Therapy is, at heart, the psychological and emotional manipulation of another human being for the purpose of carrying out highly speculative techniques based on highly speculative theories. And additionally for the purposes of making the therapist a living and perhaps providing them with a feeling of importance or power. It's not surprising to me at all that you'd feel upset by experiencing this. What surprises me is how insistently it is rationalized and how readily it will be thrown back in your face if you express a problem with it.

You're right, it is dishonest. Sure, the client should not expect the therapist to care as much as the client does, and yet mosts therapists give a performance that suggests real caring. It's all very ambiguous. And I think most therapists tread a fine line between this subtle manipulation, and something more like abuse or exploitation.