Yes my pattern is definitely related to mentorship. But in the past they tended to be intensely erotic and romantic, and I got into quite a few sexual/romantic relationships with those mentor type figures. That was actually how I found out that some of the attractions were really pure transference, meaning only desirable in my imagination. When the real thing happened, I found some of the people completely neutral, if not actually repulsive, in a sexual sense. Some were interesting and I truly felt being in love though. The best explanation I could come up with for the sexual/romantic element was a desire to merge with that person that I perceived as a more evolved form of myself. Conquering that person gave me a feeling that I am closer to that ideal self (values) and am worthy of that position. It is interesting that one of my therapists completely fit me attraction/romantic pattern, and while I did experience some ET and occasional fantasies, that wasn't the most dominant type of feeling for him. Much more it was a twinship type of thing, to have him as a brother or something like that. I think that I just exhausted the ET in my youth. Also, for me, the fact that a sexual/romantic affair is out of real perspective with a T is a turn off on its own, the feelings just don't last. Probably this also shows that it's not about longing for closeness I did not or cannot have.

Yes the Ts actual personality and behavior can definitely bring out different things. I had pretty radically different experiences with my two therapists, even the occasional sexual feelings. For example, with one I only had pure sexual fantasies once, nothing romantic, I did not imagine an actual relationship with him. With the other, it is easy and pleasant to think about pretty much anything in the sexual/romantic palette but those feelings never became very obsessive and persistent. I prefer the brother thing for him (the appeal is the real similarities and being equals) but it is fluid.

Another pattern I have observed specifically in relation to being preoccupied with thoughts and fantasies about therapists is that actually that is an avoidance strategy for me. I sometimes keep my mind full of those things and avoid dealing with my real problems and tasks. Escape into that fantasy land instead. I imagine that this is perhaps not very uncommon for people who have avoidant attachment tendencies, but not sure. It is certainly a way to avoid real intimacy and relationships. And then I tend to dump Ts after a while, then re-start, etc. Or keep them at a distance, communicate with them via email rather than going to sessions, like currently. I am actually quite surprised that they engage in that, but others also described keeping in touch with their exT via email. I find that the emails can really intensify certain kinds of transference, since there is much less reality check than in person, in sessions. I often compare my email interactions with them in my mind to an analyst's couch (not that I lie down in sessions).