ABSTRACT
Another development was his request to have the opportunity of listening back to his music directly after the session. I would leave him alone with the taperecorder while I had lunch. Until this time he had eaten in the restaurant directly after our session, but as he became physically weaker so eating became more difficult. He was often distressed that most of the food available was unpalatable for him: even small amounts of spice would give him diarrhoea. It was his choice therefore to forgo food in favour of listening back to the session. As I left the room he would immediately become immersed in listening. When I returned he would normally still be in the same position; head bent, eyes closed, an intense expression of concentration on his face. There was a sense of continuation, as if the session did not formally end until after this period of listening. Although I knew that it would not be clinically appropriate to be present during these obviously significant periods of private evaluation, I often felt that I would have liked to stay.
