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Ptsd New Relationship Help

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toomuchlovetoletgo

Bronze Member
I have known my boyfriend for a little over ten years. Eight years ago he left and we have just recently reconnected. We have been together a month and I moved across the country to be with him. But recently he has no patience for me. He is finding out about small things in my past, that I am afraid will become deal breakers for him all of the sudden. I have been in love with him as long as i can remember and I don't want to lose him. He goes to therapy, but doesn't want to talk about his problems. How can I fix this? I can not risk losing him. I just got him back :(
 
Wow. That makes a lot of sense. A little bit of bad stress and the cup overflows and he explodes. I feel like if I were dishonest with him about my past we would be fine. But when he asks me things I want to be honest. How can I stay honest with him without setting him off?
 
What sorts of things about your past are setting him off?
 
We got on the subject of past relationships and he told me that he feels as if I have no self respect. I mean, I have done things that I am not proud of, but everyone has. My most recent relationship was abusive and he tells me that because I stayed so long I have no self respect. He also told me that he believes I am selfish because I never thought about how my poor past decisions would effect my future relationships and that is my fault. I am frustrated because there is nothing that I can do to alter the past. Just short of building a time machine. I feel so it of options.
 
He's projecting on to you. Is he in your head? No. He says that your last relationship is the cause of you having no self respect, yet he belittles you like a child when you forget to change the toilet paper roll. Hmmm. I'd say that's not exactly building your self respect! And you're selfish because you didn't sit there and think gee, I have to do the right thing in THIS relationship so that all of my future relationships will be great! No, it doesn't work like that. If you did everything right in that first relationship, then you may never have a future relationship because that guy could have been the one! This guy has some really screwed up thinking!
 
From what I've read here, and on your other threads, it doesn't sound like he's really ready to be in a relationship right now. Honestly, it doesn't sound like you are either.

In a good "normal", long term, significant other, type relationship, it helps if both parties are pretty stable and able to take care of themselves. You can't FIX him and he can't FIX you. You can help each other, but you can't fix each other.

If he has PTSD, HE needs to accept that it's part of his life. You can't make him do that. You might be able to convince him that you love and accept him as is, and support efforts to grow and improve, but you can't MAKE him do anything. Same with medication. (And some of us get by pretty much ok without medication and prefer not to use it.)

You also can't MAKE him accept your past. He either will or he won't. Doesn't mean your past is all that bad. Doesn't mean he's making a good choice. It just means that it's HIS choice. You're right, you can't change your past. And what kind of relationship is based on the need to lie? You deserve to be in a relationship where YOU are accepted "as is" too. With encouragement and support to grow and learn as a human being.

He can't actually MAKE you put up with not being respected either. That's YOUR choice. Not always an easy, uncomplicated choice to make, but you are the one who gets to (or has to) decide if a situation is working for you and what to do about it. Honestly, to me, you sound really desperate to make this work. That's bad for you, because it makes you want to give up too much of yourself to try to meet his needs and wants, as you perceive them. It's also kind of extra stressful for him, if he's paying any attention. It's way less stressful to be in a relationship with someone that you believe can take care of themselves. Yes, having someone need you is cool. It makes you feel "needed" and it might help you justify your existence, if you feel you need to do that, It's also a lot of responsibility.
 
He knows a lot about me. We spent a lot of time together when we were younger and had similar family lives growing up. But I feel like that it's part of the problem. He is quite successful. But he is also a lot oOlder than me so I feel it it's hard for him to understand why I am not in the same place he is. I haven't made the best decisions in my life. But he knew that going into this. It's like ity has all of the sudden become took much for him. You were right about me wanting to make this work. I would do anything to keep this relationship. But I don't think I can handle another relationship where I am torn down on a constant basis. I feel like he is using things he knows about me to push me away and make me feel inferior to him. I am making better decisions now and I am working in being a better person. But Rome want built in a day and I just don't think he can grasp that. He told me that he had always gone for the damsel in distress and had blatantly told me that he sees me as such. I feel like I am nothing more than a project to him. We grew up in families with nothing. And now that he is successful. He gives into things like frivolous spending and then pretty much blames me for it. I am happy just to be with him. But I am starting to feel like he is damaged beyond repair. He absolutely despise my family for what they, quote, put me through. But then blames my Shitty life on my own behaviors. I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I absolutely love him. And I always have. The good days are amazing. But I am afraid the bad will start outweighing the good c and that just isn't something I am prepared for. I am 2000 miles away from everything that I know. And most of my bridges were burnt coming here.
 
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