In desperation she turned to therapy. The relief she found was tremendous. Her regressionist helped her understand why she had always been this way, that she's acting out secret abuses she had repressed. Sally learned to trust her regressionist completely, following his every directive. As the weeks turned into months, she became increasingly dependent and devoted, little by little giving all control over to him.
Dependent personalities are one of the most frequently reported disorders in counseling centers.
Their symptoms include a constant need to be taken care of, submissive and clinging behaviors, fear of separation, difficulty making everyday decisions without excessive advice, fear of disagreeing with others, lacking independent initiative, going to great lengths to get support from others, and fear of being left alone. In the context of regressionism, this personality type is quickly pulled into a destructive dependency on her therapist. They are common, time-consuming, and difficult to treat. The therapist who simply sits down and listens, hypnotizes, and encourages the narcissist, borderline, or histrionic to go with her thoughts and feelings is throwing fuel on the fire of the disorder. Diagnosis is everything.