Goodbyes in Group Therapy

this is my response to a group member’s Email:

I’m glad you’ll come for the complete, 3 more sessions, Goodbye.  It’s just what I’d imagine you’d decide, especially after yesterday’s session – a great demo and video of humans’ sometimes surprisingly strong and important Goodbye feelings.  It’s not always so clear as it was yesterday during Group goodbyes, how powerful and useful the 3 overlapping emotional aspects of every goodbye can be.  It can seem risky and scary, learning to be aware of and put them into words [at least within ourselves], in every Goodbye to important people, places and things – including hopes and dreams that can’t come true : Appreciations, Resentments & Regrets.
   All these feelings and habits are likely partly connected to each of our too frequently negative [often outside-of-conscious awareness], early history of intense emotional closeness in our original families.  Fortunately those early learnings can be modified by strong positive emotional experience in family-like settings like Group Therapy.  We do have choices now-a-days about with whom and how we gather necessary emotional intimacy/support.    Dr Bob
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