She's gone

I can talk freely here because I know she doesn't have a computer.

She is an older woman who had a very unfair start in life; she and her mother shared a room and a bed for the first eighteen years of her life. Her father lived upstairs and worked two jobs. Her mother lectured her constantly about sin and warned her about the evils of men.

She was engaged to a man in the Navy. He came home from the sea and they were married. The marriage lasted three days. She sent him home realizing that she could never go through with it. She never did.

I saw her for five years. We met at the same time very week. She was always there, she always had things to talk about. She had insight into her situation and was often good with self-effacing humor.

I was her third therapist during a twenty year period. She said she was amazed that I had expected her to make changes and she that had been able to do so. She became much more assertive,she learned that she didn't have to act sweet and charming to people who treated her badly, and she learned that if she didn't want men to come-on to her she shouldn't flirt with them. She was able to deal with the world and move to a better living situation. She asked for help when she needed it. She even made one good friend.(She ran away from that relationship twice, but I kept sending her back)

But I was expected her growth to continue, and she didn't want to give up being bitter and resentful about things that happened fifty years ago.

When I hurt my eye she got scared that I wouldn't be able to see her every week for the next ten years, even though I only missed one week. Last month I told her that in august I was going to take three weeks off. Two weeks later she came to our session and told me that it would be our last meeting. She had made an appointment with someone else. She was worried that I was going to be gone too much and she needed regular therapy.

I think she wanted me to be shocked and upset. She said her last therapist cried when she announced that she had found me. I spoke to that woman who told me what a marvelous patient she was.

But, the truth is, I was kind of elated. Five years is more than enough. Medicare shouldn't pay for forever, and I was thinking of moving her to at least bi-weekly after the summer. Also, she didn't want to free herself from more of her limitations. She was comfortable using her anxiety as an excuse.

Now, if she wants that, it is perfectly understandable, but she doesn't need therapy to do that.

I realize, that this should be viewed as an issue in treatment, and should be worked through. It is about her fears of abandonment, of losing someone close to her. She should not take my actions in my as a reflection of how I feel about her. There are reasonable limits on different types of relationships. They are not all or nothing.

I didn't feel like doing all of that. I will let the new guy do it. I'm not perfect all the time.


She's gone. This week I used the hour to get a cup of coffee. I have someone scheduled in that slot next week.