Kudos to you rainbow for having the courage to focus on the here-and-now with your T!

I seriously shy away from the discomfort of it and change the topic (which my T finally pointed out) -- it's what I do in the rest of my life as well and so, being okay doing it seems like a long road ahead.

I guess I don't really have much else to say except take your time with the abuse label -- I find that just my emotions (about any event) being validated is often enough until I can get used to whatever the label is.

It sounds like you're really making awesome progress in your therapy!

I have been thinking of a response to your thread as my T seems similar to yours but I am not doing well in the brain functioning department today but I will respond when I can. Just wanted you to know I was thinking of you and your questions.

My T also tries to get me to focus on the hear and now, mainly because I automatically shut down my emotions when they're too unsettling. I've unknowingly become a master at avoiding unpleasant feelings.

Also, I can sort of understand the issue with your brother, although my story is not the same. I can accept that mine abused me, I can accept that alot of terrible things happened, and probably even more terrible things that I don't care to remember, I even know why I never told my mother, and I can accept my reasoning.... But I cannot think of my childhood and label what happened to me as traumatic.

Trauma just feels like much too big of a word.


I'm glad to hear you're making such wonderful progress.

Like trippin says - i got lost in my earlier post. Im one of the people who said, rainbow thats abuse. Maybe broken or effed up is a better description. Just not something to build a relationship on.

More apparent or striking by what is now absent, than by what was then present. Like, no hard feelings, but not a lot of close feelings either.