Anxious-avoidant
I’ve been with my partner for about 2 years. We’ve had an anxious-avoidant dynamic (I lean anxious, he leans avoidant), and there’s been a lot of breakups/makeups in the past. He’s struggled with alcohol, shutting down, and sometimes turning to unhealthy coping, which has been painful for me. I’ve struggled with being clingy when I feel him pulling away. Last week we had another big fight. Our relationship was in a fragile state and we were working on reconciliation. We had a therapy session and at the session he told me how much he loved me and saw a future with me and didn’t picture his life without me and how much he missed me while we were apart, etc. however, after this fight, he cancelled our hangout and asked if I was still going to my independent therapy session and had said he would come with me, he ended up working so it didn’t pan out . I called him on lunch today and ended up finding out that he wanted to come to use the session as closure .He told me that he doesn’t see a future with me, that we’re not compatible, and that he thinks we both need different, more “supportive” partners. He said he loves me but it’s not enough, and that he feels he has to be the one to end this because otherwise it will just drag on. He’s booked a final therapy session (we’ve been in couples therapy) for “closure.” I cried and begged him not to end it, which I regret, because although there was a bit of guilt , it seemed to make him more firm. He said he’s been thinking about this, and he seemed more calm than in the past, his messages this week were also more detached, not angry. He did get mad on the phone, though once I was crying . He did say a small part of him still feels ambivalent, but overall he was clear that his decision is to end things. Once he was mad, he said we needed to hang up the phone and that he would see me in therapy next week and not to call him back. Here’s where I’m stuck: • In the past, when we’ve broken up, he’s come back after a few weeks of space. • This time feels different, because he’s framing it as final and wants a therapy session for closure. He also reached out three days after a big fight and asked if I was still going to the session which I did not yet know he was using as closure and I would’ve found out there. • I’m debating whether I should go completely silent and let time pass, to see if he reconsiders, or if I should accept this as the real ending and move on. Our therapist also had to cancel the session for next week and it’s being moved, but we don’t have a date yet. I was wondering if I pushed out the date further if that would give him time to reconsider while I went silent. Questions: 1. For people who’ve been in anxious-avoidant dynamics, does this sound like a “final” breakup, or just another cycle? 2. How do you know when it’s really done versus when someone is just overwhelmed? 3. Is it better to try to delay the therapy session and go no contact until then, or just accept his words at face value? I care deeply about him and still love him, but I also don’t want to keep myself stuck in limbo forever. I’d love outside perspective.