My experience is very close to Notme's with the dissociation and the time it takes to get into stuff. 6 years to not dread sessions. 6 years to finally see some improvement. yet still i cannot address the abuse. T is asking how to make sessions more beneficial for me and i just tonight had a brainwave (3 weeks recovery from that scary session, thinking she was going to terminate me). So this thread prompted the brainwave, and my resulting email to t. thank you for that.
I still dissociate (leave the room mentally, can't remember what was said, stop talking, space out) at hard topics and t has to change the topic. it takes time. have to develop trust, create relationship, trust the relationship, re-work the meaning of this unique relationship in your mind.... it's not an easy path. for most people it takes 3-4 months just warming up to therapy. with serious issues, it takes longer. for healing something like abuse it takes 3-10 years of therapy (so says the expert i was taking class from). like i said, i'm on 6. i sure hope t is willing to stick with me for the next 4.
best luck to you - trust the process and your own sense of time moving through it - it can't be forced.