[sarahxxkristine]

Attachment is heathly when it comes to a healing process such as therapy....but when does it become too attached or too severe....

I started to attachment to my T....but I ran from therapy when i started to feel too attached...too jealous of her friends...too jealous of her family...too jealous of her other clients....I know she would be able to handle my situation since I have an attachment disorder...but I wasnt ready to deal with attaching to another person especially one who I could only see once every two weeks.... for my heart and my attachment issues, seeing an attachment once every two weeks doesnt work for me...and I would become extremely anxious...sending emails about nothing...and forced to wait for replies, barely surviving in the meantime. How does a T deal with attachment by clients?

Time deals with it.

Some therapists encourage attachment, others run from it.
Mostly transference and attachment is encouraged by experienced therapists, it is all part of your healing. I think most people feel connected to their t. It is an unusual relationship, you get very close sharing intimate details of your life, things that you might not have even shared with your partner.
Most Ts will know how to handle transference and attachment issues and will lay down strict boundaries from the start depending on the level of attachment you have.

[Sannah]

Have you talked to your T about this Sarah?

Therapists do not encourage it as much as observe and work with how you relate to 'others'. If we were hurt by our early attachment figures it makes sense we have an unhealthy experience of what attachment should feel like.

If after you run, you return a good therapist will be there still. If you can manage to talk rather than act then the conversation and understanding of why and how your feeling now is completely normal given your experiences. It's as we share those wounds with a safe 'other' a healthy attachment will form.

Attachment is just another word for relationship.

[sunrise]

agree completely with the wise earthmama

[critterlady]

My T doesn't exactly encourage attachment, but he provides an atmosphere where he considers it a good thing and fosters it when it develops. He's using that to model a healthy relationship, at least from his side. He's helping me to understand how to have an emotionally intimate relationship and helping me to not build walls to prevent them. Trusting him is the first step to trusting others. I'm still not sure exactly how it translates to relationships with people who are not professionally trained to be good at relationships, but I'm slowly building that trust.