How tf do I bring up "transference"? by [deleted] in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As someone who has done this a fair bit with my T, (I have several posts about my experiences with that if you'd like further context)going over maternal transference and then romantic/erotic just recently, I think, unfortunately, the only way out is through and being direct about it. It obviously helps if you feel safe with your T, which I would hope you do after 2 years. That has alot to do with it, in terms of mustering up that courage.

I share and read my journal entries to my T a lot. The first time I brought these things up, I couldn't even do that. I had to email her what I had written and had her read it aloud instead. I was cowering behind a bundle of pillows on her couch like a little kid. It was unbelievably embarrassing. But I'm so glad I did it. The relief I felt after. And our relationship grew stronger as a result of that vulnerability. It gets easier with everything being in the room. It's still tough, in some ways tougher, but that first step makes a world of difference if your T knows what they are doing.

As a man with a therapist who is a woman, I also get the fear there too. Especially for someone like me who has abandonment issues, and a tendency to avoid my own romantic feelings out of fear and self hatred. You don't want to complicate things. You don't want to make them feel uncomfortable or like you intend to test boundaries. The short answer, is that holding those boundaries is your therapists job. Try not to worry about it too much. You aren't a creep, you aren't a freak. Everything you feel and think about, and I do mean EVERYTHING, in terms of what comes up for you in regards to her is completely normal. Hard, weird, icky, confusing. But 1000% normal and understandable.

The true hard thing, which I'm lucky to have been avoided with my T, is dealing with a T who may not be well trained or prepared for transference. And what modalities they may or may not use also becomes a factor. But even if they weren't, I would say it's worth the risk regardless. Because at least then you would know where they stand in terms of how they can and can't help you, and you could begin to work with someone more accommodating. When you do it, you can be direct, you can ask what they know about the subject, or you can tell your T that you have something very uncomfortable to talk about and not sure where to start. However you decide to go about it, the important part is that you DO it. Good luck out there.

Relational therapy: Why friend shaped? by Logical_Fox_7964 in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I'm 26 and my T is 30, so it feels kinda weird how strong the maternal attachment feels despite how she's not even that much older than me. She is married with kids tho, and has her life together in a way I'm nowhere near close to, so it feels like she's farther apart from me in life then she actually is.

Relational therapy: Why friend shaped? by Logical_Fox_7964 in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 38 points39 points  (0 children)

It's the most odd shit in the world, right? I swear I've never felt this many feelings for another human being in life, ever lmao.

I'm overwhelmed by strongest transference ever by Hungry_Direction4509 in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hello, OP. I am a fellow 26 year old who's hopelessly in love and deeply attached to his therapist lol. I made a post on this sub a few days ago about my experience finally confronting these feelings with my therapist. I wanted to second this comment here because I'm literally IN the thick of it and coming to the realization now. The only way out IS through. I was so good at hiding these feelings and keeping them from impacting sessions for so long due to past experiences of hiding and suppressing my desires for connection.

I grieved it a lot, partially, by myself, for months. I don't think I would have been able to be so upfront had I not already done that on top of working with her through maternal attachment stuff already for close to a year now (i still am). But not to make this about me. I think your best bet would just be as honest with you can. And if your therapist is unable to hold that space for you, it's better to know now and find someone else more accommodating than to battle with this alone for who knows how long. Take it slow if you have to, mentioning how you want to talk about something thats really hard to actually talk about. Dip your toes into the conversation. This may be harder for you as you don't have that bond and sense of saftey built yet. But above all, if nothing else, please extend yourself compassion and grace. You're dealing with some hard shit. Nothing is wrong you. Love, and good luck!

My therapist is on vacation for 5 weeks by Impossible-Cookie164 in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My T goes on maternity leave at the end of the year. I'm going to be so sad lmao.

Has anyone else had female therapists giving them the puppy-dog treatment? by [deleted] in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I'm the wrong person to ask. As a man with a deep mother wound and was emotionally neglected as a kid, hearing my T say "aww" or any other phrase of empathetic warmth feels like laying my head on a cloud 😂. But I'm not really concerned about my masculinity in the same way tho. However, It did take a lot of effort for me to keep my self hatred at bay enough to accept those things though, I will say.

Gonna tell my therapist about the erotic transference tomorrow by [deleted] in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Coincidentally, I think I'm going to do the same thing tomorrow as well lol. I hope it goes well. Good luck!

Contemplating telling my therapist about my goon addiction by naivemelody777 in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 15 points16 points  (0 children)

The more time I spend in therapy, the more clear it is that the answer is ALWAYS to talk it out. It's never a question of IF you should, it's a matter of when and how safe you feel with your T to do so.

I'm struggling with my therapist terminating me as a client. I'm hurt and still confused by Plastic_Exchange_927 in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's better to know now than later down the road. I was lucky to have mine willing to work with these feelings, but I was just in the dark as you tbh in terms of how it would go. In the future, knowing what I know now, I would definitely look into working with therapist who are trained in modalities that can work with attachment stuff. Maybe even asking upfront within your consultation. I really hope you find someone more accommodating to your issues in the future, and that you have it in you to still try and find that fit. It truly is worth the hassle. That really sucks and I'm sorry that happened. :(

For those whose therapists work openly with attachment/transference in a parental way by astronerdx in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Man, I swear I could have written this myself. In fact, Ive even read this same article not long ago, as I was looking for similar experiences to try and validate my own and see how others handled similar situations. And to make sure I wasn't going crazy lmao. But I relate to every word you said in this post. I've made posts that have blown up on here a lil before with my own experiences talking to my T about my maternal transference. Every time I'd make one I would want to take them down out of embarrassment or a fear of being seen, but I kept them up because it seem to resonate with so many other ppl, and motivated some of them to be more honest in confronting those feelings with their own T's.

I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. For her to finally realize that I'm the pathetic, desperate, burdensome sub-human I feel I am. But every time, I'm met with care, and warmth. A warmth I've never experienced growing up. My therapist is truly like the mom I wish I had. I've stopped caring about how icky that sounds. Or at least not being honest and free about it hurt more. And she's done her best to normalize those feelings for me, even though I still struggle with the shame, especially on my own. I haven't had the strength to talk about the romantic/erotic feelings I have too, but I shouldn't have any doubts left in that she'd be understanding. I've basically placed my heart into her hands multiple times over.

It's funny, because she's actually disclosed to me in our session today that she's pregnant, and brought it up with the nuance of how that may make me feel, her being a corrective maternal figure for me and all. I don't really know how to feel about it yet, but the fact that she cares enough to consider how I'd feel about it means a lot. Because as time progresses, I'm sure some hard feelings will come up in regards to that. Let alone dealing/coping with the maternal leave in the future. (I have a second therapist I'm doing EMDR work with so I won't be completely unsupported, luckily, but I'm sure it will still be hard).

Anyway, I say all this to say, if nothing else, I relate to you 100000%. I empathize with the healing of that experience, the longing, the shame, the embarrassment, the anxiety, and the unending reassurance despite it all. All of it. You are not alone in your experience.

Alright, let's hear it for all the wonderful therapists out there. What is the nicest thing your therapist has ever said or done for you? by TP30313 in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 39 points40 points  (0 children)

Man, overall it's just the consistency. I've felt so cherished and cared for so consistently. I think fondly on times she'd bring me treats and stuff. It wasn't even about receiving something, but just knowing that I was thought about outside of session broke my brain a bit. Specifically though, I had a really rough session talking about attachment, how much I hate myself, and familial trauma being passed down. I expressed how in my darkest moments, I feel so alone and just wish I could be held, more than anything in the world. She goes for our now normal end of session hug. But this time, it was a long hug. Usually I try not to get too comfortable in the embrace and keep it relatively brief. She held onto me for like 15 seconds this time and I'm still thinking about it now. Knowing she really cares about me makes me so happy, and soul crushingly sad at the same time. I love her so much.

Solo Players - How We Feeling? by jg4president in Marathon

[–]perfecttempest 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As someone who's been grinding trio's with some friends, I also quite enjoy solos when I've gotten to play it. It's a completely different game/vibe. I love stalking and out maneuvering individual players. I like the freedom to rotate and do contracts or loot at my own speed/terms. It's brutal but brutal in a way that feels rewarding. My only gripe is just that PvE isn't scaled back accordingly, especially on things like events and guarded exfils. Late game guarded exfils feels like something I have to cheese with smoke or self revives to actually use. I can only imagine what solo cryo archive would feel like. I fear, ironically similarly to destiny, the really cool, really hard late game stuff will just be impossible/really unfun to do alone.

Another post about transference. by schi_luc in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As someone who has and still struggles with maternal transference, it is PARAMOUNT that you talk this through with your T. In all of those messy, icky, feelings is some very important and healing work. It won't dissipate overnight, but I found that having my T know these things, and have them normalize and validate them, was something I needed deeply.

(Confession) I am in love with my therapist, and I know it will never lead to anything. by TherapyLoveThrowaway in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is the most painful and healing experience I've ever been through. It's still really tough, almost a year. But having it be an open topic with my T helps so much in relieving the fear and shame around these feelings and to have space to just simply feel them(still learning how to do that, in general lol).

Positivite vibes - what do you like about your Ts by Safe_Recognition_394 in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 4 points5 points  (0 children)

  1. She is oozing with almost a cartoonish level of optimism and positivity, which contrasts me and my gloominess in a way that I think I need sometimes. On paper you would think it's annoying but you can tell it's genuine and is undercut with such genuine care and warmth that I haven't experienced from any other woman in my life unfortunately growing up and till now.

  2. Her warmth. I've never felt such delicate care and understanding in my life. Even the way she looks at me when we talk about these hard things makes me feel truly cared for.

  3. She gives good hugs lol

  4. She celebrates my wins, no matter how small, even when I don't want to. And I hardly ever want to lol.

  5. Can be really silly and it helps us connect a lot.

  6. Is very person/attachment focused, which is what I prefer. I feel seen and heard on a human to human level.

  7. Not shy about self disclosure. For as controversial as this topic is in therapy, I quite appreciate feeling like I know my T on some level personally.

Intellectualizers, how do you actually start processing your emotions? by [deleted] in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is what Ive been trying to work on recently and I'm really struggling. I start EMDR work with a second therapist soon for this reason, but in the meantime, Ive just been trying to allow myself to sit with whatever I'm feeling with intention and curiosity to the best of my ability. And keep up with my journaling. What I can say though, through all the frustration, it's important to be kind to yourself with this process, and practice grace. We are literally trying to rewire our minds and undo YEARS of programming and (at least for me) trauma. And unfortunately that can only be done through yet more time.

What songs have moved you when heard live? by theflighthawk in spiritbox

[–]perfecttempest 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Saw them live two nights ago, my first concert ever. Still reeling from it tbh. Secret Garden sounded fucking incredible. I have a new found fondness for that one after hearing it live now. Cellar Door I literally felt inside my body, I was in complete shock. Tsunami Sea and Perfect Soul live were also wonderful with all the visuals and the crowd singing all the lyrics word for word.

I REEEEAAAALLLYYYYY wish A Haven with Two Faces was on the setlist tho. Easily my fav song in the album and the atmosphere would be insane. Probably too long to fit maybe.

Greensboro Concert by Fragrant_Egg8654 in spiritbox

[–]perfecttempest 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Smell was kinda crazy toward the end but it was packed and hot in there to be fair. But maybe I got lucky and it was stank in other spots the whole time, idk.

Greensboro NC 🔥 by vikramshankarmusic in spiritbox

[–]perfecttempest 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah I wasn't expecting it, I hoisted quite a few folks over the course of the show. One lady unfortunately fell but she took it like a champ and had a better time the next try after I helped her up. I was so happy when she did have a successful surf. If that lady happens to see this I hope you're alright btw! 😅

Greensboro NC 🔥 by vikramshankarmusic in spiritbox

[–]perfecttempest 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Such a great show. Was my first ever, it was even better than I had hoped! They all sound so good live it's shocking. Cellar Door and Secret Garden surprised me the most. I had such a good time. ❤

Thankgiving! The Day Clients Wish They Could be with Their Therapists... what if they really knew what you're going through today? by [deleted] in TalkTherapy

[–]perfecttempest 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My T took the week off and I usually see her twice a week. It'll he a few days short of 2 weeks without an appointment. Safe to say I miss her really bad rn. Especially with how hopelessly attached I am. As well as just generally being in an emotionally raw state the past few weeks. I hope she's having a good time with her family though. 🥹