Jamie,
I never experienced two steps forward , one step back, in regards to the process itself. I do experience it relative to my relationship to the process. Too much thinking during a session, self observation, questioning, anticipating the end, and what message or words to say at the end that keeps who you are working on, from heading in a thinking direction that starts to undo what was cleared. Like wanting to say something firm and positive to seal the healing, or to keep them from looking for their blockage, to see if it is there yet or not, testing the qigong's worth...
One big thing for me, was beginning the session. I wanted to engage with the person I was helping immediately, go through my 'moves', and often didn't take the time to relax and make a deep connection to my master's energy. That can be very calming, clarifying and centering. There is no hurry, and complete trust in the process develops.
I consider the spiritual energy workings of a session the most important. Both my working with my master's energy, as well as my messages for the person I am working on. There is a nuts and bolts clearing of physical blockages that is very scientific/natural science/universal energy/straight forward, and also those deeper places, like the heart, or mind, where I want to put in understanding or blessings of a nature that help the person beyond the physical clearing I am doing. Especially if they aren't doing any work for themselves. I see my role more as a conduit to spiritual energy workings I may not see or feel in regards to trying to give that energy of understanding, or better self realizing to someone. I want them to wake up, understand, and self empower. Not, have their blockages, and me as their personal healer along with their blockages. So, I address this understanding for them both in the healing session as spiritual energy/messages/blessings, or as a teacher, around the conversations outside the session. In actual conversation, it takes time, maybe some years, to effectively realize and convey what you know to be wisdom, or the truth.
I feel it is most ideal, when someone asks for help, versus trying to prove or sell qigong in any way. Don't set yourself up for that. I would say that being extremely humble helps in many ways. It keeps you in a good relation/receptiveness to spiritual energies/blessings, as well as out of self analyzing. Humility puts you in awe, or in respect, in relation to spiritual energy, outside looking at self. You look at that energy, and you see this person to help, and you join the two together. It can be quite moving.
Unconditional love is a very high level of love. I've only experienced it once through a teacher's help , but I haven't ever been able to regenerate it on my own, to the degree I experienced 'it'. I intellectually know it from that experience.
It is above the specific karma in relationships. OFten I suggest to people to be more impartial when working on people you are close to. Unconditional love is an eternal relationship or connection we have between us, that is above the specifics or karma of particular relationships in this lifetime. There is a difference between working on your mother, or working on another human being, who also happened to come in as your mother this time around. A much higher overview of human experience. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging the special closeness one has with 'family', and with that, I think it is best to then love unconditionally. The specifics dissolve in that.

If I work on someone, I like to reflect on the session afterwards, almost like a meditation. I know I am learning from the process. During the session, I don't want to focus on myself.
Afterwards, I look at the whole of it. Sometimes I feel like I am reading the energy again, or affirmations of energy goings on continue to reveal themselves, or I receive some insight..

Every session, every circumstance is different. Stay in the moment and go with that. Don't try to control things too much relative to expectations,,, stay light on your bubbling springs! One person may have one session, and bang, a tumor drops out on the floor and everyone says, "healed!". Another person my take years to clear something. Even the person who experiences the extreme success, still is responsible for their own health going forward, and in regards to the whole of theirselves. The tumor being just one piece of something.

Healing is not a fixed state that you accomplish. It is more a garden to tend daily. As a healer, you come into your friend's garden, and take out all the weeds, thin the rows, water, and put in good energy. You look at this great putting of things in order, and show your friend what is possible. Then, give them the hoe and the watering can. The next day, there will be new fruit to pick, more weeds, and more watering to do. yikes...a gardening qigong story!! time to go
love,
gallen