I don't know why you didn't think that was articulate, Anti.

Maybe my therapist goes about it the wrong way? 'Cuz she totally goes heavy on the "blame game" stuff when we talk about the past. While it is true she is working only on the material I've given her, she talks about my father in ways that make me feel defensive on his behalf. The same with my twin sister.

Actually, when she talks about how "mean" people have been to me, it triggers my tendency to see both sides of the story--which then neutralizes my negative reactions to the "villains" and makes me downplay the inherent "goodness" of the protoganist--me. For instance, she often plays up the importance of having been bullied. The more she does this, the more I see things from the point-of-view of the bullies and the more understandable/defensible their behavior becomes to me. Which totally negates the purpose of the exercise--which is to let me see myself as a victim of circumstance.

Apteryx, I agree with you about different strokes for different folks. Obviously the past and delving into the "why" are not my strokes. I was just curious if I'm the only one who feels like this.