ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how patients contact with their analyst after termination affects their feelings, thoughts and representation of themselves, the analyst, the analytic relationship and analysis itself. Tessman was traditionally assumed that the analysand's individuation from the analyst requires definitive separation, which in turn is then expected to usher in the necessary libidinal renunciation. This assumption may underlie some of the divergence about how patients who seek out their analysts for further contact. Such patients are characterized as still having particular difficulties, such as deficiencies in the capacity for internalization, a history of severe early losses, unanalysed separation anxiety. The power of such implanted beliefs is illustrated by Hartlaub and his research group. Tessman reported on the wished for and actual effect of post-analytic contact between analysands and their former analysts. The chapter suggest that social or professional contact seemed to disrupt an idealization, opening up negative feelings that might not adequately deal with in the treatment.
