I was a bit hesitant to put the idea of ‘addiction’ out there with respect to long term therapy - but just wanted to clarify my thoughts and experiences.

There are absolutely ‘normal’ attachment issues that come up in therapy that can be worked through, and also issues that may not be as common that can also be worked through.

For me, there was no question that I was in an unhealthy situation, which got progressively worse over time. In my closure sessions with another therapist, the therapist agreed that I was correct to terminate. Reading other stories here makes me realize how badly my therapist responded to issues that other therapists seem to navigate beautifully and respectfully.

I think second opinions can be helpful to differentiate between re-traumatizing therapy and tough work that leads to breakthroughs.

This board is great for sharing experiences but sometimes a professional opinion when contemplating something like termination can be key.