Home→Forums→Relationships→Partner (F40) still in contact with an ex
- This topic has 65 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 9 months ago by Anonymous.
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January 19, 2019 at 9:29 am #275591AnonymousGuest
Dear John:
When she told you that for three years she had a friends-with-benefit relationship with a married man, a man she knew was married, it means that for three years, more than a thousand days and nights, she was in a FWB relationship with a man she knew was married.
Your response to her at the time she told you the above was: “if she wants to go forward with me to cut off ALL that type of people of her life”-
But don’t you see, John, that she herself is that “type of people”- she knowingly had a three years relationship with a married man, with no plans of him divorcing. She lied to you repeatedly, repeatedly made promises to you and then broke her promises-
Isn’t she that “type of people”?
anita
January 19, 2019 at 9:54 am #275597JohnParticipantOh… yes, she may be that type of person.
January 19, 2019 at 10:43 am #275607MarkParticipantJohn,
You’ve asked for clarity. With all the great observations that reflect what you posted and the insights, are you clear now?
This woman has “chaos” around her. She lies, “words didn’t match actions throughout.” She does not have empathy and keeping you at arms distance.
What more do you need?
Mark
January 19, 2019 at 10:47 am #275609JohnParticipantWhy am I love sick? Why haven’t I simply rejected from my life what doesn’t vibrate with me. Why do I do it all?? I don’t understand why I still hang on hope that some magic will turn this all so my life with her becomes painless? Why have I been there for so long? Why do I have so much trust in those who don’t appreciate it?
So many questions so little answers.
January 19, 2019 at 10:53 am #275611MarkParticipantJohn,
That is the gist for therapy. Anita is great asking you probing questions in order to uncover the origins of your current pain and dysfunction.
Look at your family-of-origin. Examine how your primary caregivers “taught” (i.e. through how they raised you, how they lived their lives, etc.) you to hang onto such a person. Looks like you want to care for/rescue her. Look at the patterns of your life, the type of people you are attracted to.
Mark
January 19, 2019 at 11:00 am #275613JohnParticipantThank you Mark.
I decided few weeks back to tidy up my faulty attraction as this is the 2nd woman in my life who causes such feelings in me and I am deciding to depart in pain although clear signs. I have started therapy, big effort, I drive 2 hours to meet this very therapist. I am eager to get to the bottom of my choices. Whatever the outcome, I post it here in time.
Thank you all for care and time to respond.
January 19, 2019 at 11:06 am #275619MarkParticipantJohn,
Good for you for making the decision despite the pain you are feeling from it. Good for you for making the commitment with the therapy.
Good luck and please keep us posted.
Mark
January 19, 2019 at 11:21 am #275621AnonymousGuestDear John:
You asked in a recent post: “Why am I love sick? Why haven’t I simply rejected (her).. Why do I do it all??.. Why have I been there for so long?”
If you want to explore these questions with me a bit, we can do that. It will take a few posts back and forth between us, there will be questions that I will ask you, starting with the following:
Page one you wrote: “after a week of crying conversation and her begging me on her knees and kissing my hands…”-
-how did you feel when you saw her on her knees, crying and begging you?
anita
January 19, 2019 at 11:29 am #275625JohnParticipantI felt this reaction is outside her spectrum. Saw this as over reacting. I wasnt able to calm her down. Never saw anything like this before… but… I felt as well that this reaction shows emotional intensity and her intent must be somehow real. Something that I take into consideration although general view on her hobesty.
We both were crying over that week. I wanted to do a proper closure. This relationship was important to me. I wanted to allow my emotions to come to surface and wanted time to think my decision through. We ve spent a whole week o conversing and crying over it all. I remember one of her sentenes “I am so stupid, I always f… something up”.
I am a person who judges state of myself in stillness… without interruptions like work. This is when I can feel myself real.
January 19, 2019 at 11:37 am #275627AnonymousGuestDear John:
You saw that she was in pain over her bad choices, so you thought that the pain you saw would motivate her to make different choices?
And you tried to help her along in making different choices, you told her specifically what those choices would be: no more contact with Peter (outside perhaps the absolute necessity for work as in saying “hello in a company meeting?)
And you told her no more alcohol if it disrupts her sleep, and no more lying to you.
You thought you saw her motivation to change (that pain you witnessed in her behavior), and you specifically told her what choices will be good choices for her to make. And yet she didn’t change.
Am I understanding correctly?
anita
January 19, 2019 at 11:42 am #275631JohnParticipantGenerally yes. I made it clear: for me to stay in this relationship, this and that would have to happen. Otherwise this is not for me.
I felt if she is in pain of loosing me, that she would respect my boundaries to keep me.
Choices good for her to make if she wants a relationship with me.
January 19, 2019 at 11:53 am #275633AnonymousGuestDear John:
I don’t think you cared a whole lot about what kind of a person she was, or is, honest or not. What mattered to you is that once in a relationship with you, she behaves like she is supposed to, that she follows your instructions.
Am I correct?
anita
January 19, 2019 at 12:15 pm #275637JohnParticipantI spoke with her for a year online before I met her, we spoke openly about partners, life, her pain after husbands death and so on. Within few months from meeting her I KNEW she has plenty of grieving to do and I helped her going through it. We spoke a lot, she cried even more. Throughout the process I clearly communicated how in my view relationship looks like, about mine and hers expectations. We matched fully in regards to it. Thats why I went deeper. She made clear with me that she had light relationships with men as she had no capacity for relationship and did things just to ease the pain. We agreed on commitment – she asked for exclusivity and I agreed.
Entering the relationship showed differences in this field. Basically, what I heard didn’t match with what I experienced with her. Early days I saw her not getting close emotionally with me. After few light remarks over few weeks I cried to her on the couch saying that something here is not right. That her emotional distancing doesn’t match what we did and spoke about before. She was telling me it must be difficulties at work, sick father etc. Turned out disctractions that were interrupting her emotional closeness were quite permanent and various. Like she still wasn’t ready for relationship.
I cared who she is, I saw flaws, I believed and we spoke about it that what she did before she met me wasn’t her desired path. That depression took sensitivity off, that she was just surviving allowing herself quick fixes of happiness. That she didnt feel like she wanted to be alive.
January 19, 2019 at 12:29 pm #275643AnonymousGuestDear John:
During the year you communicated with her online she told you that “she had no capacity for relationships and did things just to ease the pain”, and that “she didn’t feel like she wanted to be alive”.
When you were a child, growing up, was your mother sad a lot, in pain, crying silently.. or loudly?
anita
January 19, 2019 at 12:36 pm #275647JohnParticipantYes, my mother wasn’t happy in relationship with my dad. She didn’t feel appreciated, he left the whole home for her care including two small of us. He was taking off after work to his friends in the garage fixing cars and so on. She cried a lot, they argued, she left one day saying she us leaving, but came back few minutes later. I remember I was standing there looking at her and closing door devastated.
She used to take a lot of pain killers (don’t know why), after she had my brother she was affraid to leave home, her friend recommended a book to her. Helped apparently. But I see my mom as quite full of various fears although she can be dominating and harsh at times.
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