Posted by Penny on August 28, 2003, at 9:04:09
In reply to Now about those tranferences......, posted by Pfinstegg on August 27, 2003, at 19:42:57
I have a hard time with getting angry with my therapist - as has been said, I tend to turn the anger inward. Or I don't recognize it as anger but as another emotion (usually sadness and fear) when the real driving force behind it is anger.
My former therapist told me that she felt I had a great deal of anger pent up inside of me (regarding my parents, according to her), but everytime I tried to get in touch with them, it would backfire on me and send me spiraling downward. I am finally starting to see how the anger is coming out in the other parts of my life - something will upset me and then (like last night) I will realize how very angry I really am at something completely different.
My current therapist said something to me early on that hurt me, and it probably made me angry, but, as Dinah said, I'm too concerned with trying to protect my relationship with her at all costs to actually allow myself to get angry with her. So, I internalized it and determined that it was my fault, that I shouldn't have been feeling that way. I left her office that day extremely upset. She, being as perceptive as she is, brought it up in our next session and when I finally told her what had upset me she explained how she didn't mean the comment the way I took it (which I knew she didn't anyway) and reminded me to be honest with her when she says things that upset me because she is human and she makes mistakes on occasion (though, I must admit, I don't see them very often!).
Well, what I want to say is I think it's good that you are able to get angry with your therapist, regardless of the root of your anger, and get it OUT THERE, and keep going to your therapist and actually deal with those feelings. That is extremely healthy.
Keep up the good work!
Take care.
P
poster:Penny
thread:254858
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20030814/msgs/255007.html