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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Sexual assault-experiencing shock now I have admitted this to counsellor?

141 replies

pumpkinpie5 · 01/08/2014 23:14

hi
I've have been reading some threads on sexual assault but really need some support/advice/not sure what?

I have recently been seeing a counsellor due to dealing with my partner of nine years leaving me. We have a daughter together. I've been doing great with the counsellor and felt it was making a difference but last week got into territory I didn't anticipate and whilst talking to her admitted that he had done things to me without my consent. Counsellor asked me in more direct terms whether I had been raped. I had not ever intened to deal with any of this.Counsellor also said that much of relationship sounded like it had elements of sexual and emotional abuse. I came away from meeting, looked at various info online and have been left reeling by seeing my whole relationship in a new light and can't believe I've been in denial so long.

However, this last week since all this I have been sick, shaky, constant nervous feeling in my chest-hard to explain, and just constantly distracted and on edge. I booked another appoint with counsellor in the same week as I just didn't know what to do, I feel awful. Went to the appoint,net today and she has been amazing, suggested it is likely to be shock. Has been supportive, also suggested I ring rape crisis.

I need advice. I feel lonely, confused, don't know what to do, talk about it -which seems impossible at mo, or try forget it and feel normal again? Should say that I still see my ex at handovers etc and on occasion he does still 'try it on' :-( confused. X

OP posts:
pumpkinpie5 · 19/08/2014 22:48

Thank you tiptops, the support on here has been invaluable to me. Sorry that you have been through similar, I am working through putting boundaries in place and cutting contact with ex.once I have done this- and I am feeling stronger about this-.then I hope I can move on with my life and achieve a happier future for me and dd. When I think of trying to do that - gaining confidence, knowing how to have a healthy relationship and being able to say what I want and need, it seems like an overwhelming task, but I am trying to be positive.

How have you managed this? Is it possible do you think? Xx

OP posts:
Salemthecat · 20/08/2014 12:49

Hey pumpkin, sorry I haven't been keeping up to date with this thread, I've been having a tough week or so.

Well done for emailing all the stuff you couldn't say to your counsellor. That's a massive achievement and you should be proud of how brave you are.

In terms of it getting better and having a normal, healthy relationship? I don't know if or when that'll happen for us but I do know that there ARE good men out there. We unfortunately haven't experienced them first hand yet but they do exist. I think (hope!) that by working on ourselves through counselling and talking and gaining self esteem and confidence will mean that in any event we are able to either find someone decent to share our lives with or be just as happy and fulfilled alone. That's my hope anyway, I'm not having a positive day so I'm not sure how helpful that is!

X

mignonette · 20/08/2014 14:22

Really lifted by your post Pumpkin and also to Tiptops.

How cool are you Pumpkin? What a massive massive step for you and a really good sign that it WILL become easier and less of an anxious struggle to express yourself to the counsellor and work alongside her to move you forward. It is a big task and there may well be days and times when you feel you have taken a step backwards but don't be fooled by those feelings. Everything is a step forward- sometimes the pathway is rocky, sometimes it is the emotional equivalent of a beautiful meadow (I know, bit of a hokey metaphor but an apt one) BUT you will find that happiness. And the sense of self worth, agency and self determination you will gain - that is priceless.

Flowers
pumpkinpie5 · 20/08/2014 14:36

:-) thanks mignonette, have been thinking of you.

It was a huge thing for me, it took me a while to hit the send button! But still feel glad I have. Not sure how this will play out next week but so far so good. I have my determined head on at the moment and though the down days are still there, I have got through them so far.

All the things that have happened to me have happened, but I am determined that they won't define me.

Mignonette- how are you?...

OP posts:
pumpkinpie5 · 22/08/2014 23:48

In need of some hand holding tonight :-( :-(

Am away on holiday with dd and my parents. Have been looking forward to it - just a long weekend, but now I'm here I'm so miserable, homesick, upset. Home has become a safe place for me and I just want to get back and curl up into a ball and hide under the bedcovers.

Dd keeps talking about her dad and ow as she went on holiday with them two weeks ago. I just feel like I can't compete, I'm struggling with all these issues and as much as I really make an effort and we do fun things together, dad and ow are happy and confident and give her a far better time,plus she has ow's ds to play with whereas it's all down to me on this holiday and can't e as much fun for her. I feel like giving up. I have her all the time 12 days out of 14 and do all the hard work but I just can't cope. I love her so much and want us to be close but I'm so miserable and just can't see a way past all I am dealing with at mo.

Feel like i will never be strong enough, together enough for a relationship, will never have another child, I'm so lonely, can't talk to parents, don't gave anything in common at all. I feel guilty that it's going to end up her and me and she will be desperate to go spend time at her dads :-( I really don't want to be like this. Want to be happy and successful but really lonely right now. Families everywhere and I just think where did I go wrong? I've wasted so much of my life, let dd down, and just don't know where to start putting it right.

Sorry, haven't taken a pause in all of the above so apologies for any typos.

What do I do? :-( :-(

OP posts:
dodecathlon · 23/08/2014 00:29

Hi pumpkinpie

I just wanted you to know you are not alone, I am sure someone more useful will be along soon, but I am here right now and you are not alone

lildupin · 23/08/2014 00:53

You haven't let your DD down, at all! I think it's really important that you stop comparing yourself to your ex & the OW. I know it's hard but I think you have to really try. Bear in mind that you know him very very well and you know what goes on behind closed doors with him. Whatever it looks like on the outside, chances are that their lives are very far from perfect.
But they are not your problem! And that's something to be mindful of and grateful for every day: he is not your problem any more. Things aren't easy for you right now, but think how much harder they'd be if he was still there, day after day after day.

I think it's inevitable that you'll have difficult days at this stage. You've only verbalised the stuff that happened very recently and it takes time to process it. It's very hard, it's a very turbulent phase but that's all it is: a phase. It's horrible and difficult but it will pass. In the meantime just keep going, one day at a time.

saltnpepa · 23/08/2014 07:33

Could you tell your parents? You could do with the support.

Salemthecat · 26/08/2014 00:54

How are you feeling pumpkin?

dodecathlon · 28/08/2014 02:54

Hi pumpkinpie

I just came across this paragraph and thought of you. It is from the Lundy Bancroft book 'Why does he do that'.

'When I work with an abused woman, my first goal is to help her to regain trust in herself; to get her to rely on her own perceptions, to listen to her own internal voices. You don't really need an "expert" on abuse to explain your life to you; what you do need above all is some support and encouragement to hold on to your own truth. Your abusive partner wants to deny your experience. He wants to pluck your view of reality out of your head and replace it with his. When someone has invaded your identity in this way enough times, you naturally start to lose your balance. But you can find your way back to centre'.

The author also is emphatic that abusers very rarely manage to change the pattern of their relationships, so his new relationship may not be all that it seems. Also, your love for your child shines through in your posts. It may be fun for her with the other family unit, but she has a courageous mother who would do anything for her and for that she will always deeply love you. Your ex had destabilised you by invading and replacing your reality, and you are on your 'way back to centre'.

And you didn't let anyone down - your ex let you down.

pumpkinpie5 · 28/08/2014 08:26

dodecathlon

Thank you. This brought tears to my eyes this morning. I will have to take advice and buy the book. It's been a very up and down week for me, haven't posted as lots going on and I just feel like switching off from it at the moment.

I'm not going to wallow, I am going to try to continue to move forward. Have started to put boundaries in place and proud of myself for that, but ex went absolutely ballistic with me this week, I was very scared but he left in the end. All this is complicated by the fact that he has just found out his father is vv Ill and so he has that on his mind which adds to his stress too. So it's hard for me to be blunt and no contact as I feel bad for not being supportive about his dad :-( its really difficult.

Thank you for your comments re my dd. Yes, she is my world, and on positive days I can see I am a good mum, and friends tell me I am often. But on days when it's a struggle just to function I hate myself for not being the strong positive mum I want her to see.

Counselling today and lots to talk about. Thank you for your post it really helped. X

OP posts:
saltnpepa · 28/08/2014 12:13

Abusers often find ways to keep you involved emotionally and silence your truth, having sick relatives is a good method. Think of yourself and not of him.

pumpkinpie5 · 28/08/2014 13:13

His dad is very ill, and his mum is understandably very upset about it. It is a difficult situation and I don't think he's milking it in any way. His dad has very little time left.

Its just hard trying to sort out my own issues and keep him at distance when he's now got this to deal with, I m just finding it hard to find the right approach as I feel very bad if I completely block him (and therefore his dads illness) out, which is what I was trying to do previous to finding this out.

OP posts:
dodecathlon · 28/08/2014 19:31

Hi Pumpkinpie

You are most welcome. Interestingly enough this is on the facing page of what I quoted and might be relevant to this specimen's indirect use of his 'circumstances' as excusing his behaviour. Also, supporting his dad has no relationship to supporting your ex, much as he would like to confuse and conflate the two. Book goes into much greater detail but in short here is the chapter summary:

'Key Points to remember'

-An abusive man's emotional problems do not cause his abusiveness. You can't change him by figuring out what is bothering him, helping him feel better, or improving the dynamics of your relationship.

-Feelings do not govern abusive or controlling behaviour; believes, values and habits are the driving forces.

-The reasons that an abusive man gives [or implies] for his behaviour are simply excuses. There is no way to overcome a problem with abusiveness by focussing on tangents such as self-esteem, conflict resolution, anger management, or impulse control. Abusiveness is resolved by dealing with abusiveness.

-Abusers thrive on creating confusion, including confusion about the abuse itself.

-There is nothing wrong with you. Your [ex]-parner's abuse problem is his own.

pumpkinpie5 · 28/08/2014 21:00

Thank you again dodecathlon

I had counselling today and talked about all of the above to varying degrees with my counsellor. It's been going around in my head and yes, it does confuse me, and I'm sure that's the plan, but the above sums up what my counsellor was trying to get through to me.

I'm not a stupid person at all, but feel so when I look at everything I have suffered and put up with over the years. The one sentence my counsellor said today which had an emotional effect on me (I have been very switched off tocemotions lately-they surface as panic attacks rather than tears) -was that "I can't rescue him/save him".

This is exactly what I was trying to do I think. Trying to rationalise his behaviour and feeling sorry for him in his down moments because I remembered the man he used to be. I have known him a long time.

I realise now I have to focus on the man he is now, what he has done to me, keep me and my dd safe, and if he screws up his life he screws it up.I can't be there for him.

Counsellor reminded me that every time I engage in conversation with him, or blur boundaries, he sees it as an invitation to jump right in, then he finds his way into the house, and it is then that I'm not safe and the wrong things happen. So I have to do no contact, including not asking about his dad, even if that makes me feel a horrible person.

I can't go through anything more happening. All of the above may seem obvious to some people but it's taking me a long time to process it and put it into action.

Have just received a long distressing email from his mum about how his dad is too, which doesn't help things, but his mum and I have always been close-very awkward now, but I will be there for her if she needs me.

Sorry for long post, it helps to get my thoughts out after a tough counselling session. Xx

OP posts:
dodecathlon · 28/08/2014 23:43

Hi Pumpkinpie

Another quote is:

"Chronic mistreatment gets people to doubt themselves".
To précis what the author says, this leads, for example, abused children to believe they were the bad ones; bullied employees think, if they could only work harder; bullied schoolchildren think, if they could only be stronger...
The truth is, 0% of the culpability lies in the behaviour of the abusee.

The incremental, insidious, sustained manner of a campaign of altering your reality, such that their behaviour becomes 'normal', is one any person would fall prey to. He is the stupid one for subjecting you to it. You, on the other hand, have shown remarkable insight and bravery to be able to remove you and your child from the situation.

The logic behind the fact that there is no excuse for abuse other than that it is abuse, and to disentangle feelings or circumstances as excuses, is that underpinning every act of abuse is a belief system of thinking rather than feelings. Essentially, the abuser's perception of their own importance, entitlement, views about their partner's place and precisely how important their partner should think the abuser is, and how the partner should subsequently treat the abuser/acquiesce to their demands - and the tactics and lengths to which they go to enforce this status quo - are the bone structure of their abuse.

So a bad day, ill parent, unhappy childhood - lots of people have these things, but don't do what your ex does.
It isn't even a blanket misogyny, as many abusers wouldn't think of treating their mothers/daughters as they do their partners.
It is a specific set of beliefs about how a woman in a relationship with him should behave. And it is very very likely that he always had these beliefs - the man he used to be may well have been a veiled or un-fully-realised/actuated version of these beliefs.

The reason he comes knocking, and seeks to be let back into your life, is because it is important to him to sustain his belief system and act it out; to demonstrate to himself that he still occupies the role in his life he laid out for both of you, and spent many years laying the groundwork and incrementally cranking the abuse for.
To fulfil this, it is necessary for him to:
i) be able to act as he used to
ii) have you respond as you used to.

I suspect there is also little doubt that he is playing out his mentality in his other relationship.

Another book that is recommended on here is 'Living with the Dominator' by Pat Craven. It breaks down abusers into some sub-types, and may help you to dehumanise him - by this I mean, to see him not as some special snowflake who just needs the right person/therapy/understanding to save him - but a simple, cold subtype of a known, clinically categorical abuser profile.

The book you have already ordered will mention that the more attention/understanding/flattery/boosting of self esteem abusers get, the worse they get.
It is a bottomless pit, as their abuse is not driven by some underlying fixable woe, but is driven by their beliefs about women in relationships with them which subsequently informs what behaviour they feel it is acceptable to use on them.

Another thing that creeps in here is women often believe their partner is 'out of control' and 'can't help it' - but the fact they can calibrate their actions carefully and stop just before they get into real (visible to outsiders) trouble; or become all nicey-nicey when the police arrive; or conveniently break their partner's belongings, but not their own, in an argument; or manage not to take their 'anger' out on anyone else in the world except their partner and present a nice face to the rest of the world - no, the fact is these underlying beliefs allow them to act in a certain way to their partners; and certainly nothing on the part of a partner (and not an awful lot on the part of an interventional psychologist) can assuage them.

To add, please don't think you have to apologise for your length of post or feel you have to justify it, trivial as that sounds. This is your space to expand into as much as you wish.

pumpkinpie5 · 28/08/2014 23:56

Thank you again, I will read and reread your post and really try to take on board what it says. I think it will take me a long time to dehumanise him. All of the above though, in terms of his actions etc are very familiar to me.

I feel frustrated with myself at the moment. I felt I was making great progress with the counsellor but feel like the last few sessions have been going round and round in circles-with me discussing an incident or contact I have had with ex, and still not having managed no contact- something always crops up. Counsellor is very patient and continues to allow me to talk about same things, but I feel she is probably getting fed up with me not being strong and putting something more formal in place to show him I mean it as he continues to not listen to what I ask for. I'm getting fed up with myself too. I feel there is so much more for me to deal with in terms of moving on and facing the future, other things I haven't raised. Since all this I have been doing a lot of reading up, research and questioning a lot of things in my life which I hadn't before. It has left me lost, confused, angry at myself for my lack of confidence as I don't see that as being the true me.

I had a great career, lots of hopes and dreams, and feel like I have messed everything up. Feel stupid. I also hate posting and being negative, somedays I can't see a way out, others I look back and am frustrated with how pathetic I have sounded.

My apologies for the long posts are because I think people will lose patience with me for not getting a grip. And I do try to explain my actions or justify them all the time-something else I have realised since starting counselling.

I just want to feel happy again, look forward to things, be a great role model for my daughter, be strong, instead I count down the days between sessions so that I can talk through what is in my head and even then I struggle to open up because I worry about the impression I will make.

OP posts:
dodecathlon · 29/08/2014 01:45

I think it is a process, you know.

Your identity has been abraded over a long period of time, a significant portion of your life.

It therefore makes sense that it will take some time to rebuild your identity and self esteem. But it will be rebuilt, and it is a long process with some difficult parts, some exhilarating parts, and some probable steps along the way (some below). So you can be watchful and think, 'ah. This bit will be hard, but it is part of the process. And the next bit will be easier'. Or, 'aha. I am ruminating on this bit, but I suspected this would happen, and I need to let it run its course, not judge myself, and trust I will move onto the next step when I am ready'.

The great thing is at the end of it, you will be even stronger than you were before you met him.

If you had a broken bone, you could not curse it for not knitting quicker than it could.

You could consider that as a result of his campaign, your identity has to an extent been fragmented, or its bearings been misaligned; your value system has been replaced by his, causing you to second-guess yourself; if the ground can have been swept from beneath your feet so swiftly, as per your first post, there seems momentarily to be no certainty; no reliable core self or framework, and the (on the surface - more of this later) evidence is that your instincts have been eroded such that you have no compass to guide you.

If we think of it as a long process.
Beginning with
(a) The worst stage of realisation, which you have been going through; of allowing yourself to see his reality from the viewpoint of your old (pre-him) reality, or your counsellor's reality, or that of the other posters here.

(b) Then switching back into the point of view of yourself and him that he has inculcated into you.

The very fact that you can flit to (b) from (a) is part of the re-expansion of your worldview and system of beliefs back to those of the real you.

It is seismic and painful and shocking to do so, but a vitally necessary part of the regulatory mechanism that is bringing you back to who you are. Your body reacted and is reacting to the shock of it, but it has to be got out of the way, as part of the process.

(c) Of course you will ruminate, and circularly dwell on unsolveable points re. your ex's behaviour. But a bit of you, an expanding bit of you, is beginning to recognise the futility of this, when viewed from afar. What used to be the only means you had for 'solving' his abuse - thinking about it, trying to come up with reasons for his behaviour and consequent ways you could 'help' him - by laying it all down to your counsellor, and here on this thread, so you can see it - you can see he is fundamentally unsolvable - and his merry dance of the sustained glimmer that 'if only you could _ he would be normal' is what he created to keep you in the relationship - and he does it now to keep you compliant and essentially under his spell.

[1.This thread could therefore be of vital use for you to put these irrational feelings (based on the thoughts he has inculcated you with) down, so other posters can come and give you another perspective. Don't let them dwell in your brain - perhaps, if you want to, write down the incident(s) here as they occur to you, or as they crop up, and people can come and give, via a consensus of opinion, a truer perspective. (Or if you didn't want to do this, you could write down these things away from the thread).
This is also what your counsellor is for. She sounds very good - not rushing you through this process.]

(d) Of course you are currently not able to be sufficiently clinical and distanced about it to resist his demands when they are made in person. He knows this, and knows to keep you on a string he needs to maintain any way he can to stay in his life. Think of it like a wound. It needs to be isolated from bacteria for long enough for the body's immune system to become strong enough to be able to overcome the insult. If it was continually reinfected it would stay open and weeping. The no contact will enable you to build up your self esteem, and crucially, perspective from the (old, pre-him)/new you, such that you will not be able to be reinfected. But first the wound really needs some space to begin to heal.

[2.You could use this thread for support when he demands contact or wheedles his way back in - you will receive a variety of strategies; or others may be able to perceive how predictable his tactics are. It may also give you some perspective to look at his behaviour written down or through others' eyes.]

You haven't messed anything up. He has.
And you have not 'let him' do this any more than you could 'let yourself' get burgled.

By the way, the deeper evidence is that you still know who you are, and what your values are: your love for and prioritising of your daughter; your worry for your ex's father; your instinct to be there for his mother despite what you are going through and what it may emotionally cost you - this is who you are - a compassionate, loving person. You are also clearly very intelligent, insightful and analytical, and already in my opinion a great role model for your daughter.

The worrying about the impression you are making, about people on here losing patience for you - think of this like an infection at the site of the broken bone:
Think of these aspects as direct sequelae of his actions (because they are). They are feelings arising from the beliefs of his that he has transplanted/eroded into you, regarding
i) your self worth relative to him
ii) relative to everyone else.

Try not to judge yourself for your progress or 'lack' thereof. Or what you should be thinking or doing, or what stage you 'should' be at. Trust this is a process, and don't judge or censor yourself - there will be ugly bits, and they are totally necessary to moving on to the next bit. How you feel right now is how you are supposed to feel, let yourself feel it.

pumpkinpie5 · 29/08/2014 20:45

I have read your post several times over the last day, and I am sure will read it a lot more.thank you for taking the time to post.

It makes sense what you have said and I think being so confused right now isn't helping, but reading the above, I understand that it is a process and hopefully I will get there in the end.

I am worrying about how I cope with this process. Once I have boundaries in place with my ex and things are safer there, am I likely to be told I no longer need the counselling? I feel there is so much more I need to work through, some things I haven't touched on yet, plus rebuilding my confidence, knowing how to put boundaries in place, in time maybe a new relationship although that thought scares me right now. Will I be expected to figur this out myself? I honestly feel so lost and wouldn't know where to begin.

I am reading lots and trying to help myself. My biggest fear is continuing as I have before rather than work hard and regain my strength and be happy again I will instead continue to let people walk all over me or turn down opportunities because I don't have th confidence.

How do I tackle all this??? :-(

OP posts:
dodecathlon · 30/08/2014 02:27

Hi Pumpkinpie

Reading back through the thread mignonette has some outstanding advice and it is well worth reading her posts again, I think.

I will say right off I do not how it will work with your counsellor - someone else will hopefully have more input re. the logistics?

I think CBT, as some others have said, would be of enormous benefit. And a sensible next step, even if you've had it in the past. And one your GP should support.

It will help you locate and test those underlying beliefs of your ex's that have become your own through his attrition. ('I am worth less than him', 'I am worth less than x' lead to 'my opinion is worth less than y's', 'people will get impatient with me' and therefore you find you won't speak up for yourself, or you apologise for posting, or however it manifests - and so it goes on).

These beliefs are the wellspring for the behaviours you notice - being 'walked over', or fearful of opportunities (will I cope, will I let people down, etc) - this internal monologue springs directly from those underlying beliefs.

CBT cuts into that - instead of complying with the internal monologue your ex implanted, you will have the opportunity to remove, test and examine it.

Even without CBT, here and now:

The way I personally see it is that your are undertaking a massive information-gathering stage; and also seeking to 'air' the issues, instead of letting them take up a circular residence inside your head (whether with us, a piece of paper, your friend, or your counsellor).

The reason for this is that you yourself, and this is coming from you, not us, or your counsellor, are cranking open the unquestioned beliefs and tenets you have been unconsciously living by, and seeking to reroute or find alternative, more plausible options. You are naturally led to this process by your true nature and value system.

The more information you have, the more options you have in any given situation.
It may be an incremental process - little bit by little bit - but the next time you have an opportunity to stand up for yourself, you won't help but think of this thread, and conversations with your counsellor, and just a bit of you will bristle. And ponder on it later (not judgementally). Even if you still don't say anything for now.

You have opened the door - in a way it is, and I see what you mean, but in another way it really isn't, about being 'strong' - you have started the process, the journey back to truth, and it is like a thirsty person to water - you couldn't stop it if you wanted to. Incrementally, you will just pause before an old behaviour, or reaction, and realise you have options; and realise why you are reacting that way, and be able to test whether the old way is valid, or a new way would be more valid.

Even if you end up with the same behavioural outcome, something still has changed in the process of getting to it. So you cannot 'continue as before' - it's not physically possible, as your circle of knowledge and perspective are continually shifting a little from now on, every time you are in that same situation.

The information you are injecting may feel fragmentary, and logic may not add up to intuition just yet, but slowly it will all begin to consolidate.

It may feel like you are standing in one place, and at risk of staying there, but really you are moving, and not really stoppable Smile

pumpkinpie5 · 30/08/2014 15:30

Yes I think you are right. I have yet to read back over this thread and look back over the last few weeks and really process everything I am thinking and feeling. I ave a dd free weekend this weekend and so think I will take some time to do exactly that and re read the advice I have been given.

It does make sense that naturally I will think twice in future when making decisions and hopefully, will begin to change my decision making process. My fear is I think, that having gone through these last few weeks and started to address previously buried issues, that I will revert back to previous ways and this awful phase will have been for nothing. Having said that, I can see that the fact that I have begun to think more about all these things, will mean that I tackle future things differently.

I have said this before, but I don't want what has happened to define me or the way I live my future.

I have more to raise with my counsellor to do with things that have happened before I was even with my ex, and I think that finally having everything out in the open will free me a little more to move forward.

I will continue to post as I go forward with this as writing things down does help clear my head and prevent the anxiety and panic attacks from happening so frequently, and will hope that I continue forward with more good days than bad.

Xx

OP posts:
WildflowerMarmalade · 30/08/2014 17:06

Hi pumpkin glad to see that you are still doing amazingly well.

You have often expressed doubts about your ability to cope and to process everything you have been through. From outside it is very clear that you are sticking at it and moving forward even if from the inside it feels bumpy and frightening.

With regards to your counsellor and finishing your sessions, am I right in thinking that you are paying for these sessions yourself and they are not through your GP/ work? If that is the case then I would expect that the decision to end sessions would be one that you would make for yourself in discussion with your counsellor.

Why don't you ask her about how you will know the right time to end your sessions? Tell her there're other things you want to explore which precede your relationship with DD's father.

The relationship between client and counsellor is special precisely because the client does not have to take the counsellor's needs into account in the way they would with a friend or family member. If your counsellor is fed up with you not moving on quickly enough that is not your problem Possibly she will notice your sense if frustration and explore that with you. If she is feeling fed up with you (and she quite possibly is not) then maybe she will reflect on why and what that means for her and/or you. As your counsellor she takes on that responsibility.

Have you talked to her about your idea that she is fed up with your sessions? See what she says. I'd lay good money that her response will not be, 'Yes, actually Pumpkin I'm fed up with you going over the same old things all the time. Haven't you made any progress at all?'

If she does say that then sack her!

I for one am not tired of your posts and I am very heartened to see you working so hard at it all, being so dogged about getting through this fr yourself and your DD. I don't actually know you, but I feel proud of you. Cheering you on.

pumpkinpie5 · 31/08/2014 01:30

Thank you wildflower :-)

Yes I am paying for the sessions, they are not through gp or work. I think I am just afraid that I have just got into all the things I have hidden for so long, have finally found someone who I can tell all these things to (she knows more of the details now after my email to her-which took a lot of willpower to hit the send button!) and so worry that I M relying on the counselling too much and will be in free fall if it suddenly ends.

But reading back over my posts, I'm probably just panicking and questioning myself too much. I'm quite critical of myself sometimes and maybe I expect too much in terms of progress etc. Counsellor hasn't really given me any sign that she is frustrated, its just my doubts coming into play. I will see how it goes this week.

Having emailed her, we didn't talk about the content of the emails at all, I suppose I am feeling a bit confused- I don't know whether I should say any more about it, or whether having emailed things to her I should just be relieved someone else knows.

I am toying with the idea of writing some of the things on here- perhaps getting other people's perspective on the incidents and whether I am over reacting on some - I don't know, just some thoughts from outside might be good, but I'm also ashamed and embarrassed by how I let myself get uncertain situations so not such whether i should post it at all.

I am continuing to battle though, and really grateful for your support. It makes such a difference to feel I have people on my side. X

OP posts:
pumpkinpie5 · 08/09/2014 22:34

Haven't posted in a while, have stayed away and tried to get on with things.

Have reread some of the posts when times are tough. I'm very down, have just sunk into a general miserableness, not knowing how to move on and be happy, not feeling that I come out of counselling convinced that I am moving forward.

Just very down on myself tbh and don't have the energy to do anything about it.

I'm not being "poor me" I know I have my home and my dd and I should be grateful -which I am, but just thinking that I am going to continue with struggling through each day and have no idea how I ever get to "happy". I just don't have the energy.

OP posts:
WildflowerMarmalade · 08/09/2014 22:40

Sorry to hear you are down. Sad

If you feel as if you don't have the energy to make it to happy then focus on just keeping afloat and keeping on keeping on.

Need to get to sleep now, or I would try to write more. I'll come back when I have more time. Thanks

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