It was pure theater by a master and you could see it as marvelously sincere and spontaneous or absolute hokum.
Of course it is all complete hokum in the best Hollywood sense.
I have to admit that it took me some time to cast off this initial belief in such hokum.
In early episodes, Deanna Troi's utility was mainly in studying the alien vessel in view on the main screen with a far off look and intoning "I sense a great fear... and sadness..." or similar hokum.
Hugely entertaining 50's horror hokum written by a noted science fiction author who also wrote the script for The Time Machine (1960 ).