Navigating Night Country: Self-Disclosure, Mortality, Community

In this paper I discuss some of the ways that illness in the analyst, while profoundly disruptive, provides an opportunity to consider the impact of mortality as it plays out in clinical work and collegial relationships. Three principles essential to the treatment are highlighted: respect for defenses, mobilization of curiosity, and analytic retreat. I suggest that lessons from the analystpatient engagement could serve as a model for addressing the inevitability of death within the professional community.