Additional Therapy in Book Seven: Reconstruction 2020

  • Nov. 28, 2020, 9:36 p.m.
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So, my Therapist’s response to THIS
was
“So sad you are struggling, Chris”
So… I pretty much explain the last 36 years of my existence, repeatedly tying it back to the concept of “Less Than” that we’re trying to discuss and your best response is
“So sad you are struggling, Chris”
MMMmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyybeeeee time to look for a replacement!!

My response to her:

The big long previous: 36 years of “less than” built into me by my pain disorder and then aggressively actively drilled into me by my ex-wife? There’s a reason why people who know me say, “She did a number on you!” Because, to be graphic? My wife consistently, constantly refused any form of physical intimacy (including sex) and would not say I love you. So considering she was my only sexual partner… and she would say, “Just go watch porn. But don’t ever let me catch you watching porn and jerking off. I find the whole thing disgusting. Just… do it but don’t let me know.” That was her solution to our absent sex life. SO YEAH… when people talk about “build your self esteem” or “learn to value yourself”… I have ten years of “I don’t even want to touch you” from my spouse working against me. And as I was journaling about that elsewhere… something hit me. SO MUCH of our therapy can go back to this one, specific, repeated trauma that has been planted in me. What has my trauma consistently circled around? Desire.... Want.... Need. I appreciate that power structures in relationships and the interactions between lovers may take an almost infinite number of derivations. But I am beginning to wonder if this undercurrent is not the item of significant value. I was told repeatedly, clearly, with spite and disgust, that I was entirely unwanted. And by my wife… a woman that was in a unique position to specifically choose NOT TO BE WITH ME… but married me and then made it clear I was unwanted. So what am I searching for? What is my trauma and my need? What is absolutely driving me? I need to feel wanted. I want to be wanted. It is/isn’t so much about external validation as the very thing that I was psychologically beaten to death with was you are undesirable and unwanted. So yeah. That’s what I’m trying to fill. That’s what needs to be healed. I need to not feel unwanted.

FAST FORWARD TO TONIGHT:

Current Mood: Unyielding Rage

So… I’m pretty angry… and some of that anger is being thrown God’s way. So the “God has a plan” or “Things work out with faith” kind of responses are not going to do the trick.

At the heart of my marital? As I told my mom recently, I knew the marriage was dead, broken, likely beyond repair about 3 years in. I mean, when there is no sex, nothing but arguments, and everything is the husband’s fault because he dragged us to Omaha… the writing is on the wall. But God tells us to honor our wives as Christ so honored the church, even unto death. It was my spiritual obligation as her husband to bust my ass to get the marriage to work. For an extra 7 years, I worked my ass off in an attempt to get my wife to love me. It never worked. She never did. And even this year told me so. Thus, I spent all of my energy trying to save a marriage whose energy was often spent on making me feel unwanted, undesirable, and unworthy.

Now let’s compare that to the kind of case work I do now. We’ve discussed it a bit before. How the Spouse Abusers, Women Batterers, Pedophiles, and Child Abusers seem to have no shortage of women who want to date them, be with them, make excuses for them. That’s always hit me as absolute fucking bullshit because I, a stable emotionally aware adult with a full-time job and a caring, generous heart… can’t even get an available woman to talk with me let alone date me. But these absolute monsters have no issues?

Well… here’s another one for the fire. Essen’s husband… the child abusing, psychologically violent man that won’t let Essen or his children leave the house or he’ll call the police? Apparently, he has a new girl. He’s still being the controlling abusive husband to Essen, of course. She can’t even leave the house to take the kids for a walk because her husband “knows she’s fucking around on him and will call the cops for prostitution, kidnapping, and child endangerment!” But he now has a girl on the side (so he has a place to crash when Essen eventually throws him out). This bloody enrages me. Not just because he is being an absolute asshole to my friend and his own children… he’s been doing that for a while now. No, this bloody enrages me because it is a psychologically deranged, dangerous man who abuses his wife and kids… and during COVID… he was able to find a new girl. AGAIN… I can’t even get a Dating App conversation or a pity date; but this abusive fuck gets a new girl on a whim?

I talked to Essen and she says that she’s not surprised because her husband is over six feet tall and, as a malignant narcissist, oozes confidence and compulsive lies. Which… fine. Tall, Confident… I’m short and… a trial attorney so confident but not manipulative about it?? It just.... It goes back to my relationship with God as it constantly is. I know God is real. I know that with the same confidence that I know I am a man. But God has (honestly) allowed His creation to become a steaming cesspool where the evil prosper, the good suffer, and the only way to get ahead is to eat each other. I know God exists. But I’m not going to celebrate that fact while He continues to allow what He called His “greatest creation” to continue in this manner. And frankly, COVID is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. The people who have been suffering and staying isolated and distanced and doing everything they can to slow the spread? Their reward is to continue to suffer and stay isolated and distanced. Because the people who don’t care are living their lives, enjoying themselves, and continuing as though nothing has changed. I saw a table of 20 (all unmasked) at the restaurant on the corner of main street last week!

So that’s the world we live in. Where a guy with love in his heart, emotional intelligence, a stable life, and a lot to offer is entirely romantically ignored… but a man that is actively abusing his wife and kids has no trouble getting a side-piece!


stargazing November 29, 2020

Yes, you have 10 years of really, emotional abuse from your wife, that you need to heal from. Will it take some work? Absolutely. It’s difficult to deprogram yourself but it can be done if you work hard at it. Saying yes but I have all these years of being told I’m not worthy isn’t going to get you there. You know how you got here. Spending your energy on changing it would be more beneficial. Figuring out that your self worth isn’t dependent on others is key. You say you are confident but I would argue you aren’t confident except in work. And that isn’t the person a potential date will see. Are you doing therapy by email again? If so, yes that was a crappy, unhelpful response. But if you are in person or doing telehealth the therapist most likely would save a more lengthy response for your session time. That’s what the therapists do in my office.

Park Row Fallout stargazing ⋅ November 29, 2020

80% e-mail therapy, 20% telehealth.

AppleGirl November 29, 2020 (edited November 29, 2020)

Edited

Exactly what I was thinking - it doesn’t matter that this dude can get twenty women - they are as fucked up as he is, likely. It’s interesting to me that you don’t associate with other people of similar social and educational levels. Is that a power thing? I mean, you’re around professionals often - nobody of similar interests/values/educational levels there? At the courthouse? At your office? In any city buildings? Someone with a full time job or a career? Or friends with a happy stable marriage? Another lawyer?

Park Row Fallout AppleGirl ⋅ November 29, 2020

It is, unfortunately, a location thing. Most of the attorneys who work around here are centered in the "nearest big city" so an hour away in a different county.

AppleGirl Park Row Fallout ⋅ November 29, 2020

An hour once a week on the weekends is not really that long to drive for some appropriate friends/love interests on equal footing??

Park Row Fallout AppleGirl ⋅ November 29, 2020

100% agree. But the damn COVID is really making limiting bubbles a big deal. Especially as Iowa skyrockets in our percentages and my entire County is still patently anti-mask. I desperately want to see my best friend (as I really haven't this year) and he is only 75 minutes away; but he is being even more cautious with COVID distancing than anyone I know because his dad has late stage Parkinson and he absolutely wants to be able to see his dad, should the condition worsen. SO... that's a big kick in the ass right now. Just in everyway. Like... restaurants and bars are still open around here (fucking jackasses!) and sure it would be great to pretend like a potentially life threatening illness isn't going around... hit the bar... see if I can't get rejected in person for a change this year... but I cannot bring myself to be that obtuse.

AppleGirl Park Row Fallout ⋅ November 29, 2020

I’m thinking even pre-COVID ... why no professional friends?

Park Row Fallout AppleGirl ⋅ November 29, 2020

It's a good question. I do have some professional friends from my time in Best Buy. But lawyers aren't much of a "friend" breed. I mean, I've got my friends from Law School (many of whom are in DC these days) and my best friend 75 minutes away. But... Defense Attorneys aren't comfortable openly being friends with a Prosecutor, in my experience. At least, not the prosecutor they go up against. So those relationships are "friendly" but not "hang out" friendly. Really my best bet would be befriending the cops and officers in the area.... but that isn't necessarily any better.

hippiechica15 November 29, 2020

Definitely not an insightful response...

DE_KentuckyGirl November 29, 2020 (edited November 29, 2020)

Edited

So… I’m pretty angry… and some of that anger is being thrown God’s way. So the “God has a plan” or “Things work out with faith” kind of responses are not going to do the trick.

These responses make me so mad. They're nothing but platitudes to make the one saying it feel like they've actually contributed something to help. It was one of the last big pushes for me out of the church, when I went through my divorce. Unhelpful and not based in reality for people who are suffering real pain. My guilt obligation, like your guilt obligation, kept me in my marriage as well. One of my therapists pointed out that my ex physically may have been present but had left the marriage emotionally. (He also cheated repeatedly which factored in for me but I know doesn't for you).

You have to do mind over matter with the church guilt. I didn't necessarily blame God as much as I did the institution of the church for instilling unhealthy toxic expectations in marriage and then absolutely dismiss you with clichés when you are in pain and suffering due to it.

Pretend Mulling November 29, 2020

Yeah, that was entirely the wrong response from your therapist. Ditch her and hire a new one.

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