There are many ways in which a psychoanalytic treatment can come to an end: the way an individual treatment ends depends on its “singularity”, which is a specific element of psychoanalysis, even though some general rules can be discerned and even laid down. I will begin by briefly reiterating certain points that I outlined previously and which I still agree with.

The theme of the end of analysis is entwined with, or at times is even confused with that of its aim. One might think one has arrived at an adequate conclusion when one has achieved the “aim” that was set at the beginning. The level reached is inevitably linked to the initial level, and at this point it becomes apparent how the criterion of analysability comes into play — a criterion which varies considerably from analyst to analyst. However, even if the initial