Thank you, Juliana. Your post really helped. I will try to just be myself, as you suggested.

ECHOES, your post was reassuring. Thank you. I wanted to let you know that last night after a really, really bad scene of family dynamics gone awry, I read in the Pema Chodron book I have out from the library, The places that scare you: a guide to fearlessness in difficult times, and found it comforting. I will read more tonight. Thank you for recommending Chodron.

Thanks also, sky. Lots of wisdom here.

withit, for some reason, your post reminded me of the last time I shared with T along the same lines--about something that revealed my imperfection, that I had repeatedly been a coward and not done the right thing. He was pretty harsh with me and berated me. Not fun. I felt I deserved it, though. He said he was that way because he wanted me to realize how serious it was, and I did. Point well taken. Next session we made up, and I feel we are OK now. But that experience makes sharing along those same lines harder. I have had lots of the positive in therapy, but it is hard to face that sometimes therapy can make you feel like crap. It is hard to reveal your mistakes even to a trusted other. But I will try.