Yeah, I love the car analogy, too!

You know, after reading all of these thoughts, which is really great, I keep coming back to the thought of the shared humanity of us all. I think the best therapists ARE the ones who don't mind sharing their humanity with us. As some of you have suggested, we do just have "labels." All humans have suffered pain of some type, having had some down times in their lives, etc. Like, me, as a bipolar--I have highs and lows--they're just higher and lower than the average person. I know I've had therapists who have suffered loss, serious illness, dysfunctional family problems and so on. My current T and I are at about the same age and stage in life, with both of us having elderly mothers, teenaged children, etc., so I think that happens to be good for me right now. The best therapists can "feel our pain," because they are in touch with their own humanity. Am I sort of summarizing it okay?