Hey ES--invalidation is horrible! Being told your feelings don't matter is deeply and intimately injurious. I think it's commonly acknowledged that the most hurtful part of many traumatic experiences are aftermaths in which people are made not to trust their experience or feelings about it. Just as one example, in so many of the accounts in the #metoo revelations it seems that the utter disregard of personhood is what has wounded many most deeply, and is part of why even relatively "minor" incidents must be regarded very seriously. I just wanted to reach out and validate what you said. I think any shrink or person with an emotional IQ at all would agree that invalidation is a profoundly hurtful experience. I hope you feel heard on this, and I'm sorry you've been treated so badly around this.