My therapist will be on vacation next week. Although I’m grateful that we were able to move through this latest rupture in time for her to leave, I’m incredibly anxious about her being away. I struggle just to go from Monday to Thursday between sessions. Weekends are generally not as much of a challenge, perhaps because I tend to transition into “off work” mode, understanding that this is time for my therapist and I to be apart. But being separated from her during working hours is always much harder for me.
Today’s session was fine. I did a lot of talking, free association style, about various aspects of my past. I’m not sure why, but it’s random stuff that’s been on my mind so I figured it was worth mentioning. I felt good about the conversation. I felt her presence, and we really felt like a team. But I’m also aware that I tend to do more talking about non-relational feelings when she’s due to be out of the office.
At the end of the session, she mentioned her vacation and wondered if it’s something I wanted to talk about. I just told her that I’m pissed that she’s going away and there’s not much more to say about it. She asked if we could maybe just hold onto that for now and discuss it further tomorrow.
I really do want to talk about this some more. I told her that I feel more or less okay with her leaving, but that I can definitely feel other parts that are less than thrilled. She thought perhaps that’s something they could bring in tomorrow…
We’ll see.
I don’t even know why it bothers me. Well, I do, but it seems like something I should just accept and then move on. Therapists will go on vacation. They have to in order to remain healthy, energetic, and healthy enough to do the work they do. My therapist does a lot of work with individuals like me, with a history of trauma, so I always appreciate that she is mindful of self-care.
But it still pisses me off. I hate any change in my routine. She’s had to reschedule all of my Wednesday sessions this month. Twice, she’s had to reschedule my Friday sessions. And it turns out that the Monday she returns from vacation is Labor Day, so she won’t be able to see me until that following Wednesday. Which means we’ll go 12 days without a session instead of 10.
She mentioned that she’d be checking her messages, but that she also would likely be delayed in responding while away. To date I’ve never contacted her while she’s on official vacation, and I don’t plan to start now. But it was still nice to know she wouldn’t be completely unavailable. In that situation, she said she’d connect me with a back-up therapist, but thus far she’s never had to do that.
I don’t know how I feel about any of this. It frustrates me because although I know and understand that there are definite therapeutic benefits to vacations – both because of the aforementioned benefits to the therapist and the value in examining the emotions that come around around such vacations. But to be honest, that just feels sadistic.
I mean, what that ultimately says to me is that vacations are good for me because the absence of my therapist brings up painful and difficult emotions that we then get to be curious about and explore together. Which, to be sure, is valuable. But it’s also total bullshit.
I will miss her so much. I will struggle to hold onto all of the emotions and thoughts that threaten to overpower me daily. I’m now 60 (!) days into ED recovery and each day still feels quite precarious. I feel further from the relapse ledge, but not as far as I’d like to be. It’s scary as hell.
Mostly I’m just frustrated because I have no choice in the matter. She gets to go on vacation whenever the hell she wants and there’s nothing I can do about it. I hate that. I hate that I’m just supposed to not need therapy for 12 days, or need less therapy at least. It’s so disruptive and it feels dangerous and chaotic. I hate the way I feel so removed and disengaged from the work while she’s away. I know I do that to protect myself – I need to mute some of the intensity just to survive. It’s clever, but it sucks.
I shouldn’t have to be without a major form of support in my life. It’s not her fault, or mine, or anyone’s. But it still really sucks and I don’t know how to deal with all of this bullshit emotion. I feel scared. I feel abandoned. I worry that she’ll leave and something will shift inside her, emotionally or psychologically, and she’ll come back a different therapist, unwilling to work with me. Who the hell knows? It’s just tough and I don’t want to deal with this right now.
Or, you know, ever.
Vacation do suck. There isn’t really any silver lining that I can offer. They simply suck. I’ll be sending you tons of positive thoughts and hugs during the next week. xxx
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Thanks, Amb xo
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I hate vacations too. I’ll be in this with you since my therapist will be out of town next week, as well.
I have slowly gotten better about it, so it’s no longer a nightmare time of increased flashbacks and panic attacks, but I still really don’t like it.
I tend to bring home a wooden cat that a young part likes to hold during breaks. Is anything like that possible for you? I know that the owl had mixed messages in the end.
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Oh really? Well that definitely makes me feel less alone! I think I’m better about it, too. But it’s still quite hard. For different reasons, maybe. I’ve never asked for anything from her office and I won’t ask now, but maybe next time.
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Can you believe it? I forgot to ask for the cat!?! I thought about it early in the session, but was talking about something else, then forgot about it. I think that I will be ok, though. I re- started b12 shots today and from how much better I already feel, I realize that stopping them put me into an exhausted and therefore somewhat fragile state. Sometimes the purely physical strongly affects us psychologically.
The sad thing is that my therapist isn’t even going to come back refreshed and rejuvenated! It turns out that she’s helping her son (who lives 6 hours away) move. She expects that she will come back exhausted. Sigh. At least I have been forewarned that she may be droopy, because I see her the morning that she will be back to work.
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Oh no! Sorry you forgot about the cat. Glad you hear you’re back on b12 though, that should definitely help. Being physically vulnerable absolutely contributes to our emotional state. Hoping your therapist isn’t too exhausted when she gets back!
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I get it. I really get it. I hate when Eileen goes on vacation. it brings up so much intense emotions for all of us. I imagine its like that for you too. sending you our support. xxx
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Yeah, exactly. It’s so hard. Thank you.
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You and me both. Vacations suck. I agree, it isn’t like our needs, that are so intensive we need scheduled contact THREE TIMES A WEEK, just vanish because they are gone. Holding it ourselves sucks. I am sorry she is going, and I’m glad you’re letting your feelings out. This sounds really healthy.
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Right?! My needs don’t just cease to exist because she has to go on vacation. I know it’s all good and normal or whatever, but it still upsets me.
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Yep, it is normal and necessary and it still is very hard and no I don’t think we “need those experiences to grow.” There is enough pain inside me to learn from!
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First of all, congrats on the 60 days. That is no small feat.
Second, I hate therapist vacations. A’s first was 5 weeks long with 1 session in the middle and it was early on for us, but she didn’t leave me as set up as I needed. I haven’t written about it yet, but it was disastrous.
She fixed it though.
Having faith in the connectedness of our relationships with our T’s is really all we can do – which SUCKS, but it’s very much about developing that awareness that connection exists even when it’s not something we can actively connect to.
Which isn’t helpful. I know. Keep letting your feelings out and sharing with us. We’re here.
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Thank you! I’m glad A fixed the vacation disaster! I’m going to try to stay connected on here and not allow myself to completely disengage from all therapy-related things while she’s away.
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You and me both, you and me both. It sucks, it sucks, and it sucks (I’m sorry, I don’t have much more insight than that right now, but I wanted to let you know I’m thinking of you!)
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Thank you, Lily! Yes. It sucks.
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Yep. Sucks. I’m doing the disconnect-to-survive thing right now and it succckks. Like, I feel ok, but not present or real.
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Ugh, yeah. And that’s what always the hardest for me. Sorry you’re dealing with this, too.
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Vacations suck. They really, really do. I feel like everything you wrote here about vacations just really resonates for me. You aren’t alone with those feelings. Xx
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Thank you, Alice xo
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I hope the vacation passes by quickly. ❤️
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Thanks, E:)
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I think you are doing really well, writing this out and noticing what is coming up for you. It is very tough but you are doing incredible.
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Thank you so much!
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