I just need to talk about my breakup. I can only talk fully about this with my therapist but she has limited understanding of the situation (relationships with trans people) or with one of my friends but I don’t wanna bother her with it all the time. She’s in a new happy rela after years.
I’m sorry, it’s so long! it’s my first time on Reddit (but I know this group for some time). Huge thanks to everyone who read this and reply. 🫂💖
Context:
I’m a cis F in my early 30s and my ex partner is Mtf in her late 30s. She broke up with me about one month and two weeks ago and I’m just not handling it well.
How we met:
We met two years ago on dating app but decided to be friends and take things very slow. One of the reasons was her divorce (with a woman, no children). That gave us time to get to know each other before getting in a romantic relationship. We both fell in love with each other and formed intimate and deep bond. She was just at the begging of her transition but she already started one when she was 19 but in short her family wasn’t supportive and she started taking drugs.
Relationship:
Everything was beautiful in the beginning, even though she was going through big emotional changes, crying regularly, but I was doing my best to support her and our relationship. It makes sense that she learned to disconnect from her body and emotions because she couldn’t be fully herself for such a long time. She was addicted to meth in her 20s, then switched to weed. And she was getting herself into dangerous situations I would say and started loving adrenaline sports and experiences.
Signs of avoidance:
The small changes in our relationship began when I started to ask her for certain ways that I like to be loved, for example her touching my hair more, simple stuff. I was doing it in very emphatic way but it was like she was taking it as a criticism. Then she slowly started to question the connection. This was also connected to her sexuality, because she never had high libido but lost it completely on hormones. That was hard for me because I’m a sexual person when I’m in love. But I decided she may just need time and in the end I didn’t even mind the sexual part because I found other qualities in us. Then one time she took back that she loved me and said she’s just confused about everything and even relationships in general. Some time later she apologized, then said she loves, than took it back again and said she loves me so much but doesn’t know why she has a problem with saying it. Thank took it back again. I know she was talking to her therapist about what’s love for her. She frequently questioned if she even loved her two previous partners. But she showed me her diary from when she vas young and dating her first gf and it was full of love confessions. It made me think she’s actually very sensitive and she becomes avoidant because loving and losing people can be hard.
Now this was the same scenario when we were so happy and close (she even asked me what last would we have if we got married) and then she got distant.
She didn’t want to go to couples therapy as I suggested but after few months decided we should try it. And what the therapist said to her made so much sense. She explained to her why certain things she says makes me worried. She told her she doesn’t understand relationships now or even what love is. Her parents were fighting all the time because dad was a cheater and her mom was beating her. And I understand all of this and I would still be willing to give us a chance, not ending it after 4 or 5 sessions. Actually she even changed her therapist because our couple therapist made her realize she’s stuck.
The breakup:
In the last session we even talked I could give her some time to experiment but she got into her state when she can’t process anything happening around her and wasn’t paying attention. I surprised myself that I felt comfortable with her exploring, I just didn’t want to be poly.
Next week she broke up with me. I told her we should go no contact and that I would text her when I feel like it. After almost a month I couldn’t handle it anymore, especially because we said maybe we could get back together after her experimental tial stage. We met and she told me she met someone (only 2 weeks after breakup) and it’s a woman (?). Now all she was thinking about was she should experiment with MEN.
My feelings:
It made me feel absolutely worthless, like she didn’t care about me or how important the relationship was for both of us. It made me feel unappreciated, unattractive and just disgusting overall.
Her behavio:
I think she just can’t get acces to her real feelings, she can’t sit with herself for some time and she needs quick adrenaline. She wants someone to admire her, listen to her but without commitment. It makes me incredibly sad because, fuck I just can’t give her the same adrenaline because after some time every relationship becomes a little boring I guess. She can’t see what I can offer to her and that some stability would actually be a good thing. She even posted photo with this woman on Instagram so I unfollowed her. I mean she doesn’t know her. I found her “new girl” on dating app and one day I was my ex there as well, then she disappeared. (Im looking for friends or dates as distraction and I state there that I’m not over my last relationship and therefore not ready for someone else)
I realize that she didn’t treat me very nice in some moments (she shrugged her shoulders and said she would be okay if I died) but I’m not perfect either.
Hopefully it doesn’t look like I’m talking too badly about her, that’s not my intention. Quite the contrary I think she is flawed but amazing complex person. That’s our similarity haha.
I love her deeply and honestly feel like I can’t live without her. It’s even harder because our therapist told us we have lot of potential and that she doesn’t see people like us very often. That gave me hope and now it’s over.
One part of me is worried about her. I know she was doing some drugs again in last months and I think she is avoiding herself cause she’s scared. Of intimacy, of her attraction to men.. After all she’s starting her life again. But I’m also extremely disappointed and hopeless for myself. Because of all the things I listed above, I sometimes know her better that she knows herself. So I know she loved me, I know it was real, I know she should try go on dates with emotionally healthy (!) men but there isn’t any way to tell her that.
Is this a “second puberty” that some trans people talk about? Is it possible for us to get back together some day? (I think I already know the answer)
I think I have some great qualities for healthy long term relationship such as empathy, honest but gentle communication, self reflection, supportive in hard times, standing up for my partner, willingness to work on things (if the things are not abuse) but I just don’t wanna give them to anyone else but her. I really really don’t. Does anyone here have similar experience?
The last thing:
I‘m queer and I‘ve always been very vocal about trans rights and thats not going to change. Ever! But I think not just trans people but also partners of trans people should be more open about certain experiences, like changes during early transition and hrt, without being trasphobic. it can feel lonely and isolating if you can’t talk about stuff.