Couch 199: The Unennennium Couch

I don't think that's a silly example.

I would say your house you rules.He doesn't get to make the choices anymore. Your more than capable of doing the yard stuff.

Aww that's really nice of him.

It's okay to feel the way you feel.

What was your snit about?

It's okay to make mistakes and to rest more when you're ill.

And now my African drumming lessons aren't on but she never told me the last I heard from her was last week when I said see you on the 4 July for the lessons and she said great

I am rapidly talking myself out of this T I don't get to see him for another 3 weeks.

I am just pissed because I have to tell my story again from the beginning why can't they ring my exT and get all my background information. I don't want to be repeating this **** over and over.

Maybe you can put together a brief outline. or copy older posts from here. and hand that out to him.

Yes, something like that could work. And you don't need to tell the whole story all at once in order to work with him. You also may not need to tell him everything. I found with current T, there was stuff I didn't feel as much of a need to tell him about early on because I'd already processed it some with ex-T and it wasn't as relevant to where I was when I started working with him. Versus when I started working with ex-T 6 years before that. I've filled in most everything over the course of the last 20 months, but it wasn't all at once, more as needed. And he had an intake form where I filled out a lot of the basics. Please give him a chance.

ETA: Also, regarding just using the 10 funded sessions, I'd just ask him if you can go beyond that if you want (I assume that just means you would pay?)

R went to some special conference or something. Maybe an Oprah a'ha moment with his supervisor.

He was different- softer and much more reassuring, there was a lot more: "it's okay to cry. look at me, stay with me, feel the emotion, how do you feel?"

No fighting or arguing today. It was nice- he said I was putting him through this paces and causing him to confront his stuff.

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I'm so glad you had that, Lemon. I seem to have inadvertently had two very intense days back to back. Intense writing workshop yesterday, and intense session today. The session ended up being intense in a different way than I expected, too.

BCM, try to hold on to the fact that you said you liked him. Maybe he could also possibly see you after the 10 sessions if you asked.

He sounds like a good thing for you, but there's still nothing stopping you from seeing if there's anyone else.

Thank you Lost.

Is the workshop a regular new thing?

How are you feeling now?

The workshop was a one-off, thankfully. I'm feeling quite tired. R remarked that I looked 'exhausted' at the end of today's session...I felt it!

Thank you! And you're not late on USA time, It's 5:53 am on my birthday right now for me!

Happy Birthday, Artie! May you have a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday, Art!

Each time you tell it, it hurts a little less.

Taken out of context, this might seem quite an alarming statement.

Your birthday is a national holiday! I look forward to Trump mentioning it in his speech tonight!

Happy birthday Artie!

Happy birthday, Art. Hope you have a wonderful and fun day!

Which reminds me of the most interesting thing I’ve learned so far today: tanks are called tanks because in order to hide their development of them from the Germans in World War I, the British referred to them as water tanks in their communications.

What would bring some closure? Does Info know her well? Maybe she can mail a letter from you to her or something?

Maybe just processing it here and with Info will help
Move past it. Maybe if Info can’t get a letter to her-it would still help to write one and then perhaps just send it to where she used to work..knowing she would never actually get it?

Well, yeah, I think this may be the topic of our next session. (Info does know her professionally though I don't think they're friends. No. 1 recommended Info to me, in fact.)

I was actually fine before I knew she retired--I had had a couple years ago what art's L would probably call a closure dream (No. 1 and I were sitting talking in a gazebo in the autumn) and I did send her a letter thanking her for everything.

But, here's what brought the whole topic of No. 1 up. I've been decluttering and I found a stuffed animal No. 1 insisted on loaning me for my surgery fall 2015. I tried to return it before leaving the country temporarily that winter, and she told me to hold onto it and bring it back when I was seeing her again. I stuck it in a box (never really wanted it in the first place, she just kept insisting). I found it in the same box last month. I mentioned it to Info, and that I was going to mail it back to No. 1, and she said, "oh, you can't do that, she retired."

So part of the problem is I feel like I shouldn't have this loaned stuffed animal, but now I have no way to get it back to her. Info said I could give it to Goodwill, but I feel like it's not mine to give away. Then Info said No. 1 probably doesn't mind at all, and it's OK to keep things from former therapists even if they were just loans (or you helped yourself to them--I guess a client once took a shiny pebble from this dish Info has on her table).

If anyone has any ideas about the stuffed animal and what to do with it, I'm all ears. I really can't buy Info's "it's OK to keep things from former therapists even if you're not supposed to have them" thing. If I could solve that or feel better about it it would help.