Posted by Dinah on February 16, 2004, at 17:27:51
In reply to Emotional attachment, eh?, posted by Karen_kay on February 16, 2004, at 17:07:11
Ok, I can speak with some experience here. Because this is part of what got me my schizotypal diagnosis. My therapist and pdoc thought I was incapable of emotional attachment. My pdoc even told me (and son, if you ever read this in the archives he was wrong, dead wrong, and I hate him forever for saying this) that I shouldn't worry if I couldn't form an emotional attachment to my child because I wasn't capable of it.
It was wrong. All of it. My therapist says he would never say that about me now. My emotions were frozen for a long time. It didn't feel safe to be attached to any one thing in any deep and meaningful way. But as I got in touch with my feelings in therapy, I realized how much was simmering under the surface.
That being said, I still have trouble sometimes. My best friend died two years ago. I sat at the hospital every day while she was in intensive care. And when she died I felt numb. I didn't feel like I was feeling the "right" things. But then some of my bosses were talking as I came in and started asking me questions not because they cared, but because they were wondering how long they could maintain her on the payroll. And I blew up big time. Those emotions were there all right, I just have trouble accessing them.
So think of it more along PTSD lines. You are obviously a caring person, Karen. You just don't "feel" it the way you think you should.
poster:Dinah
thread:314189
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040211/msgs/314210.html