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T said, the mishievious laughter you mention is common amongst abused children.

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I think I have a problem hearing that something I am experiencing is common, period. I think because in my mind I have long held the belief that I am somehow totally different, abnormal, a freak of nature. And these statements challenge that assumption. I think sometime my T uses these comments as a way to indicate that my perception of being a total freak is not always accurate. Unfortunately my mind often then distorts the "a lot of women feel that way," comments into meaning "hello, that is normal, you do not need to be here."

As for the use of the word abused, my T rarely uses that term with me.
I don't know if it is my response to the word abused or if my T just tends to avoid using it with every patient. My T will instead say something like, 'people who have childhoods similar to yours frequently experience that issue.' Or with your background it is not uncommon to have an increased sensitivity to..'. Or maybe she will say, 'children who experience similar challenges commonly develop similar coping responses.' I kind of like this because it keeps her statement fairly neutral, not judging the behavior or response as being good or bad. Instead just basically saying, I've seen it before, you are not alone.

The few times I can remember my T has using the word abused and more specifically sexually abused with me when I was totally avoiding or dismissing a past to present connection. I think she uses these words to trying to evoke a more pronounce response from me or to drive a point home.