</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
sunrise said:
Does he think this is not productive? I strive to be in the feeling state, so this for me would probably be seen as progress. When I don't have an objective view of what has happened, I trust my T to tell me and I believe him. This is just from months of getting to know him and trust his vision and judgment. Sometimes it can help us move forward more quickly. He can say, "sunny, trust me, this is what happened!" and it's like getting a kick in the noggin into trustland, and I can move on. I think it shows how much you trust your T, sister, that you could be completely in the "feeling state" with him.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post"> I think that there is a fine line between the feeling state and then being re-traumatized. And I think there is a place for both experiences in therapy. It is a difficult thing for a T to read-- how far "into it" do you let someone go? Sometimes it's important to let them go-- and then know when to bring them back.

Yesterday in session I was going "into it" with my SI experiences-- and T told me that he would rather me stay in the present, rather than internalize. I asked him, "Well, what if I can't and I just keep slipping into the experience?" He said, "Then I will go with you wherever this goes-- but if you are going to internalize, let me in." I think the difference is right there-- therapists need to come into the experience with us. We had a lot to talk about yesterday-- I knew that; he knew that. It wasn't going to be productive if I was going to sit there the whole session caught up in my experience without letting him in. I probably would have caused myself further damage by stating in that state.

I have been in the feeling state many times without letting T in-- particularly the time I used the analytic couch. It ended up being very painful for both of us, but it needed to happen because of the way we connected afterwards-- on a totally different level then ever before.