I too have friends with whom conversations blossom - I wonder if those specific friends have a talent and make all their conversations blossom? Or if it is together? With my ex-t I noticed that she never probed - if I brought something up she never asked questions to clarify or probe. I don't know if that is a therapy style?
I was also very struck by soccer moms comment that it is hard to keep people in therapy who had emotional neglect and have been mulling it over.