Artie,

I have a question for you, and I hope you will take it in a spirit of empathy and curiosity. Why would you say that you are alone while you have "my love"? I mean, I understand that he/she is not with you right now, but you still have this person's love, apparently, and your reunion to look forward to. It is just the interim that you cannot stand? Because this feeling of being so alone seems to be rather hopeless. I feel that way too most of the time. Like right now. But I imagine that if someone out there loved me and wanted to be with me, that would be enough. I think I might still feel sad, and sometimes lonely, but not totally, hopelessly alone. Most of us are alone most of the time in the sense of not being present with and truly connected to people that love us. I am not saying you should not feel how you feel, but at face value it doesn't entirely make sense to me, so I wonder if you understood why you feel so alone you could help yourself feel better. I feel totally alone most of the time, even though I know there are people that love me. But I don't feel like those people are available enough or express love enough, and I don't know how to receive it when it is there, either. My therapist has been trying to get me to see that the problem is that I am disconnected from myself, that I do not know how to love myself, so that other people's esteem and affection has no where to land, and no where to take root. Do you think that might also apply to you, if it is true?