The Journey from Abandonment to Healing, by Susan Anderson
Stage Two: Withdrawal
The withdrawal state is like being in withdrawal from an addiction. It is when you crave the other person after the initial shock of separation has worn off.
Mediated by the brain's own opioid system, what you feel is similiar to what addicts feel when they can't get a fix.
There are many aspects to withdrawal:
- Wrenching apart
- Without a background object
- Will to Run Riot
- Sexual Withdrawal
- Weight Loss
- Waiting and Watching
- Wakefulness
- Washed out and depressed
Love-withdrawal doesn't operate on a schedule; it varies from person to person, situation to situation.
Symptoms of withdrawal are intense. Many abandonment survivors are prepared to bargain, petition, beg, manipulate, do anything to get their loved one back. You'll alternate between moments when you think you might survive without your lost love and moments of total despair.
*I'm not sure where everyone stands, but thought I'd post this.