hrm. they used to give people sodium amytal (yup, truth serum) to help them open up in therapy. i've heard that ecstasy has also been used to similar effect...

the shot of alchohol could be a good idea. i don't know how your t would feel about it. but it could well loosen you up a little and give you some of the courage to get some of it out.

sometimes it can feel (to both client and therapist) that things have reached this impasse... i understand how you would just as happily sit there in silence as say anything. i have that same thing. but after sessions and before sessions i'm just bursting with all this stuff i want to share and talk about. but once i'm actually there in therapy my courage just melts away...

sometimes t doesn't know what to do...

could you write something out and give it to him? your post even.

because there are things that both of you can do to help you come out of your shell a little more and it sounds like... working on that could be really very useful.

(are there situations outside therapy where a similar thing happens?)