Squiggle, I am so happy for you. Hearing about your wonderful session made me smile!!! It's hard to talk about your relationship with your T but you did it, looking into her eyes too. Great job! I'm so glad she reassured you that she is not going to abandon you! She's an excellent T.

Empty chair work sounds a little like IFS that I do. T has me visualize a part, usually a younger part, and asks me questions about how old she is, what she feels, etc. Then she asks "does that part know you're there (meaning ME, not my T). Then, she asks how I feel about that part. The idea is to hear that young part's story and feel compassionate toward her, and accept her, no matter what she did or felt.

Your T will help you with it. I think it's worth a try!