In the search for meaningful and creative living, the theme of emotional integration appears important in both Winnicott and Bion, well-exemplified by their theories of transitional phenomena and the caesura, respectively. For Winnicott, the possibility for differing self-states to coexist without strain emerges in the transitional area of experiencing. Bion emphasises the encounter with a gap between changing and contradictory self-states, acknowledging the tension that oppositions cause. This approach culminates in his account of the caesura. This article elucidates the differences in their approaches, highlights the value in both and explores the possibility for their reconciliation. I approach the issue from the perspective of aesthetic experience, as one of its defining perspectives is that of tolerating oppositions. To address this, I look at an Emily Dickinson poem dealing with death, especially concentrating on the relationship between experiences of transience and continuity. I point out how the poem can contain both the Winnicottian and the Bionian perspectives on encountering differences, namely, the un-problematised, strain-free coexistence between self-states and the acknowledgement of a tension between them.