PurpleBlur, I beg to disagree. There can be many different origins of transference and it can also be that it is not so much transference but a perfectly normal reaction to loss/grief. Telling someone in such a plain and sure way that it is from the mother is not only a potentially superficial/biased look at it, but maybe also misguiding the OP. Sarah's experience might not be about therapist(s) per se, but the T certainly played a role in it. And, in any case, how can you know what it truly means to her?