Dear Anita,

Thank you so much for your reassuring response. It does help to know that you believe that my core issues are not related to my husband.

Because sometimes it feels as though if only I hadn’t been in this relationship things would be better, more peaceful. But when I do get some perspective back on it, I don’t really believe it’s true. Because I have always had this feeling of dread, stress and distance from my partner in any long relationship (by long I mean, more than 2-3 dates). Sometimes even very early on.

I will consider sharing more about my family but I am not sure how comfortable I would feel about that, even if I omit some details as you suggested. It just feels too public for me, when I have no idea who might be reading and how many people will see this.

I understand what you are saying about the therapy. Maybe it is because I have been too defensive with my therapist, or because I do not know how to access these more ancient layers of my psyche. Or maybe because there are no deep, dark secrets there to be revealed? I really don’t know. He responds to what I bring to the sessions but does not suggest methods, or asks questions, usually.