The 'creative pause' is defined as the time interval which begins when the thinker interrupts conscious preoccupation with an unsolved problem, and ends when the solution to the problem unexpectedly appears in consciousness. Excerpts from an analysis illustrate how interpretation of transference material led to the termination of a creative pause, i.e., the solution to the problem. The author speculates that there occurs a regression in the service of the ego during the creative pause. The termination of the creative pause comes about through a neutralization of instinctual energy, permitting a solution through the synthetic work of the ego.