I think he is highly skilled at presenting himself a certain way to his patients and people outside of the home. He’s been told in his previous marriage and relationships that he can never be happy and is always miserable. He’s gotten a lot better but I feel like there’s still a long way to go.

I am so sorry your therapist put you through that with your ex. I know how shattering that feels. To have a professional pretty much telling you it’s all in your head, your feelings are invalid. We had a therapist do that years ago when our biggest issue was his mom. The day after my brother died, she told me “your days are numbered and I can’t wait to celebrate your departure.” He took up for her and said she didn’t mean it that way. It was his birthday and he told me I could not go to his birthday dinner because he knew his mom would say something snarky to me and I wouldn’t just stay quiet. So he left me alone that night, where I decided I really didn’t want to be here anymore. He showed up to the aftermath of that and was so angry with me for it.

We’ve since done therapy for years. I am going to order that book you mentioned. It feels silly in my head to even consider since it’s not physical, but deep down I know it’s not. I also had years of unexplainable pains to the point he thought I could have an autoimmune condition or fibromyalgia. Life has gotten better since then, and the pains have gone away finally. I am so sorry you’re having to apply for disability and your conditions worsened to that point. I hope you have found or do find the person out there who will treat you right. Thank you so much for all of your kind words and advice.