Now you have me curious!
I’ve worked with a couple of T’s with dimly lit offices... it scared me with the first one but everything about that T scared me, the others it really didn’t help or bother me. There was one T who would give me a ride home (I was her last client of the day, my house was on her way home, I didn’t have a car yet and it was a three mile walk). NEVER wanted to talk in session but being beside her in the car with little to no chance of eye contact I always wanted to open up to her then. I never did though because she was “off the clock”. In later years we discussed this and she said she wished I would have. She was trying SO hard to help me feel safe (moving her office around so the door wasn’t blocked, bringing me to dinner, offering tea.... ) she said if I had she would have suggested just going for a ride around until I got used to talking to her.
I am curious, I know new T does see clients after dark and I can’t imagine the lights in his office being very bright. I think it would bother me with new T though. He is TOTALLY my anchor during sessions, my safety. I think not being able to see him as clearly would be unsettling for me and a I would shut down. He has done some work while standing behind me but all I had to do was listen. I know at one point we were doing some work and he turned to face the board he writes on and it really, really bothered me. He was surprised when I very sheepishly asked to move my chair because I couldn’t see his face. Usually I am stone still and avoid any movement and tries to get me to move. Yeh, not sure dim lights would work.