In the beginning of therapy, when you're just setting up a relationship with T, it's very important that she get your implicit trust so you can talk with her about very private things you normally wouldn't think of discussing with another person, even your best friend. What you may be experiencing as "placating/pacifying" you may very well be part of her attempts to justify your trust in her. This is entirely normal and standard and really shouldn't make you doubt her sincerity or her willingness to work with you on your problems.

Ahhhh, the "vacation blues." When the cat's away the mice wonder about all kinds of things. This is actually a tradition that goes back to the beginning with Sigmund Freud. T's usually take the month of August off, everywhere in the world, and there's a whole, huge, bunch of really, really normal negative reactions on the part of patients left behind for the month of August. And those normal negative reactions can very well include all kinds of doubts about T's sincerity and her professional abilities or, as you say so well, whether it's all "smoke and mirrors [or] new age woo?"

Statistically, there very probably ARE real solutions to your problems. It's entirely doubtful that of all patients in the world you yourself have come up with some kind of a problem T can't help you on. I'd strongly advise to you present T, on her return, with all of the doubts and worries you describe in your post here. And I think she will very sincerely be able to lay those doubts and worries to rest, without giving you some cardboard cut-out answers she found in a book. Give her a chance.

Yes, the vacation blues do have very much to do with "abandonment," or "attachment" or "rejection" issues. Which only means you're a normal human being. Do tell them to T, in great detail! She needs to know! You need to know that she really does care how you feel and that you make progress in therapy! Give her a chance! Take care.