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Personally moving and deeply affecting, this panel was not typical psychoanalytic fare. Its topic—working with patients who are severely ill and confronting death—is infrequently discussed in the literature. Intimate accounts by analysts concerning the feelings and memories evoked in them when working with dying patients are rarely presented in public forums. As Theodore Jacobs stated in his discussion, “We are accustomed to working with patients struggling with problems of living, not dying.” We tend to shy away from the subject of death and thoughts of our own mortality. Yet, death is inevitable and we need to begin thinking and talking more about it. This panel stands as a sensitive, illuminating, and thought-provoking introduction to an important topic that has been given insufficient attention.
The panel, introduced by moderator Caryle Perlman, explored the ways in which patients’ illnesses affect the analyst and the analytic work. Each panelist, in his or her unique manner, revealed an ongoing inner turmoil while working for months or years with a severely ill and possibly dying patient. In their presentations, the panelists moved back and forth between past and present, personal and professional, philosophical and clinical. Their recollections included tributes to revered authors and memories of emotionally laden life events. Questions concerning analytic technique and doubts about professional competence were infused with sadness concerning past losses and fears of eventual death. Self-examination, at times quite painful, was ongoing for all the panelists.