Posted by Dinah on January 19, 2008, at 9:28:25
In reply to Re: I wasn't planning to get my therapist a gift, posted by spalding on January 18, 2008, at 23:57:06
In the end I forgot to bring it.
And I would definitely say I was not doing it from a needy standpoint. I feel rather hurt when I read that. But I think I'm feeling rather hurt a lot here lately so I just as well leave off posting for a bit.
It's not needy to want to share something with someone you care about and who cares about you.
My therapist and I have discussed his gift policy. We discussed it theoretically long before I ever brought him a gift. And in nearly thirteen years I've given him one small anniversary gift and one bunch of twelve chrysanthemums on our twelth anniversary. I may have been needy during much of our therapeutic relationship, but I don't express it with gifts. If I want to beg him to accept me, I'll do it with words. If I want to share its significance, I'm not begging anything. I know he will. And he knows my depth, or lack thereof. He's known me thirteen years for cripes sake. I'm not going to tell him anything with a gift he doesn't know intimately already.
My real gifts to him aren't objects. Any objects I give him are merely representations of those gifts.
poster:Dinah
thread:806282
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20080114/msgs/807584.html