Not read the book (yet ) but those were fantastically interesting articles.

I was groping to something in my last session before the break about how I thought my t's method had been too harsh or the harshness only ameliorated because I had the support of my doctor.

I told her a number of times that I would 'run away' to my d after sessions, and if I did not have his support I don't know what would have happened. It was the last session before the break and we were both keen to finish light and with me as content as possible so we didn't really pursue it but I'll come back to it.

It was in the context of us discussing my negative transference to her and my positive trans to my d. She asked why (and this is a subject we've circled back to a number of times over the year) and this time I answered 'because he gives me what I want' and she laughed in a wry fashion and was like yes (I read into that that she did not entirely approve).

Reading the articles, and in particular the 'basic strategies' one I see that my t and d are at opposite sides of the therorectical framework - one is very supportive and the other very exploratory (obvs not everything is black and white but generally speaking).

I really think that I needed both methods to start recovery this year. I was very dysfunctional and t took some time to see and appreciate this, and appreciate quite how important e.g. just getting back to work was for me. D did all this side and quite frankly enabled me to live in a practical sense.

But then t provided the exploratory side that I needed to understand and with understanding is coming change.

I stress it's not been so black and white e.g. d 1st put me on to trauma, and t thinks our extensive emailing is a major bending of the rules in recognition of my needs.

But it's been really interesting as I had a therorectical framework to put t's actions in but not d's. Now I've read that 'basic strategies' article it's literally like he's following it point for point. (I know he's not a t; he's a gp with a speciality in general psychiatry.)

This literally means that I've been in fairly intense 'therapy' over the last wee bit. Like 4/5 face to face a week. Wow. (Not for 50 mins with doc; 10-15 mins maybe).

Anyway, the point of me wittering on about my self is that you may need a t that can do both types????