quote:

I end up thinking that if what I tell her, makes her heart ache and makes her angry then why would she put herself through that?

I felt this way a lot in the initial throes of ET. I was terrified that my T was experiencing the same apprehension, aversion and confusion that I was - plus the uneasiness of dealing with a client with such intense feelings.

Then, one day, this thought just clicked in my brain: It's not the same for him. Because I was opening up a lot of trauma, and investing a lot emotionally in my therapy, my feelings seemed consuming and overwhelming. But for my T, this was just a day at the office.

I actually brought this up to him, and he confirmed my conclusion. He said that while he is also emotionally invested, the stakes for each of us are very different. He understands (and empathizes with) what I feel, but he doesn't feel what I feel. So for him, it is much easier to handle.

(He actually told me, "Doing this work with you is easy." He's also assured me that he's not going anywhere.)

Ts may cry, their hearts may ache, but their level of heartache is different. They know this painful place we're in is a bump in the road, not the final destination. They're looking at this situation from the other side, months and years into the future, where we've exited survivor mode and entered into full, healthy living. They know because many of them have taken the journey themselves. And that's why the good ones are not just able, but also willing to sit with our pain: they know it's not the end.

A good T will also engage in a lot of self-care, and has more resources to do so. Your T does think about you outside of session, but it's probably not to dwell on the details of your trauma. She's thinking about your present situation and how to help you into the future. So don't worry: whatever you say is not too much for her to handle.