I don't see any relationship between doing therapy rightly or wrongly and how one feels after the session. I do think endings are significant. It may seem like just one appointment to be followed by others; yet even such a temporary ending can be experienced deeply as a loss. Loss of what? A connection, caring, safety, hope, self, belonging, trust, a personal presence, sanity--the list could be infinite.

I think the emotions unleashed during a session understandably can't always be resolved or contained afterwards. At the same time, sometimes those emotions express themselves in an opposite way: happiness can trigger sadness, and sadness can produce relief.

I suspect that those who can regularly put on an appearance of composure like a jacket, are tapping into a protective minimizing of the experience. We all do this to some extent-- we learn to do it growing up, or we are forced by circumstances to do it. But it is a social construct, and one thing I think about is how at odds it may be with the authenticity of the emotional work within the therapy hour.