Some implications for psychoanalytic technique drawn from analysis of a dying patient

The analysis of a dying patient is presented. The suggestion is made that analytic work with people who are dying is both possible and productive. The unusual elements that are introduced by such cases are examined in terms of how they highlight problems in our theory of technique. Particularly, the analyst's empathy and compassion are emphasized as crucial: not because of how they affect the patient but because of how they affect the analyst and the analyst's ability to analyze.