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Originally Posted by Soccer mom
I've been through this exact situation. I was terminated a year ago and realized afterwards that my ex-T. was emotionally abusive and it was not a good fit. I couldn't see any of that when I was in the situation.
I found another T. and she has been great. I laid it all out there even my fear of attaching to her/being dependent and her leaving me as well. She told me many times she isn't leaving me and feels my ex-T. fueled my attachment/dependency. I now see she is correct. I have the same transference with my current T. but it's not intense and is very manageable. Of course, all of that disclosure was probably over a month. I find that I'm slowly feeling less and less towards her and she's becoming "normal" which is what I read would happen.
However, as great as T. is, I can't stop thinking about ex-T. We live in a small town so I see her around and my co-worker sees her (which was one reason for the termination over my feelings about it). So, I have constant reminders. I too go back and forth and feel that's just part of the process. It took almost a year to have a huge realization that I never felt ex-T. accepted me. That solved a lot of questions around why my feelings were so intense with her.
Anyway, I think it will help to find another T. to process it with however I know how scary that is. Most of my tears in the beginning were over the fact that new T. wasn't ex-T. It's like dating immediately after a relationship ending. Good luck!
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Thanks Soccer Mom. I'm not sure my ex T was emotionally abusive...at least not until she went back on what she said and rejected me. However, I do think she fueled my attachment and infantile feelings by giving out hugs but not engaging in discussion about why I felt I needed them and the feelings they triggered (i.e. unmet childhood needs). In hindsight, in a similar way that you felt ex T never really accepted you, I realized that I felt I had to meet T's approval/expectations to be worthy of her care for me, a trait I have carried all my life especially with authority figures. I am now a little disappointed she didn't spot this and help me break the cycle and that I didn't feel I could be 100% myself without her rejecting me.