When all is said ... a phenomenological enquiry into post-termination experience

The empirical phenomenological research method (Giorgi, 1985) is used to make a preliminary enquiry into the post-termination experience for a small number of subjects who have completed a psychoanalysis or psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The results are presented and discussed in the context of the existing post-termination literature. While the findings support some current post-termination expectations, such as the capacity for self-analysis and a process of mourning, they potentially refute the idea that these unfold chronologically, with one post-termination stage being contingent upon another. The pre-termination phase emerged as important for these subjects, especially in relation to the termination and post-termination boundaries, which were recalled as being determined largely by the analyst. The findings indicate that the experience of the pre-termination process may have a particular impact on how the analyst is held in mind after the analysis has been terminated.