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Old Jun 19, 2011, 11:53 AM
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Suratji Suratji is offline
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Member Since: Jan 2011
Posts: 956
I'd like to ask the same question that Velcro did: what exactly did your T say or do that made you fall in love with her? Did she deliberately do or say these things to hurt you?

Did she act differently with you, do you think, than her other clients? If not, do all her clients fall in love with her? Or do you believe she selected you out of all of her clients to build her seductive web around you?

What do you know about her that makes you have these feelings? Usually if we fall in love with someone, there are lots of qualities about them that appeal to us. Being kind and generous is one thing that should exist in all therapy situations. Is she being accused of this?

Do you know how she is outside of therapy? Do you know what emotional issues she struggles with? What if you found out that she had extreme anxiety and needed to talk about it a lot with her closest friends? Would that change a bit how you feel about her? What if you learned that she was obsessed with a kind of music you didn't like and she followed those musical groups with a passion? Would that change your feelings? What if you found out that she detested the foods that are your favorites? Would that change your feelings? What if you found out that she had been married twice already? Would that change your feelings? What if you found out she has had 6 abortions and you are opposed to abortion? Would that change your feelings? What if you found out she is an extreme neatnick and you like to live life a bit more relaxed? And on and on and on and on......

The bottom line is that you don't know her. You know her therapist role and the therapist role is to help and offer kindness and unconditional positive regard to their clients. If we have not experienced that kind of reception from another human being, it can feel overwhelmingly attractive. Is it her fault that you've been missing that in your life and that you're desperate for it now?

It takes two to tango. Yes, your T has behaved in ways that have made you feel vulnerable and you've been hurt. But is it all her fault? Even if she broke boundaries and did unethical things, it is still too easy to play the helpless victim. Stand up and take some responsibility here instead of throwing a childish temper tantrum. Being the victim is easy and it feels good. Throwing blame around gives us the illusion of power. If it's someone else's fault, we'll get off scot-free in any kind of self-inquiry. You know that whole 'pointing a finger at someone'. Look at it. One finger is pointing and three of the fingers are pointing back at us. hmmmm

Please take a deep breath and have the courage to take a close look at your own psyche, your own behaviors, your own needs, etc. What part have you played in this scenario to bring yourself such pain?
Thanks for this!
Dr.Muffin