I shall treat the session that is presented here as a self-contained entity together with the introductory paragraph which I take to be a countertransference statement about it. I note initially that the therapist experiences ‘a restriction in the therapy’ despite the sessions tending to be full and interesting. The juxtaposition of this statement with one about the patient's inability to come twice weekly on the grounds of expense raises the possibility that the restriction has to do with the patient's fear of entering into a more intense relationship. This impression is further strengthened by our learning that some of the patient's difficulties with work had eased as the therapeutic couple had begun to understand how claustrophobic the patient felt there. This statement is not expanded