This is such an interesting topic. I go through periods of conflict with my T, and it is painful for me if not for him. I usually have to feel utterly cornered to engage in conflict, and I prefer to be a team player, collaborate, and get along. There are times though , he pushes us forward, and I see him as beig too relentless in some way and he sees me as being resistant in some way, and we get oppositional. This takes a big toll on our relationship inside those times, and I feel war-torn and scared. I cant specualte how he feels. I have learned though he has a peculiar, particular way of offering care- which is to always be there. When he is worried about me, he is there early preparing for our session, and he frets about the noise outside the window in case it interferes with his listening. It took me a while to feel this as deeply caring the way it would be if he texted with me etc or had milder boundaries. Lately I've been getting it. He actually hurt my feelings this week, but I recovered by today and had a good session, which is progress for me. I find the conflict very painful when it happens.