Posted by Dinah on April 24, 2009, at 16:38:52
In reply to Re: Feeling melancholy » Dinah, posted by MollieQ on April 23, 2009, at 10:48:55
Thank you. :)
I have an embarrassment of riches on Babble. I consider myself so fortunate to know so many wonderful people here. It's probably a bit self pitying of me to worry myself about what impression I make on many people.
My therapist and I talked a lot about this today. I ended up with a post-therapy migraine for the first time in a very long time. To his credit, when I pointed out that he had acknowledged his fault but not expressed regret for causing me pain, he did apologize more personally. But not for long. He's an immensely resilient guy in part because he doesn't dwell on these things much. But you're right. Empathy isn't really his strength.
Neither is dwelling on unpleasantness. He was very frustrated with my "negativity" towards myself today, until I pointed out that self image and body image is such a horrendously difficult thing to talk about. And I was showing him a great deal of trust to talk about it with him.
He thinks that the reason I don't get along with mental health professionals is that most of them see me as in need of "fixing". And I resist being fixed. He says that perhaps he did too at one time. But that he doesn't any more.
I suspect, from my post therapy migraine if nothing else, that this is an area that has not yet been adequately addressed in therapy. I hope my therapist is up to addressing it.
Everyone likes my therapist, and he is generally accounted as attractive. (It's difficult for me to assess that really, towards a therapist/mommy. But my husband and mother assure me he is attractive.) So he's going to have to dredge up some imagination and empathy.
I really do think you're right about my therapist and perhaps about the others too. But it's hard, when there seems to be a lot of negative reaction towards me, not to conclude that whatever is going on with others, some of it must have to do with me.
poster:Dinah
thread:891996
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20090421/msgs/892571.html