This is a reflection on the power of endings and time boundaries, exploring the way that time can act as a catalyst in psychotherapeutic processes. The article describes the ending processes with five clients. These occurred simultaneously due to the author’s relocation. Some responses illuminate hitherto hidden and intractable internal structures, and in others the intensity of the limit acts an impetus for the client to grasp something new. Drawing on Power’s comprehensive book: Forced Endings in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis (2016), the author reflects on the power and energy springing from the setting of the time boundary and the different dynamics created in client and therapist.
There is acknowledgement of the pressure that this can create in the therapist and also there are reflections about what ultimately may be achieved.