Comment by conductr
My first time hearing of it too, am ACE 10.
In my mid 40s and have been having an increasing desiring for no particular reason to unpack some baggage. I think I’ve done ok in life generally, much better than the course my childhood put me on, but I think I’ve suppressed a lot of stuff and ultimately is starting to wear me down. Most notably, I just feel like a fraud a lot of times. My peers talk about how they did stuff in college and before (stuff normal people got to experience I didn’t, going on family vacations and being social in college) and I end up just laughing and making some jokes and stuff but never have similar stories to share.
I’ve completely disconnected with my family as a coping mechanism for example but now that I have a young kid asking about his family on my side it’s bringing up some weird emotions I hadn’t experienced or thought I had dealt with. Idk. Maybe therapy is in my near future so I’m glad this is being openly discussed here.
Therapy is definitely the way to go here. They're professional unpackers. Plus I've never heard someone say they regretted starting therapy. I've heard a lot of people say they regretted quitting or waiting to start.