/erased/returned memories he has, making it impossible to tell if he is having dreams or flashbacks or, rather, if his memories are just reasserting themselves. What was done to him is miles away from anything psychology has documented at this time and therefore there is, quite literally, no information on how to categorize his experiences. Therefore, the writer is currently giving the client an Axis I diagnosis of Acute Stress Disorder while emphasizing that it is a particularly chronic and intense manifestation of it.

The client does demonstrate impressive strengths that the writer has urged him to further tap into. For one, Logan has an intense interest in Eastern culture and has therefore developed several varieties of meditation skills. He has been advised to recommit to meditation and use it far more often to control emotions and combat his desire to run away from stressors when they begin to feel like too much. While he is loath to admit it, he also, clearly, has vast reservoirs of compassion. It was recommended to him to find outlets for this compassion that do not involve combat in the hopes that looking beyond himself, in an environment not rife with violence, might provide some sense of balance to his life.

While it is highly unlikely, given his attitude, that Logan will return for counseling here or anywhere else, I have made him several referral appointments to doctors closer to where he resides. On May 6, he can choose between appointments with Doctors Duane Swierczynski and Ariel Olivetti made under the name CABLE #14 or with Doctors Jason Aaron, Daniel Way, Adam Kubert, and Tommy Lee Edwards, found under file name WOLVERINE # 73. Again, it is unlikely he will choose to do so, but the appointments have been made to facilitate the possibility, however slight.

Tim Stevens is a Mental Health Supervisor currently pursuing his Psy D who has experience in working with individuals living with PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder.For more Wolverine, check out Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited. Like gaming? The official "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" video game hits stores May 1! And remember: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" comes to a theater near you on May 1—visit the official "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" movie site!

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