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In this article I have attempted to show that it is possible draw lessons from Lacan’s commentary on Pearl King’s case, even for someone who is somewhat on the outside. One of the elements that allows for this is the possibility to test, indeed to question one’s own understanding. In this way I endeavour to show that this eventual knowledge (connaissance) does not just involve the concepts. I bring to light the crisis Pearl King went through when she realised that her understanding was creating barriers, and I wonder if, from her example, a “moulting season” might not be necessary during the career of a psychoanalyst. Another question I examine is the extent to which the individual is responsible for the concepts he/she chooses to use.