[crystalrose]

T is working until wednesday then on holidays for christmas. She couldn't fit me in so I can't see T until the second week of January. Lucky I'm not feeling close yet.

Pdoc seeing me for another few weeks stil then holidays for a few weeks over christmas and new year. That will be harder, I like pdoc.

Are your Therapists or pdocs taking holidays?

[ECHOES]

My T is taking just a few days at the beginning of one week. I don't dread it anymore. Used to be even if my appointments were barely affected, just knowing she was away affected me. This year I feel okay about it. I hope she's getting to spend time with her daughter's family; it will be T's granddaughter's first holiday season.

crystalrose, I'm glad you get to see pdoc. It sounds like you will be okay

[theave]

Mine is still working over Christmas but will be off for January at least as she is having an operation. I will find that quite hard, I think - she has said she will keep in touch with clients but that doesn't seem fair, she is allowed to have some time to concentrate on herself and getting better. But it will be quite hard as I don't have too much of a support network here yet.

[zooropa]

I know my T will be going away for xmas, she hasn't told me the dates yet. I'm assuming I'll miss at least one session, maybe 2. Hopefully only one. And I don't know who will be covering for her on the phone, she's going out of state so I doubt she'll be taking phone calls from clients but she could be. She just hasn't told me all the details yet.

I'm nervous & scared about her being gone, not as much as I was the last time she went on vacation last spring though. That time was really, really hard for me.

It makes me feel bad for wishing she wouldn't go, or hoping she won't be gone too long. I feel like if I wasn't selfish I'd be wishing her a nice long holiday away, but in reality I will miss her and I need her and I'm scared of what I will do if I need her while she's gone. I'm selfish.

[ECHOES]

It makes me feel bad for wishing she wouldn't go, or hoping she won't be gone too long. I feel like if I wasn't selfish I'd be wishing her a nice long holiday away, but in reality I will miss her and I need her and I'm scared of what I will do if I need her while she's gone. I'm selfish.

You aren't selfish It's okay to want things that we know aren't possible. It is about your needs, which are valid and healthy and okay.

I often work on ambivalence--having more than one, and sometimes opposing, thoughts/feelings about something. T being away sure brings up the ambivalence, doesn't it.

It's the opposite with me. I'll be leaving town once school lets out and I'll be gone for about 10 days. I'm looking forward to getting out of town though, so I don't think I'll be missing my t much. Maybe he'll miss me.

[Fartraveler]

I have not been in regular therapy for about 3 years, I just see her 3 or 4 times a year (except if there's an actual issue.) But she is still my T, and it still bothers me when she is away. (Even though she almost always leaves a cell number so she can be reached.) But it still does bother me! She generally goes away for about a week at Christmas. I always feel better when she's at home again.

Yes, ambivalence. Which I suppose is an improvement for me -- there didn't use to be any ambivalence at all! LOL!

T thinks he's going to work until Monday the 21st, so I scheduled an appt on that Monday. I might not see him after that until January 5...so it looks like I will have at least a 15 day break, or possibly a NINETEEN day break if he doesn't work on the 21st. I have definitely not gone that long without seeing T since starting therapy. It feels scary, honestly. Things start to unravel still when I don't see him regularly.

I'm sure we'll touch base by phone sometime in there...

I think I won't think about it right now!!

[zooropa]

Originally Posted by treehouse

I think I won't think about it right now!!

tree, that kind of made me smile a little bit, because it's exactly my way of dealing with things a lot, too! I'm trying to think about this thing of T being away for xmas, a little bit, and then NOT think about it when it gets to be too much. Because otherwise I will obsess on it and work myself up into a big anxiety thing over it.

Anyway, we all have each other, no matter where we go or our T's go, right?

[theave]

Originally Posted by treehouse

I think I won't think about it right now!!

Originally Posted by zooropa

tree, that kind of made me smile a little bit, because it's exactly my way of dealing with things a lot, too! I'm trying to think about this thing of T being away for xmas, a little bit, and then NOT think about it when it gets to be too much. Because otherwise I will obsess on it and work myself up into a big anxiety thing over it.

Anyway, we all have each other, no matter where we go or our T's go, right?

to you both - I do exactly the same, I am pretty good at distracting myself from myself and shutting off those bits of my brain that are too distressing to deal with in day-to-day life. Probably why I cry every time at therapy, because I have to acknowledge some of it, and why I feel so dependent on appointments to get me through the week - I don't like feeling dependent. So I - the rational, logical I - am not obsessing about the fact she will be away for quite a while, though subconsciously I am.