Hi Helle! Nice to meet you! I'm so glad you posted! It takes a lot of courage to jump in here and I'm so glad you did! I think you said that perfectly! It's so true... processing/working through everything IS work but it just doesn't feel that way sometimes... it's hard to measure and even harder to be satisfied with on a daily basis. CONGRATULATIONS!!- I think... Therapy is such a mixed bag of struggle and success and PAIN and love that I never quite know what to say... hmm... how about I'm...Read More...

Dear Ballboy89, It is difficult to move away from your childhood friends and on top of that to have to adjust to being away at college. Do any of your friends from college invite you home for weekends? That is an extra way of bonding with new friends. About your Mom and Dad,sorry...no matter when divorce occurs, it is hard. You think you are mature and then you are blindsided with this news. Wherever your Father moves to, can you live with him when you are away from college? Do remember that...Read More...

Dear Catgirl, I am so sorry about your loss. Since you decided not to fly because of cost maybe the folks out there might have a little Memorial service when you can be there in July. Would there be anyone who would do that...so you can get some closure? It also helps to remember and write down the things (positive) you remember about her...you could share with those close to her or keep it to yourself. If you want to tell us, we would be glad to listen. Peace, LunaRead More...

CT--Thank You sooo very much for sharing this with me...it helps me a great deal to read about what you felt and how you handled your feelings(and how they changed)!!! Your post brought me to tears...for the thoughtfulness, vulnerability, and beauty of it....mlcRead More...

Here we tak a lot about 'baby steps' meaning take it slow (oh, another saying here 'slow down') all this means is to take it easy on yourself, go slow. sorry you're in so much pain! that's hard to live with. scottRead More...

I understand what you are saying about being leery of pain meds. It sounds as though you know yourself well enough to be cautious. My husband (27 years chronic pain guy) has an implanted dilauded pump which delivers the stuff straight to his spine. In addition, he takes morphine for the pain that the pump doesn't handle. (Breakthrough pain) Here is what my H says about addiction to pain medication. He says that as long as you take the medication for pain, it is incredibly unlikely that you...Read More...

Hi Anyone, just wanted to let you know that I am out here listening. I am sorry that I don't have better answers for you today, but I am listening. i hope that you don;t cancel your appts, It is very hard to face our fears; it can be extremely overwhelming. I complelely understand how you feel. It is a very scary thing to do. In a lot of ways, the way I look at it, is, as hard as it is, facing those fears do provide us tools we need for ourselves to be better prepared for day to day life. I...Read More...

Hey Jo I had same experience. When I called crisis line. They were busy. I got a voice mail. I thought it was really ridiculous. No offence. I guess they are short of volunteers or there are too many ppl who need to talk to someone. That’s the last time I used crisis line. I felt like another rejection and felt really ridiculous about hearing voice mail. How irony that was… I just laugh about it now… but at the same time it’s very sad thing…Read More...

Hi HBS, sounds like you have a lot of insight about your insecurities which is a great start to beating them! When I was reading your post I kind of feel like you answered your own question in there without even knowing it. You MUST be special to your T for her to stick with you. She sees things in you you probably don't see in yourself. And she is working really hard to help you. You don't try so hard for someone you don't care about. She'd just let you push her away and forget it/you. If...Read More...

Hey MP, I'm glad to hear that things went well with your T, and that he was able to put your mind at ease. Be well! HolzRead More...

Hey OW. I haven't been on much in the last few days and am working on catching up. I just want to reiterate how WRONG I think what your H did was... I can only imagine how violating that was/is. Everyone's responses here have been thorough but I just wanted to let you know that I've been thinking about you. Keep us posted. -CTRead More...

I don't do especially well on normal weekends. I dread holiday weekendsRead More...

Hey Timbo .. All you can do is try right! If you love her, don't give up on her. HollyRead More...

Neither of you are "awful," you're just both trying to do the best you can to get by. It doesn't have anything to do with awful or not awful or good or bad.Read More...

Z, They're talking about the look of the new home page for the site. Shrinklady, It does look great! I like how it's organized. Everything's easy to find. I also love the colors of the site in general (brown's my favorite color), and the peaceful feel here. CatgirlRead More...

WTG Heather! Good for you for taking control and standing your ground! I'm glad to hear that your T saw your side of it and validated what you were saying! HollyRead More...

Thank You so much AG and whereamI for your thoughts and advice--I am definitely going to get that book on attachment!! mlcRead More...

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! Catgirl, you are one talented woman. Thank you for sharing this with us, it is a gift to us all xxRead More...

Hi Summer, It is totally understandable why today, especially, is hard. It has been a long road. It seems that your P's failure to return your calls before he disconnected his line was completely about him, and definitely did not consider your needs. Since you do trust your T, maybe you could tell her directly how you felt belittled, and that your feelings were not validated. It seems like she has been a good support through working through the termination, and it might open up a thoughtful...Read More...

I would like to second CG's thought here! I have a similar experience when trying to get through the anger and negativity. I think I've said in on here before, but this is what my t said to me once (and I'm definitely paraphrasing): Think about it like this. What does a young child do when he's angry? He strikes out with the most hurtful thing he can think of: I HATE YOU! I DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND ANYMORE! YOU'RE STUPID! I'M NEVER GONNA TALK TO YOU AGAIN! But when young child is that...Read More...

Hi Incognito (I still like more-cognito, if you remember!) I'm so glad you've decided to post... I've seen you lurking and wondered how you've been doing but didn't want to pry. First of all, I'm so sorry to hear that you are hurting so much. It must be so confusing to want to run to your t but away at the same time. Unfortunately, I know that confusion too. I also know that there isn't much I can tell you that will help. However, there is something I noticed in the above quote that I wanted...Read More...

Samy, I have to agree with everyone, I think its wonderful you're T told you that. You deserve someone to show you what love really looks like and how someone who loves you really behaves. And there's a strange thing about love. It's the only irresistible force in the universe. You can defend yourself against everything else but not love. You don't need to when its the real thing. Which can be a tough lesson to learn; I know it was really hard for me to trust my T and allow him to get closer...Read More...

Hey Samy! I'm so glad to see you on the boards again! I've missed you being a part of the dicussions around here but certainly understand since you've been so busy. And I'm so sorry to hear about your dad... I hope things are improving. And idk where you live but it's hot where I am too! I wish it would cool down but I know it won't ANY time soon! -CT P.S.- I'll respond about your growing and learning about love on your other post!Read More...

TN, BTW, I know how you feel with the coughing/bronchitis thing. I recently had pneumonia. It's so energy-consuming to be sick. My T always reminds me that we have plenty of time, and to know that it will be okay, that we will work through my stuff. So, that's what I want to remind you of right now. Right now, you need to focus on regaining your energy. The other stuff will come in its own time. catgirlRead More...

Hi Rachel - I get extremely attached to therapists so I can completely understand your not wanting to try again with another therapist (and risk getting hurt again). Over a decade ago, I saw a therapist for 3 years. It didn't help at all but I couldn't bear losing her so I stuck around for 3 years until I forced myself to "give her up". For a decade I struggled on my own. Then when I couldn't do it anymore, my thought was I could never, ever go through therapy with anyone but that last...Read More...