Until he accepted that he was not responsible for his mother's beatings, he felt a guilt that "overlaid" the guilt he felt towards me. He described a strong internal feeling of pushing me away ... so obviously there was going to be something missing in his attempts to connect with me.
Cyrena, I don't quite understand what you wrote above. Would you please clarify?
I always felt that XH projected anger toward me that he really felt for his (alcoholic) mother. Wondering if what you wrote about guilt above might apply in this situation.
When my XH left he said that he felt "trapped" and that he was leaving because he thought he'd been happier when he lived alone before we met. This sounds like the "pushing away" that you refer to.
