Clinical Thanatology and Psychotherapy: Some Reflections on Caring for the Dying Person

Abstract

The relationships between “ordinary psychotherapy” and clinical thanatology – the latter relating to working with dying patients and their survivors – are explored. The two authors had, in print in the last year, quite independently asked the question: “Is it (clinical thanatology) psychotherapy?” As background, this paper delineates four kinds of verbal interaction: Conversation or ordinary talk; hierarchical exchanges; psychotherapy; and thanatological exchanges. The main part of the paper is an explication of eight special characteristics of thanatological exchanges. They include comments on time, transference, aspirations and empathy, among others. It is felt that clinical thanatology deserves a special emphasis and a separate designation.