I really appreciate this idea and approach. My fear was that he did not hear me, by assigning a gender when one clearly wasn't given made me feel as though I was opening up a very deep part of me to someone who was only half paying attention. If he had said, "what this person did to you was offensive....." MUCH safer for me to continue, and in a safe pace, tell all parts of my story. But he said, "what HE did you was offensive...." Safety-gone. Feeling heard- gone. And wanting to close the door on the topic.

HOWEVER, as upsetting as this is, I see the very real possibility that I can use this to run from my fears, and run from therapy altogether. I have been running in fear my whole life and I do want to keep working ahead, even in the face of doubt. I don;t know how soon I will get back to my story, but obviously being heard is a huge issue for me (a damn it, he knows this).