T came through with TWO transitional objects!

He offered 2 objects. I feel really warm inside. T sent me a photo for my first object. It's a pic of the ornaments I made him on his tree. I had made him felt sand dollar, starfish and seahorse ornaments, and we hung them on his tree together last week. In this pic he sent me, the seahorse (which represents him to me, as the male seahorse cares for the babies in his pouch before they transition to independence) is right next to the starfish (which represents me, having been damaged but trying to heal myself, as starfish do). The sand dollar is almost not in the pic at all. The seahorse is actually arranged on the branch so that it's head is right up against the starfish, like he's comforting it. It's hard to explain but these are not the spots we originally placed the ornaments so they were obviously arranged as thus on purpose. I am touched.

The second object was actually a choice between two very nice objects. I felt a bit odd because I hadn't intended on him letting me borrow anything of substance. Just maybe a pen he used or something. But he offered a choice between a small jade Buddha head and an beautiful stone carved armadillo pin. I felt it would be rude to not pick one, so I went with the armadillo, which it turns out us rich with metaphor for a good psychologist. So the little armadillo will travel abroad with me and I am praying that I don't lose it. I will be careful.

My emails must have made him feel guilty. :/ I'm proud of myself for speaking up and telling him my needs. I've not ever been good at doing that with my parents. Thank you all for the encouragement. And we had a very productive session delving into a dream I had that deals with my csa.

I am thrilled for you Lola!!!!

That's great !

That's really great news. He sure did come through for you in the end. They are really lovely transitional objects too

I love all of those things for you!! I would have picked the armadillo too

Aw, that's so sweet! Glad he came through for you. Maybe he just didn't understand at first...

Great news!! All the better for your relationship and the work of therapy. Happy for you.

This is great news. He's definitely not the schmuck he sounded like with the offer of a business card.

I'm so glad he came through for you lola!

What's the significance of the armadillo? Genuinely curious. I would have picked it too

I'm happy for you! !

Yes I think you are right. He said he has never had a client ask for a transitional object before. He's been in practice 40 years! He admits he may have missed hints asking for one, so I'm glad I was direct.

I am wondering that too?

This is from sunsigns website:
"Often times, the armadillo symbol may be viewed as living a self-concerned and aloof life. Its symbolic emphasis on defense, protection, and guarding only encourages this view. However, we must not neglect the symbolism that it offers for our lives.
Among others, the armadillo meaning symbolizes trust, peace, pacifism, balance, complexity, and compassion. It is a representative of detachment and objectivity.
Armadillos are also inquisitive creatures, using their sharp little claws to dig and burrow into the Earth. They teach us the importance of continual searching and discovery to get to the root of all matters, both external and internal.

The Armadillos insect totem speaks to us to continue in-depth searches, digging below the superficial surface. Don’t bury questions or issues that have been nagging you. Along with digging and burrowing, armadillos have well-developed senses that can detect life underground.

They are masters of both hiding and seeking, acting as personal guides for discovering our own secrets. With an armadillo leading the way, we are prepped to receive insight and answers to our questions. As seekers, they also assist us in finding things that we seek through meditation and research.

After all of its strenuous detective work, the armadillo must rest, although they do take it a bit far. Like sloths, these creatures sleep for around eighteen hours a day. While it is inadvisable for us mimic this behavior exactly, it does serve as a sign for us to take rest when necessary and relish in times of relaxation.

We should use these times to recuperate and recharge, seizing the opportunity to refrain from social interactions and spend alone time with ourselves. The armadillo, then, reminds us of the importance of mothering and nurturing ourselves.

Like other water creatures, armadillos are symbolic of emotions. In this case, we should ask ourselves if our emotions have been clogged up and dammed up. It is unhealthy and troubling to have our emotions flood our beings, and this can be avoided by making sure that they stream naturally at all times.

Water totems signal us to let our emotions flow freely and naturally, allowing any internal tensions to loosen. Like the armadillo, we should allow ourselves to “float” rather than sinking and being held down by the weight of emotions."

I see a lot of connections to a good therapist. I feel like he knows my propensity to search for connections and symbolism, and so he looked for a symbolic object for me. The armadillo has boundaries, he needs to protect himself. But he also has compassion and is a good detective, sniffs out clues, looks for the roots of things.

That's awesome and very symbolic ! I feel symbolism is very important and for T's to be up on it is great. And also your T has the capacity to heep learning.

I think symbolism is very important too! I'm not sure if he knew what armadillo symbolism is, but in case not, I let him know!

This is awesome, lola, glad that he made the effort to understand something new to him and come up with a thoughtful solution It also must be a good feeling for you that you spoke up and taught your T something that they were not very familiar with and did not know how to handle at first.

I think it's not difficult to come with abstractions and symbolic interpretations about an armadillo, it's quite a unique creature. I imagine it can be interesting conversation topic with your T in future sessions.