I just wanted to point out that this is not in fact the case for everyone. For those of us who had mothers who did not take care of themselves/us while they were pregnant (drinking, smoking, drugs, attempted termination of pregnancy, etc), being in the womb was not a safe place. The idea of the womb makes a great rhetorical device or metaphor, but it does not hold up in practice.

Turning to the issue of attraction to one's T, I think that it is sometimes the result of unmet childhood needs and sometimes it is simply a case of physical attraction or lust. Sometimes, having unmet childhood needs also turns into maternal transference rather than erotic transference.

A few years ago, I saw a T for about 4 months. I felt physically attracted to her the first time I saw her-- before she even said her name or extended her hand for a handshake. She just happened to be a gorgeous, blonde, 30-something lesbian who was "my type" in every sense of the word. Because I only saw her for a short time, I didn't get the opportunity to develop a deep connection with her, and I don't know whether I would have developed "love" for her if we had more time. While I do have unmet childhood needs, my attraction to her had nothing to do with them. My feelings for her did run particularly deep; I just thought she was hot. She was nice and helpful and I liked her as a therapist-- but she changed jobs before our T/client relationship ever really got off the ground.

Since then, I've been seeing a T who is "mom" age and not my physical type. I do not feel an erotic attraction to her, but I do love her very much in a maternal/platonic way. I definitely have unmet childhood needs, and they have manifested in a desire to receive care and nurturing from my T. However, that desire for nurturing and affection has never taken a romantic turn. I relate to her either from a child-like place, or from the place of a platonic adult. I do like hugs from her and have even felt "little kid cuddly" towards her at times, but the idea of it becoming erotic would gross me out. My feelings towards her are much stronger and much more loving than they were for the T who I felt an attraction to. I didn't love her; I just thought she was hot. And, while I love my current T, I'm not attracted to her. I think the way in which attraction, love, and/or transference develop is different for every person. Yes, there may be patterns, but patterns are not hard and fast rules.