Transference
Transference is when we treat the present like the past. Transference is an automatic, unconscious process. I’m psychotherapy this happens when our bodies start to experience the therapist as not safe enough to express what you really feel or think even though they have not given any objective reasons to not trust them and after a trusting relationship has been established. This is because something has occured that your system read as similar enough to a dangerous or painful experience in the past (may even be as far back as the first two years of your life) and determined the present is not safe and should be treated like you treated the moment in the past. This self protective conviction might be unconscious and only symbolized in how you act (as opposed to being symbolized in conscious thought). Some examples of what that could look like are: you might start being pleasing, lying, coming late, going late, not knowing what to talk about, avoiding your feelings and chit chatting more, getting upset, shutting down, feeling suddenly tired, getting a headache or having stomach pains, blaming the therapist for something, etc.
These actions could symbolize something vulnerable is being felt but for any number of reasons (perhaps you’re angry at the therapist but anger is not comfortable or safe to express for you, perhaps you felt misunderstood by the therapist and hurt but expressing hurt feels too vulnerable, perhaps because the therapist is a different gender than you and you have a history with someone of that gender not being supportive, perhaps because you saw the therapist look away and they seemed disinterested for a moment, perhaps the therapist was late themselves or made some kind of scheduling error, perhaps you found out something about the therapist like that they’re religious or have a family or are different in some way than you thought, etc.) your system has automatically decided they are not safe to express what you’re feeling.
Because this is such a relationship dependent process usually one to three times a week for an extended time (6 months up to several years) is best for this process to occur.
Now I realize that this all sounds very vulnerable and perhaps you might be thinking that this is way too intense (and expensive!). But think of it this way, you have one life and these things are going to happen with people in our lives either way, why not find out if they can happen with someone trained to help us with these things so real change can occur?