For the two weeks that I saw a therapist, what was interesting was that I felt like all of my introspection was going somewhere. Like the fact that having someone to listen meant something different - it meant that my inner discoveries could be presented. Which is not to say that I don't look at my inner discoveries myself, but I don't present them to myself. Presenting is different - it allows the discoveries to interact with another party, with a possibility of continuation along to further discoveries and reflection.
It is empowering to be able to do that someone. And ideally I would be doing it on an ongoing basis. Which is why people have friends and family and others that are close - so there is always this.
I've always viewed therapy as a supplement, to be called upon in times of crisis when friends and family may have been exhausted (or would be too exhausted to handle). A mental health "urgent care" of sorts. What my therapist suggested was something ongoing, more along the lines of preventative medicine.
I don't disagree with that. For me it comes down to cost. But he kept pushing the issue. With every emotional discovery I brought up at my last session, he would say something along the lines of "well that could use more exploration". Him pushing seemed to disregard how it would make me feel, which is that I would be somehow defunct if I didn't continue exploring issues in therapy, in a regular and ongoing basis. Which is downright disempowering.
I don't know if he realizes this, but leaving someone feeling worse off is a downright therapy fail, ongoing sessions or not.