Is the Therapy Bubble Bursting?

The way the late Roman empire controlled the citizenry was through the church. They more or less forced you to do confession, basically therapy, or you couldn't take communion (excommunication). If you were excommunicated, you lost many rights, like the right to hold public office. Why does the priest have to be there if the point is for you to ask God for forgiveness? To collect blackmail material on you.

Somehow, someway, every onerous state does the same bunch of things. Scientology does auditing, late Rome had confession, the west has therapy. Do not partake.