Posted by shrinking violet on January 30, 2006, at 13:57:13
In reply to About being someone's Jessica, posted by jammerlich on January 30, 2006, at 13:26:33
What a sweet story. Can I ask: how did you and your teacher reconnect to become friends?
I always have a dream that my former T and I will someday reconnect and be what you and your teacher are to each other. I think we have the capability....Our therapy was very much personal on a lot of levels and we were supernaturally close while working together. I hesitate to say that, yes, I definitely think I was a "Jessica" to my former T, but in some ways that also complicated the relationship and subsequently our work together. I always thought we would have done better if we had met another way, without the therapist/client "thing" getting in the way of our true relationship to one another. Maybe someday....or maybe it's just stupid to hope? I don't know....
> I didn't want to hijack Dinah's thread, but it really got me to thinking about being someone's Jessica. As much as I would like to be one, I don't know if I was a Jessica to my ex-T. But I did realize that I am a Jessica to someone!! And it's someone with whom I get to have a real relationship. It's been pretty emotional to think about - painful, yet comforting at the same time.
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> She was my teacher 20 years ago and I have always loved her. We get together occasionally for lunch and I was pleasantly surprised when she started to confide in me about her own life - it's a real relationship now, between equals. I am so grateful to have her in my life. I think she was the only authority figure I had as a child who treated me with respect and made me feel she was genuinely interested in me as a person.
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> She sent me this in an email a few months ago and I will save it forever: "I am always overcome with gladness when I see you and think about you as a girl. You are such a joy!!!! I can't tell you how much I needed those encouraging words. God sends special people as his angels on earth. You are definitely one of mine."
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> She is my angel too. Anyway, I just wanted to share that. And see if anyone else might have some stories to share. I find them very uplifting.
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poster:shrinking violet
thread:604488
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060121/msgs/604504.html