T refers to himself in third person

In my neck of the woods, it is indeed bug-f**k. It is exactly one step worse than bat-s**t. Which is one step worse than nut-ball, which was actually discussed in my last therapy session (in relation to someone else...not T or me).

Chopin is actually a nutcase. Her T is simply crazy.

Ah. I have noticed among attorneys that we tend to say "nutbars." And mostly that is about clients who are crazy, but we like. So we have our nutbars, and then there are the crazies, and then bat-s**t crazy. I don't know that I have had a bug-f**k crazy client. But, then I'm an attorney and not a mental health professional. I defer to your greater expertise.

I would have to ask them why they are doing it. Does it make them feel safer?

The only person I know who talks in the third person on occasion is a friend and they do it to feel safer and it gives them more freedom to talk about themselves. But they are the ones who are mentally ill.

I would think it strange if a therapist did this a lot. I understand it's a distancing technique and I think I have even done it a few times for that reason, while in therapy. It gives a measure of safety to be able to distance like that. But I don't do it regularly, and I'm the client! If my therapist frequently had to distance himself from what he was saying, it would make me think he didn't really believe in what he said, that he had containment issues, or that he was just plain strange... Why should a therapist need to distance himself frequently from what he is saying? I hope you will ask your T, Masimo, because I am curious.

Ex-T did this when he was talking about things from my point of view. He'd say something like "And you didn't want to come see Paul today because it's scary."

(Totally stealing the name from In Treatment.)

Since I have never, in over 2 years, used the woman's name, I would be all like - Are you talking about that therapist when you say (name)?

Nixon used to do that. he would never say "I" did something, or thought something; he would say 'the president' did. i thought it was weird and I was just a kid.

curious - does this third person take the form of

a) Dr Freud,
b) Sigmund,
or
c) 'your T' ?

Great question, SAWE. Because I can see a T saying something like, "well, this therapist believes in you" and I would not think that was odd. Or a way of communicating a message with some humor, like, as the clock ticks past the end of the session, T rises from his seat and says, "the therapist tries in vain yet again to end a session on time."

I am just really curious now to hear in what context your T uses third person, Masimo. Can you give an example?

It would make me wonder if the t had DID.