When you listen to abused spouses or cult members, they often confuse what clearly is abject abuse with safety, bonding and love. Unfortunately this happens in therapy too. "For your own good." Toxic interactions are diametrically mislabeled and it's highly disorientating. It's also difficult to jettison lifelong conditioning to comply with an authority figure.

I've met several people in person and over the internet who got caught in harmful therapeutic relationships and had to go through a difficult sorting out and unraveling to separate from it. I think all of them intelligent to brilliant.

I congratulate anyone astute enough to avoid all deceitful relationships. Their lives clearly are far smoother than mine.