Posted by Dinah on July 16, 2008, at 11:30:23
In reply to Re: So now he doesn't think I'm schizotypal. :), posted by Daisym on July 16, 2008, at 0:26:13
lol. That mistake did cause a very long term rupture. We got over it, but that's more to do with my tenacity than his skills.
His memory is awful. I realize that he has many clients, and I have but one therapist. I probably remember every word and gesture from our hundreds of sessions. While he's lucky to remember the details of last session. He's worried about that because of his family history, but I reassure him that his memory was this bad the entire time I've known him, and it isn't getting any worse.
I'm pretty accurate about reading feelings, especially with people I know well. In a crowd, my defenses usually filter out the minor stuff, although I get way overwhelmed when others are flooding me with emotions. I don't think I skew them in any particular direction, as far as detection. Where I fall short is interpretation. Naturally I assume that all deviances from the norm are a result of something I said or did. I've gotten a bit better at casually incorporating his reaction into the conversation as if he had spoken, instead of leaping to conclusions. And he'll verbally respond as if I *had* responded to a spoken communication instead of a felt one.
At least I'm getting less prickly. He sent me to google a portion of his current conceptualization of my issues, sexual anorexia. And frankly, the diagnostics were pretty insulting. At one time, I'd have been hurt and angry and come in very defensive. But instead I called and left a message telling him I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he didn't know what I'd find when I googled sexual anorexia, and maybe he'd like to google it himself before our next session. All in a very good humored way. Because he's never indicated in any way that he thinks those things are true about me. Quite the opposite really. Now there's a leap of faith on my part. And I can put it aside until our next session and not think about it.
I know your therapist is way better over the phone than mine. But even so, it is no substitute for being there and feeling his presence. I hope you can get back to his office soon.
poster:Dinah
thread:839927
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20080709/msgs/839989.html