ABSTRACT
The easy, literal answer to the question, is there life after termination? does not fully capture the experience of a patient who has just left the final session of his analysis any more than it would honor the experience of a grieving spouse at the funeral of his beloved. It is also literally true, if hardly more comforting, to say that one will view life differently after analysis as one may do after coming to terms with a profound loss. Although we draw on all our resources of tact and sensitivity to reassure the survivor, our well-intentioned efforts neither bring comfort nor facilitate an examination of the complexity of the experience.
