Sequels

Abstract

The termination ideal for analytic work stands at a considerable distance from clinical reality; “complete” terminations are rare indeed. This gap is perhaps best explored by considering sequels—instances in which ex-analyst and ex-patient become nonsexual friends post treatment. The meanings and implications of these post-termination friendships—their complexities, problematic edges, serious difficulties, and the potential therapeutic benefit of this deviation from the termination ideal—are illustrated using the unfinished story of a good treatment and its yet-to-be-defined ending. Thus, the psychoanalytic model of termination is interrogated, and the complexities of treatment sequels, for both patient and analyst, are elucidated.