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- This topic has 34 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 6 months ago by Anonymous.
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April 5, 2016 at 10:28 am #100936SonaParticipant
Thank you for your reply Anita, really appreciate that.
Sometimes the reason i keep going back to him is, I feel like if I don’t resolve attachment/separation anxiety i can never have a successful loving relationship.
On the other hand, in a loving relationship this hollow feeling (rejection feeling) would not happen every time and i’m more aware now and learned to stay with it, so will find a way?
May I ask something? How one deal with this hollow feeling? Sometimes, I listen to good talks, try to talk to me that it’s ok, call my friend, watch movie, cry..but it takes time – even though I’m functional since morning there is still that feeling inside me..is there any effective way I am missing? Please let me know..
Thanks,
-SApril 5, 2016 at 10:39 am #100937AnonymousGuestDear sona:
You wrote above that you kept going back to the therapist so to resolve the attachment/ separation anxiety. That would have been a good aim IF you worked on it with the therapist. It should have been brought up a long time ago and addressed directly in the sessions. You shouldn’t be alone with this and work on it alone as you attend therapy- therapy is for working on this together with the therapist. Therapy is the place to work on this.
As to the hollow feeling, can you tell me more about it, relax if you need to, and describe that feeling and thoughts that come with it for me, will you? I will be back at the computer in an hour and some and will read and reply to you then!
anita
April 5, 2016 at 3:29 pm #100958SonaParticipantHi Anita,
Thanks for writing. You are right on dot when you said i shouldn’t feel alone – that’s what I feel, I feel like I have to handle this pain by myself and it’s difficult for me to go through it every few days over and over. I did bring up few times with my therapist but no positive response I got just nodding, hence stopped bringing it up. I felt like I am feeling something wrong..but the attachment is so strong and drive to live a good life is so strong that I kept going back.Anyhow, regarding the feeling, in my body i feel so much pain especially in my stomach like someone is stabbing me, my heart feels empty – hollow..and i feel lot of self-doubt like i’m nothing, no one likes me, i am not capable and so isolated, like i don’t deserve any love. Sometimes when I cry I ask for help – may be to God to protect me , to help me..I guess, i wanted reassurance that i’m safe, i’m ok for who I am..
I can stay with the pain now as been there many times but not sure how to pull myself up effectively..
Thanks again for replying-
-SApril 5, 2016 at 3:48 pm #100961AnonymousGuestDear sona:
Your therapist should have done more than just nod. If he wasn’t prepared the first time you brought up the attachment to him, he then had an opportunity to prepare for the next session and bring it up then. It was his responsibility to attend to this very important matter. You have the right, as you must know, to terminate therapy at any time. If you want to bring it one more time and tell him you are thinking about terminating the therapy because you feel alone with this, you can do that.
He has failed you, is my understanding.
About the hollow feeling, it is the feeling you had when you were a child, scared and alone, in terrible need to be helped. It was overwhelmingly scary. It is a feeling-memory recorded in your brain, and it gets triggered when you separate from someone you feel attachment to. Then it is forgotten when you get used to the separation.
I know this feeling very well, not the exact same thing, of course, but I do know. It is not like this anymore for me, but it was terrible for many, many years. I hope it will not be as long for you as it has been for me.
anita
April 5, 2016 at 6:03 pm #100974SonaParticipantHi Anita,
you are yet again correct on saying that it is coming from the past. The main belief I have at that time is, I am a bad person – and at that time now I started questioning myself and trying to find evidence on why i should not be thinking this way – it is very difficult.I feel so relieved talking openly about it and not feel ashamed..
I am trying to change my mind to stay positive , it’s VERY difficult ..
anyhow, i have cancelled my appt with my therapist for this week so I can relax for the next few days..
Thank you so much Anita-
-SApril 5, 2016 at 8:12 pm #100979AnonymousGuestDear sona:
You are welcome. I appreciate your thankfulness and you can stop thanking me for the next ten posts.
I am glad you felt relief talking openly. And I think it is a good choice to have cancelled the next session.
Unfortunately, it is natural for a child to take responsibility for what the child is in no way responsible for, to take the badness of those who abuse and neglect the child. Take on the badness and feel ashamed. It is very common, this is what children do when abused and neglected, emotionally if not physically.
Whatever it is you want to share here, whatever you feel ashamed about, the past, you can share. If you would like, and let me know, I can share with you things parallel or similar so you don’t feel alone in the sharing. I too believed I was bad and shame was very strong in me, so I have a whole lot of material to share. Only I will share just a bit, if it will make you feel comfortable.
So type and type if you want, if you think it can help. I will pay attention and I will not hurt you.
anita
April 6, 2016 at 7:52 am #101014SonaParticipantI’m doing better, since I cancelled my appt with my therapist the feeling is no longer intense.
When it’s intense i’ll take your kind offer..:)
April 6, 2016 at 8:55 am #101024AnonymousGuestDear sona:
Good. Post anytime you need to…
anita
April 27, 2016 at 4:58 pm #102960SonaParticipantHi,
Today I saw my therapist again after a long time and i’m again in a very bad shape. He never mentioned his personal life but today in some context he mentioned a female friend and somehow I got triggered.
I feel very sad and crying..don’t know what to do..Thanks,
SonaApril 27, 2016 at 8:50 pm #102985AnonymousGuestDear sona:
Sorry for your distress. Why did you not bring up to him the attachment issue?
Was there anything useful in the session today? Did you learn anything useful?
anita
April 28, 2016 at 6:20 am #103019SonaParticipantHi Anita,
I wasn’t sure what I should have said at that time? That I have a strong attachment with you and feel jealous when you talk about female friends..My mind creates stories and I feel that I am not wanted or loved..and I wish it was me..This is what I noticed – I get more affected when I have tough circumstances outside and not much love for myself..That time I want that safety too much..once i feel good, confident i don’t have that much affect, some affect but not that much..does it make sense?
Does it all link to self-love?
Thanks,
-SApril 28, 2016 at 8:28 am #103021Edgar Alan PoeParticipantHello,
I am new around here. This topic sounds like an intimate talk so I apologize for interfering, but I feel something wrong about your therapist: he knows how you feel, he knows that he is a source of your pain..but he is not doing anything about it. I think he likes it, I think he don’t care at all about you, he is just feeding himself with your love for him, he grows big and that’s it.
Change the therapist, a female one, just a few sessions to see how it goes. Man ( no matter who they are) can be really life and energy suckers. And you should change him just because he is mean to you, ignoring what you feel for him. Transform your attachment in a positive hate : F..k of Doc, you pissed on me, I don’t need you no more !
My humble opinion….April 28, 2016 at 8:34 am #103022AnonymousGuestDear sona:
Yes, that would have been the right thing to tell your therapist, just what you wrote above: “I have a strong attachment with you and feel jealous when you talk about female friends..My mind creates stories and I feel that I am not wanted or loved..and I wish it was me..”
A competent therapist should be part-of-the-solution for you, not part of the problem. Sessions should not create a problem from you but problems should be addressed right there and then. Otherwise, you would need… to see another therapist to deal with the problems created with the first therapist and that wouldn’t make sense.
I am doubting the competency of your current therapist, in that he didn’t create a relationship with you that will encourage you to share with him what you shared so easily here, in less than two lines. The fact you shared it here but not with him, session after session, indicates to me that something is seriously amiss in your therapy, if it can even be called therapy in practice, at this point.
I didn’t understand your second paragraph. Would you like to re-write it for me?
anita
April 28, 2016 at 10:51 am #103031SonaParticipantThanks badseed and Anita for reply. Lot of times I did wonder about his competency. Sometimes I ask him, do you hate me? and he always replies with no. One time I got frustrated and said i feel like this therapy is not working, it feels like i’ll continue till i’m very old and his respond was it’s ok, you are a nice person i don’t mind seeing you when you are old. I wondered later on that shouldn’t the respond be something like, no you are making good progress etc..
Also, instead of saying he doesn’t hate me, shouldn’t we explore why this is so important to me that he should not hate me?Sometimes it makes me wonder that he wants me to be dependent on him. But not sure whether it’s part of his therapy style?
April 28, 2016 at 11:03 am #103034AnonymousGuestDear sona:
I agree with you on “instead of saying he doesn’t hate me, shouldn’t we explore why this is so important to me that he should not hate me?” Absolutely, you got it. Exploring why you ask him a question, especially when you ask the same question repeatedly is very important.
Same when you told him you feel like the therapy is not working and you are afraid you will continue to see him till you are old, he should have explored with you what in the therapy is not working for you (most important!)
I suppose he is a paid therapist, that either he gets paid directly by you or by an insurance company, or otherwise he is getting paid by the hour for seeing you. This may be why he doesn’t mind to keep seeing you, and keep getting paid for years to come.
I am pretty much done with my evaluation of your therapy, based on your posts. It is my evaluation that he is not a competent therapist and is causing you damage.
I think you should terminate it as soon as possible.
anita
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