ABSTRACT
Though I entered night country, my death was kept at bay. But that is only for now. No mortal can escape the inevitable, despite any hopeless desire. That psychoanalysts only discuss their mortal vulnerability as a technical question is a fascinating reflection of our history and culture. In a world surrounded by images of death, acts of God, requiems, and eulogies over random acts of violence, we analysts are strangely fearful when it comes to discussions of our own existential vulnerability. How we deal with how long we have. There are reasons for this. If it all goes as we imagine, our patients will leave us before we die. Psychoanalysts practice an ersatz death in the ending that we call termination.
