Emotions

[lucy]

Hi All,

I had a session with my therapist yesterday and I was extremely anxious and agitated. I have got a sister who is seriously ill and I'm supporting her this was my reason for agitation and anxiety. Anyway my therapist suggested that I should let her hold my hand and feel the support and care. I did this reluctantly as i'm not used to getting support anyway as she was holding my hand my vision went really blurred and I felt like vomiting, I also had a huge like rush of blood to the front of my head. My therapist did say that i changed colour and had a rash on my face . I then couldn't stop crying. What would you sday happened .My therapist thought it was somatization of emotions.

Has anybody else experienced this type of thing before?

Thanks
Lucy

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I don't know that I would use the word "somatization" in that context.

However, your experience I think is probably one of two things:

1. her action triggered a repressed or suppressed memory with its accompanying emotional reaction, so it surprised you because you couldn't connect it with a conscious memory; or

2. her action, which was one of empathy and support, took you out of the role of "strong helper" for other people where you need to inhibit your own emotional reactions and needs in order to attend to yours, and thus allowed your own emotions to come to the surface.

Given your brief description above, I would think that #2 is the more likely, but #1 is certainly possible.

 

[lucy]

Thanks David,

Not sure myself but more than likely it's #2.
Today I felt really anxious and quite scared I guess this is just a normal reaction.

 

[lucy]

So do you think that It would be safe for me to carry on with this work?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I think you might want to discuss your reaction further with your therapist... maybe suggest to her that you need to protect your personal space for now and ask her to be sensitive to that and not invade it?