Like love, time is difficult to describe. We all use it, navigate through it, and manage it, but pinning it down is something that philosophers and physicists have wrestled with for centuries without coming to consensus. Like money, time is intricately inextricable from socio-cultural values, which means that norms around it change, and are different in different communities. Like death, time is ultimately unavoidable.

Most contemporary psychotherapy sessions are about 50-minutes long. The reasons for this have been thoroughly covered in plenty of therapy-related blog posts and articles: insurance repayments, scheduling convenience, the need to write clinical notes for each session, the needs of the therapist to use the bathroom and refill their coffee cup. Outside of these logistical considerations, I’m particularly interested in how having a time limit influences the therapeutic experience.

In theory, knowing that the time of a session has a specific limit may create positive pressure on both client and therapist to move towards whatever material may be most important. There is probably some truth to this, though it’s not easy to point to how exactly this happens. On the other hand, the amount of time a client spends over the course of therapy can be quite long-term, and is highly variable, which might allow both client and therapist to feel that there is plenty of time to get to everything that needs to be addressed.

The most painful healing experiences can feel excruciatingly slow, as if time has stopped; the speed of spontaneous insights can make a session feel like only a few minutes. Part of my work as a therapist is to skillfully handle therapy-time. To invite clients into open-ended exploration, and to know when to help gently close the emotional aperture to prepare for a return to life outside the protections of the therapeutic environment.

Time in therapy is mysterious and strange, practical and varied, fast and slow. It is usually about 50-minutes in length. Its depth is beyond my ability to measure.

Marcus Berley is a Self Space Seattle therapist who works with high-achieving people who want to access the deeper areas of their lived experience, including individuals who struggle to fully enjoy their success and couples who struggle to address conflict and cultivate a more intimate connection.