Sadly not true. Nobody ever understands or gets what other people are going through. Other people in therapy don't know what it's like for us with our therapists. Our colleagues at work don't know what our situation is like at work. Other family members cannot know what we are going through with regards to family. Friends, however caring and close, can never know what we are going through in a relationship, however much we try to explain.

Sometimes other people can get a small part of it, which is what hopefully happens from time to time in therapy, because that's one thing therapists are trained to do. Sometimes we are lucky enough to experience partial understanding for a time, in a close relationship (romantic or otherwise). Sometimes someone else can put words to our own experiences in a way that is truly liberating. But expecting anybody else to really, fully understand our situation is a sure-fire recipe for heartbreak. Other people who are in therapy are going to apply their knowledge of their situation, which will prevent them from understanding your situation. Sometimes it's similar, but it is never the same, it cannot be. People who don't know anything about therapy will of course have an even more difficult time understanding - so I don't tell anybody who doesn't have to know (such as my boss, to explain my scheduling needs) that I'm in therapy. One friend who knows about it is in T, and our experiences and needs are completely and utterly different - it makes for very interesting discussions, but I don't expect him to understand what it's like for me.