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The author has observed 'blank silence' in patients whose symptomatology and transference are dominated by the oral stage of libidinal development. It occurs in response to particularly well-timed, concise interpretations, particularly of transference phenomena, and lasts many minutes or for the remainder of the session. During such a 'blank silence', the patient's position on the couch is often the habitual one of sleep; he is relaxed and neither moves nor tries to speak, and later reports that he had no thoughts during the period of silence.
In the author's opinion this silence is almost identical to the oral-erotic silence described by Fliess; Fliess attributes the oral-erotic silence to the intrusion into the transference situation of a primary transference where the preverbal narcissistic relation with the parent-object takes over. Like the blank dream, 'blank silence' involves perceptual rather than motor activity. It represents fusion with the object and undisturbed, blissful, narcissistic sleep. In support of his thesis, the author cites an instance in analysis where a 'blank silence' culminated in the patient's perception of the dream screen.