Lacan's sensitivity to discontinuity led to a radical change which he introduced into the practice of psychoanalysis. Whereas his contemporaries worked with an average 50-minute session, Lacan made the session variable.

The session is stopped on an important word or phrase, and the patient is then left to meditate on this until the next session. This technique has several advantages over the standard 50 minute session.

Lacan for beginners Darian Leader and Judy Groves The Bath Press, Avon, Great Britain 1995, P54