Faux feeling Something done to me
Special
Not a feeling: a thought about what someone did.
‘I think you treat me as unlike anyone else to you.’
Why it’s not a feeling
Special, used this way, is a reading of how someone sees you: as unlike anyone else to them. ‘I think you treat me as special’ loses nothing in the swap, which marks it as a thought about their regard. The feelings that travel with it tend to be warmth, delight or being touched.
Feelings underneath
Needs
When these needs are met
Saying it as a feeling
‘I feel special.’
When you remembered the name of my childhood dog and had it engraved on a keyring for me, I felt touched and warm, because I need recognition and to matter.