The whole experience of analysis seems to be marked by repetition and surprise, just as life itself and the march of culture seem to be governed by the dual principle of permanence and change. In this article we intend to examine how such oscillations in the relational and creative processes can be put to practical clinical use.

One day a female patient who was always very punctual turned up to find that the person who usually has analysis before her had not come for his session. The analyst spent this spare hour listening to music and waited a little to hear the end of the piece. As a result, when the patient arrived, she could hear the final notes emanating from another room. The session began as usual, but the patient was at first angry and then stricken with anxiety: she developed fantasies of abandonment, impotence and separation. The analyst could indulge in his pleasures, while she was forced to struggle along