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Poetic closure, psychoanalytic termination, and death.

Joseph Caston¹

¹San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute, USA. joecaston@comcast.net

Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association

|April 17, 2007

Summary

Narrative endings in fiction and psychoanalysis share striking similarities. Understanding these narrative structures can help patients cope with the difficult process of ending a psychoanalytic treatment.

Area of Science:

Psychoanalysis
Literary Studies
Psychology

Background:

Narrative structures, particularly endings, resonate in both fictional works and lived experiences.
Psychoanalytic termination mirrors thematic closure found in literature, with distinct pretermination and termination phases.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the parallels between narrative closure in fiction and the process of ending psychoanalytic treatment.
To examine how patients signal and experience the end of therapy, drawing on literary and psychoanalytic concepts.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of literary narrative structures and psychoanalytic termination processes.
Case illustration detailing pretermination cues and dreams within psychoanalysis.
Exploration of concepts from literary critics (Kermode) and psychoanalysts (Coltart) on endings.

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Main Results:

Significant parallels exist between fictional thematic closure and the conscious/unconscious signals of closure in psychoanalytic termination.
Patients' emerging health can trigger termination cues, often unconsciously resisted due to the difficulty of ending.
Endings, like in fiction, can confer significance and offer consolation, though the reality of mortality and termination presents unique challenges.

Conclusions:

Narrative theory offers valuable insights into bearing the burden of endings, including psychoanalytic termination.
While narrative can provide solace, its power is limited in confronting the reality of a definitive end.
Achieved health within analysis enables coping mechanisms like hope and nostalgia to help manage the process of ending.