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Relationships

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

Limerence not going away after years

108 replies

Limerent1 · 10/04/2024 18:46

Hi all I’m wondering if anyone has had a similiar experience to me, it’s a long story but I will make it as short as possible.

I met a guy whilst travelling over two years ago, both from the same city. Nothing happened at the time, just friends and there was a big group of us. For context, I’m F 30 and he is M 31. Nice guy, attractive, bit immature in terms of still living at home with his parents and no proper career, but I just felt a connection (not a romantic one at this point).

We kept in touch via text and I started to develop feelings for him, and of course I thought he was hot. We planned to meet up when he was home. I heard through mutual friends a couple of months later that he was home, so I text him. He responded telling me he no longer wanted to meet up, no reason given. I was hurt.

Just over a year ago, one of his friends invited me to a house party and told me my LO would be there. I turned up, it was sparks immediately and he came onto me. I slept with him and we were in touch all that week. Then suddenly, he text me saying he didn’t want to see me again. No reason given. I blocked him.

A month later I physically bumped into him in a bar where he apologised, introduced me to his friends and convinced us to stay with them. I ended up staying at his again and he promised me it would be different. The texts soon fizzled.

In August last year, we got back in touch. We met up sober for the first time and the chemistry was insane, as predicted. We would talk for hours and have so much in common. This kind of sexual chemistry is something I haven’t ever had with anyone before him. For the first time in years, I had actual butterflies. He told me he was embarrassed about the way he had treated me before, and that he would never do that to me again. He took me on actual dates, took me out with his friends and we spoke daily. Things were progressing, so I thought.

One night we were both out in the same area so decided to meet up and he had viagra on him, so I questioned it. He said he knew he was meeting up with me, so brought it out. I didn’t believe him. We had the exclusivity chat there and then where I made it quite clear I wasn’t sleeping with anyone else and would absolutely expect the same from him. He said he was glad we had had the chat and he wouldn’t be seeing anyone else.

10 minutes later, in the middle of a packed nightclub, he had a panic attack. During this panic attack he told me he can’t commit to only sleeping with me as what if he “wants to fuck someone else”. He then told me he was planning on going travelling again. I was absolutely shell shocked and ran away. His friends found me and said they didn’t understand him, all he did was say good things about me and they think he could be bipolar or something.

We didn’t speak for days. I eventually caved and asked him if he meant what he said and he said he did. He got in touch a couple of months later inviting me round to his friends party because he knew I was out and already drunk, so I probably would. I turned up and again he apologised and said he had had a panic attack due to drugs and felt suffocated with the exclusive chat etc. However, he was still going travelling. He stayed at mine for a few days then cooled off again.

New years eve we met up and spent the night together again, and very casually said goodbye the next day as he was leaving in Jan, for an unspecified amount of time. I told him to have the best time and he knew how I felt about him.

I do believe there’s some sort of MH issue, and definitely think he’s an Avoidant.

I haven’t heard from him since. With any exes, the yearning for them definitely decreased as the days went by, but with this one it just seems to get stronger. I convince myself sometimes that this must mean because we are soulmates or something, but I’m aware I sound deluded. I have deleted his number and removed his friends from social media so I can’t see anything that may upset me on his travels.

Each guy I date in the meantime, I just seem to compare to him and it’s torturing me. I dream about him almost every night and fantasise about him coming back and professing his undying love for me. I’ve read up on Limerence a lot and relevant books - nothings helped.

I’d really appreciate your opinion and any advice :-( xx

OP posts:
Watchkeys · 10/04/2024 18:50

it’s torturing me

It isn't. You are.

What does the crush give you? What would you feel your life was lacking if you didn't have the crush?

Work that out, and then you can work out a different way of getting it.

HopeFloatsAbove · 10/04/2024 18:51

Yeah he sounds like a tosser who knows what to say to you. He is not treating you nicely. I would set the bar higher as a cute or hot bloke or not, the way you describe him he just sounds like a chancer. Meaning he knows he has a chance with you when you pop up, and uses that, regardless of how he knows you feel about him, and then orcastrates a panic attack as he needs to sleep with other people.

HopeFloatsAbove · 10/04/2024 18:52

You are not seeing him for what he is but for what you like him to be

kinkyredboots · 10/04/2024 18:52

Sorry OP but he is just not that into you. He likes sleeping with you but has the emotional maturity of a 5 year old and unable to actually handle a proper relationship. For the right person I think he would.

I think you are confusing sexual attraction\lust with romantic attraction. See this for what it is - a physical relationship which will go absolutely nowhere in terms of a grown up relationship.

SwedishEdith · 10/04/2024 18:56

Chemistry needs to be a two way thing to work. You just really fancied him and he knew the right things to say to you each time. Sorry, move on and forget him. He sounds like a knob.

Neveralonewithaclone · 10/04/2024 18:57

He is a twat who is breadcrumbing you. I had a guy do that to me for years, do yourself a favour and shut him down really harshly if you run into him again. Time will help, try to overlay any 'romantic' images with one of irritation.

Limerent1 · 10/04/2024 18:59

kinkyredboots · 10/04/2024 18:52

Sorry OP but he is just not that into you. He likes sleeping with you but has the emotional maturity of a 5 year old and unable to actually handle a proper relationship. For the right person I think he would.

I think you are confusing sexual attraction\lust with romantic attraction. See this for what it is - a physical relationship which will go absolutely nowhere in terms of a grown up relationship.

I know what you are saying but ive not elaborated on a lot of things. For example on New Year’s Eve he told me he “could be that support for me” that I may need in the future. Somehow I’ve convinced myself that he does feel the same way but he needs to get this travelling and what not out of his system before he commits. The thought of not being good enough for him is painful to accept

OP posts:
colourfulcrochet · 10/04/2024 19:02

He's lying to you for sex. Sorry, OP, I know this hurts, but your fantasy version of him is stopping you from living your best life.

countvoncount · 10/04/2024 19:04

He's a colossal bellend.

swayingpalmtree · 10/04/2024 19:04

Google the magnetic effects of intermittent reinforcement. It makes people inexplicably attractive.

I think this is what is happening here. Intermittent reinforcement is based on a rat experiment whereby they had rats press a button to get a treat. When the treat always came out when they pressed the button, the rats often went to get treats but didnt become obsessed with it. When the button never gave treats, the rats ignored it completely. However- when the button sometimes gave treats and sometimes did not- in a completely random fashion, the rats became pathologically obsessed with the button and couldn't leave it alone. This is exactly how gambling gets people hooked.

It's the hot/cold dynamic and because he sometimes rewards you and sometimes does not, you have become obsessed with trying to get a reward never knowing if it is coming. Your brain is pumping dopamine into your system every time you get rewarded so you keep trying to make it happen again.

Once you know why this works, it becomes infinitely easier to stop it.

Limerent1 · 10/04/2024 19:07

swayingpalmtree · 10/04/2024 19:04

Google the magnetic effects of intermittent reinforcement. It makes people inexplicably attractive.

I think this is what is happening here. Intermittent reinforcement is based on a rat experiment whereby they had rats press a button to get a treat. When the treat always came out when they pressed the button, the rats often went to get treats but didnt become obsessed with it. When the button never gave treats, the rats ignored it completely. However- when the button sometimes gave treats and sometimes did not- in a completely random fashion, the rats became pathologically obsessed with the button and couldn't leave it alone. This is exactly how gambling gets people hooked.

It's the hot/cold dynamic and because he sometimes rewards you and sometimes does not, you have become obsessed with trying to get a reward never knowing if it is coming. Your brain is pumping dopamine into your system every time you get rewarded so you keep trying to make it happen again.

Once you know why this works, it becomes infinitely easier to stop it.

Thanks for this, I read something similiar about a pigeon experiment and do read a lot on psychology. I agree a lot of my behaviour is due to what you’ve described here. Just how do I undo it? I feel like an addict

OP posts:
OurfriendsintheNE · 10/04/2024 19:08

Listen to his actions not to his words. Absolutely do not get back in contact with him in any way. He’ll keep doing the same thing which is saying the right things to get you into bed and then fucking off when he’s had his fill. Nobody who cared about you would treat you this badly over and over again.

Mrsjayy · 10/04/2024 19:10

Limerent1 · 10/04/2024 18:59

I know what you are saying but ive not elaborated on a lot of things. For example on New Year’s Eve he told me he “could be that support for me” that I may need in the future. Somehow I’ve convinced myself that he does feel the same way but he needs to get this travelling and what not out of his system before he commits. The thought of not being good enough for him is painful to accept

He is a tosser that's just stringing you along for sex when he fancies, it's him that isn't good enough for you, no decent man treats a woman like that. He probably loves that you are clinging on to anything if he wanted to be a support or whatever he would.

Lighteningstrikes · 10/04/2024 19:15

@swayingpalmtree
Very interesting.

OP, this isn’t love, he will fuck you about, and continuously hurt you. Do not waste your precious life on this one.

Be strong and keep your self respect.

kinkyredboots · 10/04/2024 19:18

New Year’s Eve he told me he “could be that support for me” that I may need in the future.
He told you this as he does not have the balls to tell it as it is & this is just to keep you hanging around for him ready for the next shag. So he can pick you up and drop you again. He has given absolutely nothing to the relationship and his actions show that this will happen again.

The word to note here is could - no guarantee that we will. Past behaviour indicates this will never happen (with you).

Tel12 · 10/04/2024 19:20

You need to go cold turkey. Block him. He's obviously just using you as and when it suits him. He's an adult man behaving like a 17 year old and you are enabling him. Dust yourself off and start all over again. There's better people out there.

samestyle · 10/04/2024 19:20

Because it's been so on/off for years, you still anticipate that he'll come back, but train your mind to think what would happen if you have complete control over this and not getting involved again, because you want better for yourself and you deserve more than to be used for sex. Imagine declining his next offer. This guy only has superficial attraction for you, nothing deeper, he doesn't have MH issues or scared of commitment, he just doesn't want you enough for a relationship, maybe he doesn't want anyone, but that's him.
Best start craving for a man that can give you what you want, time to get the ick over this immature man.

Mayflower282 · 10/04/2024 19:28

He sounds like the absolutely lowest of the low to get into a relationship with. Geez even if he did settle down and marry you, you would continually be on edge waiting to see when he was going to up sticks and disappear to South America for 6 months. He’d prob get you pregs and disappear the day after. He does not sound reliable, trustworthy or anyone you would want to be in a long term committed relationship with. He sounds like the dregs of society. I think the real question is why you think you deserve such awful treatment? You deserve so much better.

SOxon · 10/04/2024 19:32

Words are cheap, OP - and you don’t cost him anything - as pp here have advised, take a note of what he does as opposed to what he says, as his lines of seduction are not only well rehearsed but I would wager, well practised.

SOxon · 10/04/2024 19:35

kinkyredboots · 10/04/2024 19:18

New Year’s Eve he told me he “could be that support for me” that I may need in the future.
He told you this as he does not have the balls to tell it as it is & this is just to keep you hanging around for him ready for the next shag. So he can pick you up and drop you again. He has given absolutely nothing to the relationship and his actions show that this will happen again.

The word to note here is could - no guarantee that we will. Past behaviour indicates this will never happen (with you).

Exactly.

OP there is a description for this - future faking.

You could benefit from Natalie Lue’s no nonsense advice,
she is on youtube,
Baggage Reclaim

she is a tough talker which is what you need to snap yourself
out of this fugue

timegoesbysoso · 10/04/2024 19:43

This is about you being addicted to the rollercoaster of push pull. What is it reminding you of as a child?

It's all about you and why you're attracted to this behaviour.

WillYouPutYourCoatOn · 10/04/2024 19:46

@Limerent1

I'm going to be harsh, in the hope it hits home. It's not pleasant to hear, but it's far nicer than what he's actually doing.

When he churns out all this afraid of commitment shite, and tales of support one day, it's because he can't say "you're an ego boost and a guaranteed shag until I've found a better distraction". Because then you wouldn't be.

He's not into you. He's into zero effort sex with someone who hangs on his every word.

He's actually quite callous and manipulative, when you take the rose tinted glasses off.

Watchkeys · 10/04/2024 20:12

If he wanted to support you, he has the opportunity now, doesn't he? He could save you all this torture.

If he was the hero you think he is.

Moonshine5 · 10/04/2024 20:16

He sounds like he uses you for sex and knows what to say to you. Plus in his defence you've forgiven him the unforgivable every single time.
Past behaviour patterns are strong indicators of future patterns.

Work on your self esteem.

Etherealcelestialbeing · 10/04/2024 20:16

You are not letting go of this because you don't think you deserve any better.

Don't you know there is someone out there who you spark with just as much, who you have fun with, are attracted to etc but crucially, who also treats you with the respect you deserve?

Let him go. Value yourself.