When I was pregnant, I phoned a hotline that was supposed to help with unwanted pregnancies. The woman on the other end was probably doing her best, but her use of that mirroring tactic was so over the top, I came very close to losing it and spewing all my emotional wreckage at her: Following every single statement I made, she would just say the exact same thing back at me. Sometimes, she was considerate enough to rephrase. There was not an original thought from her in the entire conversation. It was so infuriating. Yeah, I kinda get what you mean.

Very, very good advice. I’m so glad you brought up emotional reciprocity — always found the neutral masks so unsettling, even if I knew what they were for. Those people aren’t being real, and therapists of all people should know what not being real does to the person sitting across from you.