I am in psychoanalysis. I see my T four days a week and I have done it for the last four years (with a gap of one year meanwhile). My experience is that it is intense and that it draws out very deep stuff.

How does the therapeutic relationship look like? It's hard to describe. My T is very relational - there is no such thing that I talk and then he only occasionally formulates an interpretation. No, he is very actively engaging with me the whole session.

He does maintain an analytic attitude all the time though. There's no chit chat, he does not volunteer information about his likes or dislikes, no informal discussion about politics or current events or whatever. All exchanges are within therapeutic relationship. When I ask a question then more often than not he does not answer. Sometimes, when he thinks that the situation warrants it, he does though. By reading about other's experiences I've understood that many perceive such a stance as cold and inhuman. For me it suits well because I find it honest and I would not tolerate fake warmness.

At the same time I know I can rely on him. There's nothing that could make him take a defensive position or attack me. Probably precisely because he keeps in mind all the time that all my words and actions are always partly due to transference and thus although he takes my every word seriously he doesn't take them personally. I also know that he cares about me deeply (but we have had 500+ hours together) and that he has my best interests in his heart.

It's entirely possible though that not all analysts are like this. It's possible that some are blank slate in a bad sense, being cold and non-engaging and thinking that their only job is to utter interpretations once in a while. I'm pretty sure that anyone is able to spot such an analyst based on the initial discussion.