The fear of being left half-cured

The complaint, "You are leaving me half-cured" is often heard from borderline patients in mid-recovery. They fear they are losing more than they could possibly gain; losing both the familiar sense of self given by their illness and the therapist, who will lose interest and abandon them far short of their fantasized ideal. Although cast in terms of an uncertain future, the phenomenon is to be understood in relation to change that has already occurred and requires working-through its implications both for the patient's external adjustment and in relation to the patient's inner world.