One thing I would not understand without having tried therapy are the differences between old patterns and issues appearing and creating a mostly or totally irrelevant, parallel universe. It is often said that therapy will bring up latent issues and put our old emotional and behavioral patterns out there for T and client to analyze and understand. But, I think, it can just as often generate something artificial that can easily turn into a powerful distraction but has really no usefulness in the client's life as it only appears in therapy/in that particular interpersonal combo and specific to that situation. I definitely experienced that problem and it is not always easy to tell the difference initially, especially if a T keeps claiming that what shows up are the client's deeper, true problems. But it is easy to spend years, even decades, on "exploring" that parallel universe while real problems remain unresolved or even get worse. So, I think it is always a good idea to think about this critically and maybe seek consultation from peers or another professional if it is difficult to judge. I think places like this forum can be good for that and also talking with friends or others who know us well. Some T's claiming that's "acting out" is BS in my view and can become quite destructive in some cases.