"Only in the face of the other person's silence can a person begin to tell their story. It's called silent listening. Learning to be silent for the benefit of the other, so they can explore and develop their own discourse. Being silent sometimes means learning to listen, and that's quite rare in today's society."
"I've had many patients, especially children, who are victims of incest or sexual violence, so it's clear that there's an aspect of silence surrounding children, adolescents, and women that stems from the inability to listen to them. But she believes something is changing."
"Some silences protect victims, while others shield perpetrators. Some silences can fester and harden when they hide a shameful secret. They may be complicit, or resemble a sinister code of silence. In today's hyperconnected and noisy world, silence can even become a luxury."
Silence operates in complex ways within society and psychology. Protective silences shield victims, while complicit silences enable perpetrators. In modern hyperconnected culture, silence paradoxically becomes both a luxury commodity and a source of isolation. Clinical psychologist Laurence Joseph explores these themes in her book examining individual and collective silences. Drawing on 20+ years of therapeutic experience, mythology, literature, and philosophy, Joseph emphasizes silent listening as a clinical tool—learning to be silent so others can develop their own discourse. She addresses difficult silences surrounding trauma, particularly incest and sexual violence affecting children, adolescents, and women. Joseph observes cultural shifts toward breaking silence, evidenced by recent literary works like memoirs addressing previously hidden experiences.
#therapeutic-silence #trauma-and-disclosure #clinical-psychology #listening-practices #cultural-silence
Read at english.elpais.com
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