I'd like to mention that Mishanya's posts in this thread were extremely helpful.

I've been in therapy for years, trying to deal with a crappy childhood and free myself from a lot of negative patterns I inherited from my low-functioning family. While I can say it's been productive in some ways, it's also been at an incredible cost. As I found myself making positive changes, I also felt myself slipping into a really scary depression, which lasted for a long time.

I've recently made quite a lot of progress in that area simply by recognizing that the amount of time and energy I spend dredging up the past and examining it has to be limited or it turns into a depressive cycle, spiraling downward.

Surprisingly, my therapist isn't quite on board with this. She thinks I'm trying to avoid dealing with issues. I've tried to explain that I'm trying to avoid dwelling on issues, and that there's a huge difference.

Anyway, just wanted to thank Mish for the help.

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I think all women really want is to be proven wrong about men.