I don't see quitting as resistance? The problem I see if there is true helplessness, where you literally have no control and there's learned helplessness where your perception/what you have learned and experienced in the past leads you to believe you have no control.

Straight away, I can imagine three responses to helplessness: exploration to test the helpless state, frustration/struggling, or, quitting. But, supposing exploration finds one's self to actually be helpless, then what. It seems there would only be denial/frustration/struggling or, quitting/not playing anymore. Your T though seemed to see a way out in accepting it?

I once was making a cake for my husband's birthday from scratch and it required I use 8 eggs! I got into a rhythm of breaking the egg, dropping the egg in the bowl, dropping the egg shell in the sink, picking up another egg, dropping the egg in the bowl, dropping the egg shell in the sink, picking up another egg, etc. However, I got distracted about egg 5 and broke the egg, dropped the egg in the sink. . . I immediately put my hand down the sink (to the disposal which was not on :-) trying to "catch" the egg. I needed that egg!

Of course, I then realized that that was not possible, I was helpless to get back that egg, it was gone. So what did I do? I accepted that egg was gone and moved on, using 9 eggs instead of 8.

I did not rant about not being able to make the cake because my egg was gone. I did not quit trying to make the cake because my egg was gone. I accepted the egg was gone and looked at the broader picture to see what made sense to do next.

My mother died when I was 3 and my stepmother was not a good "fit" for me. But I needed and wanted a mother at that age so I made my stepmother my mother. Fast forward 17-25 years and I'm in therapy Granted I could not accept my helplessness as a 3 year old, I both had not learned how yet and I did not have the skills to survive alone. So, I had to learn to accept that I had been helpless when I was 3 and it was time to accept that my stepmother was not an adequate answer for me. I was always the right size, the pants did not fit.