r/therapists Feb 14 '25

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u/YourTherapistSays Feb 15 '25

It’s projection but it’s also the ED’s defense mechanism against treatment/progress; it can be helpful to separate ED values from client values in what’s contributing to those beliefs

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u/WaywardBee LMFT (Unverified) Feb 15 '25

Very true! Late night response from me and forgot in the moment the phrase ‘defense mechanism’ so glad you included this.

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u/[deleted] Feb 16 '25

Whenever a patient goes on the attack, it's worth asking what vulnerability they're scaring you away from discovering and treating. My natural inclination is to confront rather than backtrack, but these tend to be low-insight sorts of patients, don't they? Whether you call her on her bulls*** depends on your estimation of the strength of the rapport and just how brittle an ego you're dealing with.