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mckell13 said:
I think the relationship between the patient and T is real and the feelings a patient has are real feelings. I think a T tries to set aside his/her personal feelings and respond in a therapeutic way regardless of what they may personally feel. So in a therapy relationship what you get back from a T is more of an objective/ helpful response. It may or may not reflect what they are truly feeling; but, luckily that response is given in an effort to help us.

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This is not my impression of therapy (at least not my own). I don't think T is setting aside his personal feelings at all. He doesn't always share them, but sometimes he does. He has feelings for me as I do for him. There are prescribed boundaries to the relationship (obviously our only relationship will be as T/patient), but that doesn't make him distant. He does give helpful responses, but helping me often includes telling me how he feels. And he's not objective -- how could he be with such a one-sided view of my life? But he tries to give me new ways of relating.

Sidony