ABSTRACT
The degree of fixation varies; in some perennial mourners it is repressed. Many perennial mourners remarry and have successful careers, but part of their energy is elsewhere. Perennial mourners keep up rituals that appear to be merely sentimental tributes to the dead, yet a closer look reveals that an anxiety-laden relationship is ongoing. The perennial mourner wants to undo the loss and be reunited with the lost other, yet he also wants to have the lost relationship be less preoccupying. Perennial mourners spend their lives having dreams of the sort that usually pass quickly in uncomplicated grief. Some perennial mourners do more than just dream of the dead; they experience the lost person as a constant inner companion. Perennial mourners are unable to separate; the psychic double becomes intrusive. When perennial mourners report iritrojects, the descriptions are somewhat less inspiring.
