Sannah,

I do see that there must be painful issues underlying the triggers. What I'm not sure about is how to get those issues resolved. I don't seem to have the triggers happen when i think about similar things that happened in my past (such as feeling ignored by my parents). I do remember intellectually that I often felt discounted and worthless as a child with my parents -- and i know that i was upset about it at the time. But talking to t about it in the present doesn't bring up that old pain for me.

When i talk to t about feeling discounted as a child, I don't feel much of anything. It is as if the experiences are buried too deep for me to reach them. Consequently, if i can't get in touch with those old painful worthless feelings, then it doesn't feel like i have anything concrete to resolve or work through. On the other hand, when t makes me feel rejected or unimportant, then the triggers and emotions go crazy and i can very easily feel them. I think that is why I tend to feel that my reaction is to t, and not rooted in old childhood stuff. . .because i don't "feel" any of that pain toward my parents. But i do feel it with t.

Does that make any sense?