1 month ago
34
Health|The Ghost in the Therapy Room
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/health/therapist-sick-death.html
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
The last time Jeff Axelbank spoke to his psychoanalyst, on a Thursday in June, they signed off on an ordinary note.
They had been talking about loss and death; Dr. Axelbank was preparing to deliver a eulogy, and he left the session feeling a familiar lightness and sense of relief. They would continue their discussion at their next appointment the following day.
Listen to this article with reporter commentary
On Friday morning, though, the analyst texted him to cancel. She wasn’t feeling well. Dr. Axelbank didn’t make much of it — over years of long-term psychoanalysis, each had canceled on occasion. But the following week, he still hadn’t heard from her, and a note of fear crept into his text messages.
“Can you confirm, are we going to meet tomorrow at our usual time?”
“I’m concerned that I haven’t heard from you. Maybe you missed my text last night.”
“My concern has now shifted to worry. I hope you’re OK.”
After the analyst failed to show up for three more sessions, Dr. Axelbank received a text from a colleague. “I assume you have heard,” it said, mentioning the analyst’s name. “I am sending you my deepest condolences.”
