Lots of good advice here so you probably don't need much more. But I thought I'd add how I approached my issues of transference with my therapist. It may or may not work for you.
I liked to ask questions about the therapy process in general, partly because I was curious and partly because i wanted to know what was "happening to me" in therapy. So when transference / countertransference made its way into our sessions, I started asking questions about therapy and attachment. I asked how my therapist knew where the line was -- in that clients (like me) likely need some degree of attachment to even want to keep showing up to sessions, but I asked if that was detrimental. (The answer I got was no, that there needs to be some connection between the therapist and client for there to be caring and trust.) Then I asked something like, "I'm always seeing issues of transference in movies and on TV shows about therapy and psychology." (Which was true.) So mainly I got the ball rolling by talking about the concept of transference and then I was able to say, "Well I sometimes feel that way, like I'm attached to you...etc...." That opened up the door to a personal conversation.
I was told that this stuff comes up all the time in therapy and that therapists spend lots of time learning about it. Transference isn't a problem. The only time it becomes a problem is if the therapist doesn't react to / respond to it correctly. But, from what I was told, it's very common and many therapist expect issues of transference to arise from time to time.
Good luck.
Don't be nervous. (Easy to say, I know.) To be fair, I was indeed nervous to bring it up. But I will say my therapist was very happy I did. He said, "You've one of the few people who's actually been willing to talk about what so many people are dealing with."
|