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  #1  
Old Sep 11, 2017, 06:20 PM
UglyDucky UglyDucky is offline
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This is a painful thought and post for me, but I've not seen it noted on PC before, so I wanted to bring the subject up.

I am experiencing very painful ET right now. But approx. a week ago, it occurred to me that the sexual or erotic feelings were not at the heart of what I felt. Rather abruptly, I realized it was my T's head and heart that I wanted - essentially, the things that made them them. The erotic feelings are important in a relationship, but they are simply an expression of what we should be feeling more deeply for the person.

I have realized in the past week that my T has a mate who has spent almost 40 years with them, been T's partner raising children, has ministered to T when illness arose, helped run the household, and on and on. Why would I think that T would want to give all of that up for me? Or if one doesn't think that far ahead, why would T feel anything close to what feelings are shared w/their mate? Fantasies and erotic dreams are not a relationship. Why would I expect these feelings to be anything but painful?

Everyone fantasizes. I used to think that these erotic feelings could be worked through in therapy, but I'm not sure, now. I hope I'm wrong as I don't want my therapy to end feeling so much pain. Maybe if I continue to remind myself that the erotic feelings I have are not at the heart of what is important to me, I will be able to spend more time appreciating the person who is trying to help me.

Just my thoughts for those of us who get tangled up in ET.
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LonesomeTonight, RubyRae, southernsky, TaintedLove, TeaVicar?
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naenin, TaintedLove

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  #2  
Old Sep 16, 2017, 05:03 PM
TeaVicar?'s Avatar
TeaVicar? TeaVicar? is offline
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Have you only just found out that she's in a long term relationship? That's a hard bit of reality to digest. Of course our longings are not just about sex. I think ET is very complex and multi-layered.

Without wishing to be flippant because I can completely empathise with your pain; you can pretty much guarantee that a 40yr relationship will have had many ups and downs and they probably hate each other and fight on a regular basis! Seriously long term relationships can be very dull. But I do understand what it's like to imagine being the partner and knowing that you can never be that person. ET is painful.

Sending solidarity
Thanks for this!
southernsky, UglyDucky
  #3  
Old Sep 16, 2017, 09:53 PM
Moment Moment is offline
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I think some of ET, at least for me, was about a fantasy of merging with another person so as not to feel so terribly alone. Merging not as in sex, but merging in terms of heart and soul and just a kind of fantasy theoretical one-ness.

Such a thing is not possible, of course, and we have to just grapple with existential loneliness as best we can, I guess. For me it is always there even when I am with others, but some things do make it ache less. I rely more on those things now--time with friends, appreciating art, being outside in nature, being with children--and spend less time feeling longing feelings towards my therapist or thinking about him.
Thanks for this!
growlycat, naenin, TeaVicar?, UglyDucky
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