Posted by Dinah on June 17, 2009, at 21:30:06
In reply to New psychiatrist/analyst can't treat me, posted by garnet71 on June 17, 2009, at 19:55:30
I think Emmanuel is right. There may be things about his habitual style of therapy that encourage transference. But given the suddenness and intensity of your feelings for him, it might have more to do with you responding to some innate quality in him than anything he purposefully did to encourage you to feel that way.
For example, my therapist often wonders why it was I became so attached to him so quickly when in general I have trouble attaching to anyone. Despite my early suspicions, I now know my therapist enough to know it would never occur to him to encourage attachment of the sort I experienced. There was something about *him* in particular that helped me stick with him when I'd have ditched any other therapist relatively quickly.
Given what you've said about his strange referrals, I wonder if he is having some sort of issues that may have bled into your experience with him. Because what you describe today seems a bit odd, with rheumatology referrals. Maybe the rheumatologist has a son? Or a dual specialty?
It might be helpful to interviewing in the future to figure out what it was in him that elicited that response in you. He was an older male analyst with a blank slate approach. Did he have any other qualities that were lacking in others you've seen?
For example, I think I've figured out what it was that drew me to my therapist. He's very large, and very calm, with a deep voice. I think he emits some sort of slow calm energy that I drink up like a desert traveler coming upon an oasis. Calm energy was noticeably lacking in myself and my family. Even when he was insensitive or lacking in some way, this quality held me until his other fine and useful qualities emerged.
poster:Dinah
thread:901600
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20090614/msgs/901633.html