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Accepting responsibility for dismantling 18yrs together.

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  • #202753
    Ryan
    Participant

    Hello,

    I found this community just a bit ago, and I’m already amazed at how insightful, and relatable the web site, and forum responses are.

    I’m truly scared to begin, because I’m actually the one who has systematically broken down my relationship with my wife and kids for that matter.

    I’ve been in a daydream all day thinking wondering why it all seems so simple after the damage is done. Because I lack confidence, and self worth I am miserable a lot, confrontational, and become fixated on the negative issue and I get stuck on that for most of the day, as you all know that’s not fun to be around.

    So I guess I’m just feeling sorry for my kids and wife. They deserve better than what I have to offer, i have been in and will continue therapy it helps just not when you fight it like I do. Hope this was ok to post here.

    #202831
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Ryan:

    Of course it is okay that you posted here. It is  a good thing that you are in therapy, assuming it is of quality, helpful. Would you like to share about your experience in therapy?

    anita

    #202863
    Hope
    Participant

    Dear Ryan,

    I can tell you from experience that your wife and kids only want you.  Not a perfect person.  Just their husband and father. It’s never too late to start again-especially when you are being proactive.  They are lucky to have someone who truly cares.

     

    #202893
    Ryan
    Participant

    Thank you Hope, and Anita,

    Anita the therapist that I work with is very experienced and passionate in her approach to my treatment. I’ve been seeing her once a week for a few months now and she always challenges me to do the hard work and will not hesitate to call B.S. on me either for making excuses or living in the past. For me it’s all about letting go of my past so I can be in the now. Staying grounded is a real struggle for me. Going to other therapist and giving up when it became hard usually left me looking for another person to see and a new diagnosis. At the moment I’m treated for severe depression, PTSD, anxiety, social disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, and I’m looking into ADD because normal tasks, and daily responsibilities are extremely difficult. What I like most about her is I don’t feel like I’m just another patient rather a student that is eager to learn to live a healthier, more productive life.

    And Hope I appreciate your kind words. I’m in a stage of loneliness, acceptance, and grief. My intentions are always good to me, I just have to accept that not everyone thinks like I do, or expect loved ones around me to be a mind reader. I let pride disrupt my progress and get me off track so my new goal for now is to accept the things I cannot change, change the things i can, and the mindfulness to know the difference.

    Thanks again,

    Ryan

    #202961
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Ryan:

    Your therapist reads promising to me. Reads like quality therapy.

    I am supposing you are no longer living with your wife and children, that you live separately?

    The explosive anger episodes (you mentioned a diagnosis of intermittent explosive disorder)- were those directed at your wife and at your kids, or at your wife while your kids witnessed those?

    anita

     

    #202967
    Hope
    Participant

    Ryan,

    It’s great that you’re talking to a therapist.  It’s important that you also talk to your wife.  You don’t have to accept loneliness when there are people around you who love you.  Don’t think you’re doing them a favor by giving up on them.  I bet your wife would be very happy if you just let her in and you could face problems head on, together.  Sorry if I seem too adamant about your life.  I am also struggling and just know what I would want from my husband.  Let them be a part of your healthier life.

    Hope

    #203191
    Ryan
    Participant

    Unfortunately the explosive episode would come from a dark place deep down,  usually if I had been really depressed for a few days and was extremely low on patience and understanding. Yes it would be directed at my wife, and regretfully a couple times to my oldest daughter. 95% of the time my children never witnessed my selfdestruction.

    I am very lucky that my wife is still understanding of my conditions and imperfections, and I know she truly wants me to be happy and healthy as well as her and my children. She is also highly educated and has been through similar suffering which you would think would be great for my process but I have a very hard time letting her in when I’m going into my dark abyss. This is something that I’m working hard on forgiving myself and not pushing help or loves ones away.

    #203207
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Ryan:

    You wrote earlier, “For  me it’s all about letting go of my past so I can be in the now”- to let go of the past more and more, that past needs to be attended to, early conflicts resolved, core beliefs re-evaluated. I hope this is part of your therapy.

    I think that that “dark abyss” you mentioned is where you need to go, with therapeutic, professional help, within the safety of competent psychotherapy.

    You are welcome to share here more, if you’d like.

    anita

    #203253
    Ryan
    Participant

    Me and my therapist have been laying out the ground work to have a plan for EMDR therapy that I am doing as well. I was doing EMDR with an awesome therapist before but I could no longer afford to pay out of pocket and I was seeing her every week, and going to someone else for medication management. I was doing great and when I had to stop seeing her it was like I was dropped off in the middle of nowhere. Confused, no direction, and bummed out that again I was defeated.

    I don’t expect instant success and I’m well aware that this is going to be a long journey. I have done group therapy in the past and though I feel that’s a longer and more painful process, I did like not feeling alone, and knowing that there are others struggling in very Similar ways as me. I’m 35 and say stuff like who in the world is doing, saying, and acting like me and the truth was astonishing the youngest being 15 and up to around 80 years old. The downside for me was I’ve never lacked compassion for others suffering, and I found myself getting stuck on wanting to help others, the therapists and the patients loved hearing me speak because I would speak from my heart and soul. I just can’t seem to do the same for myself yet. Nevertheless it was a great experience.

    Just out of curiosity you seem to have a good grasp on details, and process. Are you in the profession or have you been through therapy as well. Completely fine if this is unanswered.

    Thanks again, Ryan

    #203309
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Ryan:

    I am not a psychotherapist, not in the profession. I did go through psychotherapy, my first quality psychotherapy 2011-2013, that started me on the healing process that is still ongoing. I am dedicated to it. Part of my process is my very communications here. I learn and heal and learn more every day.

    Like you I have a collection of diagnoses of my own. What I find to be the origin of these diagnoses is anxiety, ongoing fear experienced early in life, day after day, months, years. Living in perceived danger for too long, situation not corrected, threat ongoing… this does something to a person, lots of consequences. These consequences are organized into groups fitting those different diagnoses.

    Anxiety, do you think it is the beginning of what leads to the many disorders such as you listed?

    anita

    #203361
    Ryan
    Participant

    Thank you for Sharing that with me. You clearly have taken what you have learned to heart, and take it very serious I admire that. Yes Anxiety has always been a huge factor for me it truly determines how well or poorly I react to any situation. There was a lot of fear for me growing up and it shut me down emotionally, and physically. So in the fight or flight situation I unfortunately became accustomed to the fight scenario around age 12 when I was in a fist fight for the first time. And it became very natural for me to expect the worst from everyone. Now much later in life it is very hard to undo and let my guard down.

    So accepting people without judgement or prejudice, and finding some inner peace is a huge goal for me.

    #203367
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Ryan:

    It is a very, very… very long process, healing from anxiety. It takes literally changing the mapping of the brain, building new neuropathway into the old configuration. While working on this and doing the work that needs to be done, persistently and patiently, what we can do is tend to our behavior. It is possible to change certain behaviors sooner than later. Some can be changed immediately. Abusive behavior needs to be stopped immediately, before further healing, and that can be done.

    I know expecting the worst from everyone. Specifically I expected aggression from everyone. Still do, but the expectation is weaker and not felt as often as before.

    We expect the worst from everyone because we did receive the worst from at least one very important in our lives. Switching to first person, I received aggression from my mother, no safe place, no safe time when she was around.

    anita

     

     

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