I know exactly what you mean by that cycle...it often ended up causing me more distress at times, I think, particularly with MC, when he wouldn't get back to me for days. T, though he charges for longer e-mails, is great about getting back to me--for a longer one I sent him a few weeks ago, after 24 hours, he wrote to apologize for not responding sooner, that he should have some time the next morning. And he did write back then (a very long, touching response). I'd much rather a T check in and say "Won't be able to get to this for a few days" than leave me hanging.

But that's an excellent question--has he said if he will respond? And what sort of response he'd send? Many T's don't want to conduct "therapy over e-mail." So he could just send something like, "Got this, let's discuss in session." I think it's a good discussion to have with T (in session), what outside contact policies are. (Also, I'd recommend finding out what T's definition of a "crisis" is and what you should do in that situation, because that can vary.)