Therapy feeling artificial?

I think one has to really like people and what they are doing to be a T. It is an artificial environment, but you can't pay a T to like you. They do or don't and if they really disliked you they would probably refer you elsewhere.

I wonder. I think most Ts would try really hard not to dislike you. Or am I being naive?

To a point, I guess. T would probably look at counter-transference issues but really, if they hated you it wouldn't last long

I imagine t's make an effort to like their clients. If they extremely strongly dislike or hate the client, I imagine they'd suggest another therapist. In my case, I've always had a feeling t doesn't particularly like me but that he tries to like me.

My T has told me that he cares about me...and that he likes me as a person...and could see me as someone he'd want to have as a friend.....

Yet, at the moment, I am feeling that artificial feeling very, very heavily....and I believe it's due to the fact that I am struggling with the strong feelings of attachment that I absolutely despise. I feel embarrassed about all the feelings (longing for affection, shame, jealousy) that are occurring mainly because that's how the therapy relationship is set up to be. I feel manipulated.....and that it's just bull. He is being paid to use a certain strategy to help me learn to feel safe, to trust, etc. so I can overcome my issues. His real feelings, I imagine, are quite different.

BLECH.

Yeah MUE, that sounds like where I am. My t has said he cares from very early on, and off and on he says other very nice things. Other times he's very cold. I don't think he would blatantly lie, but I think the positive and negative feelings he expresses about me are very controlled/manipulated to fit the strategy he is using to try to help me. His stronger/more genuine/more immediate feelings could easily be very different from what he expresses to me. (My guess is the strongest feelings he has about me are probably boredom.)

I'm confused about the attachment thing. How attached are you supposed to let yourself get? Obviously there are some limits like calling or emailing constantly...
But what about emotional attachment, what's the point where it's not helpful?