brownhare, I can relate to what your therapy does for you.

When I found my last therapist that I spent the most time with I was such a mess. Up until that point the therapy I had was not helpful at all, but this therapist was very different because he specialized in working with "trauma" patients.

One thing my last therapist told me is that he could see I was working very hard at it and that it's not always like that for him as some of his patients have to be spoon fed and their progress is very slow.

As you have described, what helped me was having a place to dump. Then after a while when I went to see him one day I had realized something. I told him how much I realized how lonely I was because I did not have anyone in my life to talk to like I do with him. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not know how to actually "listen". Often what so many are good at instead is "judging and criticizing".

It is always so nice to have someone who knows how to listen and not criticize.