The Art of Silence: A Qualitative study from the therapist's perspective on the accommodation of silence in therapy.
"See how nature, trees, flowers, grass, grows in silence. See the stars the moon the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls" Mother Teresa
Introduction:
The main purpose of this study is to understand more in relation to the therapist's perspective on the accommodation of silence in therapy. Keeping this aim in mind, the following literature review has drawn from relevant books, journal publications from the disciplines of counselling and psychotherapy, psychiatry, and a personal discussion via email with Emmy Van Deurzen in relation to the topic. This review is divided into five sections; the
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Historical view.
The Oxford English dictionary definition for Silence is "the Complete absence of sound" (Stevenson, 2011, p1343). In popular western culture, it’s equated with being without a voice and can be associated with powerlessness. Popular sayings like "Children should be seen and not heard" can reinforce associations between silence and low-status. In other words a hierarchy of silence insidiously or subconsciously pervades in our society. Moreover, silence can often be imposed by figures in authority in order to punish. For example, even societies much used "time outs" by parents or teachers in classrooms , are presented to children in order for them " to reflect on their own behaviour"
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He also champions the belief that" Silence is a moment in language" (Sartre, 1965); this concept is a running theme amongst a matrix of thinkers. According to Boscolo (1995, p123) "one of the principle qualities of a therapist is to get a balance between silence and words". Eckhart Tolle (1999, p103) is of the view that "Silence is a potent carrier of presence" he asks us to, "be aware of the silence that lies in between and beneath words". Sabbadini (2004) holds the impression that silence can be illustrated by the following metaphor when he compares words with food, because of their oral connotations and of the enriching, nourishing function they can have and points out how silence when prolonged and repeated can then be equated to a form of symbolic anorexia, where both the client and therapist are kept emotionally starving. Jenkinson (2007) alludes to the ontological aspects of silence and views presentness in silence as that spacious womb that gives birth to being. Where it is his belief that the accommodation of the present moment as a phenomenological lens in psychotherapy gives primacy, not only to the rule of epoché, but also to the value of sitting in silence (Jenkinson, 2007). Van Deurzen (2015) concurs with this view when she states "To be silent in the right way we have to be attuned to self and other. We
The short documentary video “Prisoners of Silence” focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders with a clear emphasis on autism. It further delves into the rather controversial method of treatment for autism known as facilitated communication, which was first developed in the early 1990s. The video follows the introduction and ultimately the downfall of such a treatment as controversy quickly ensues after a series of sexual abuse cases and ample scientific evidence are produced.
...the patient’s feeling it and knowing it.” In other words, the therapist must attend to both the client’s core affective experience and what makes that experience frightening or painful. This stance is informed by the affective phenomena of empathy, affect contagion, affective attunement and resonance, and the reaching of a coordinated affective state. Ultimately, the therapist’s affective response to the client’s experience serves to amplify the client’s affective state. The therapist must come alongside the client, allowing the client to feel deeply understood and as though someone is offering to help. The client no longer feels an unwanted experience of aloneness and the anxiety that accompanies it. This stance effectively eliminates resistance on the client’s part, and the patient finds him or her self naturally wanting to share even the hidden parts of the self.
Silence — the sound of quiet, the state of mind, the lack of meaning — all these pertain to its definition. Communication is expanding, noise is increasing, music is becoming more obtainable as people search desperately for a moment of peace or a breeze of silence. As the scarcity of physical silence increases, its value as a rare commodity increases as well. The idiom “Silence is golden” may perhaps only grow closer to reality as time passes, as exemplified by the white noise machines or silent fans entering the market and fictionalized in Kevin Brockmeier’s short story, “The Year of Silence.” In light of this, Brockmeier explores the value of silence and noise in his story without putting one above the other. Through strange clues and hidden
To understand the blue wall of silence we must understand the definition. The blue wall of silence is defined as: An unwritten code among police officers not to report on another officer’s errors, misconducts, and or crimes when questioned about an incident of misconduct involving another colleague, during a course of an inquiry. Even though the blue wall of silence originated from the understandable need for law enforcement to be able to trust and rely on each other, it is neither morally justifiable nor is it a legal act. The wall of silence hinders the relationship with the community by degrading the trust and compromising the integrity. It is generally understood that the code of silence breeds, supports and nourishes other forms of unethical
Stickley, T. & Freshwater, D. (2006). “The Art of Listening to the Therapeutic Relationship” Journal of Mental health Practice. 9 (5) pp12 - 18.
They argue that therapists should consider their own motivation to self-disclose and set boundaries. The therapists should never put their own needs above the client. They make sure to point out that self discourse alone cannot affect the outcome of treatment. Self-disclosure is effective only if it is used appropriately and only if it is used when it is necessary. The amount of information disclosed and when it is disclosed is also important. Therapists should draw a clear line with the amount of intimacy to include in their therapeutic disclosure to ensure that no inappropriate boundaries are crossed. The authors suggest two rules of thumb to follow when disclosing information which include: (a) “Why do I want to say what I am about to say” and (b) “What will be the likely impact of the client” (p. 567).
The psychotherapies that I most support are a hybrid of two therapies, Carl Rogers’ nondirective Person/Client-Centered Approach and Aaron Beck’s Cognitive Approach. To put it simply, I call it the Person-Centered Cognitive Approach to psychotherapy. A collaboration of these two approaches is what I feel to be the most effective way to help clients achieve homeostasis and growth. I believe the client/therapist relationship is important, and this is why I support the Roger’s Person-Centered therapy and feel it is effective. If the client/therapist relationship is agreeable the atmosphere of the therapeutic relationship will allow for the client to open up, trust the therapist, and allow them to aid the client to move in a constructive direction (Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy). Beck’s Cognitive Therapy also puts great emphasis on a collaborative therapeutic relation, but the reason I support this approach opposed to behavioral approaches is because it says we are what we think (Corsini & Wedding, 2008), and in order for us to be able to change we have to become aware and evaluate our thoughts (Rosner, 2012).
To explain, the client should not be inferior to the counselor; the environment should be two people discussing an issue and ways to make a difference. A therapist should occasionally share similar experiences; therefore, sessions should make clients feel comfortable. To add, the client should feel safe due to the positive atmosphere the therapist brings to the session. The goal is to finally give the client a chance to be heard, regularly people are muted and feel like they are insignificant to society. Similarly, to Person-centered therapy where communication with the client is unconditionally positive. The therapist needs to genuinely care about the client needs for them to fully express themselves successfully. Furthermore, clients should be encouraging to make their own choices which model how to identify and use power responsibly. Hence, this will help the client feel more confident in everyday life when making a meaningful
...distractions. Taking time to observe and analyze the silence can bring something to the surface that could never be confronted in any other way. We need to embrace silence presented throughout life, for we will come out with more definitive, powerful voices.
Stickley, T., & Freshwater, D. (2006). The art of listening in the therapeutic relationship. Mental Health Practice, 9 (5), 12-18.
Although, this session ended with amazing results, I feel as though I need more practice with this type of therapy. I have to continue to practice on allowing the patient to come up with their own solutions. I found it hard not giving advice to my client, because I already knew the situation. However, in the end I found myself very proud, because even though this was not a real therapy session, but the client was able to find a real solution to her problem. This experience is one that teaches the therapist restraint, it allows one to step back and listen. It also gives the client the opportunity to reach a solution themselves without someone giving them the answer to their
I decided early on that I would allow myself to experience these feelings fully, because in order to be a good therapist, I need to be able to understand how the client might be feeling. I am still just beginning this journey, but I have every intention of becoming more open to embracing the new awareness that I have found in this class. This paper describing my philosophy will incorporate all three of these systems of psychotherapy in what I believe to be a clear and cohesive manner.
Within Gestalt therapy, “the initial goal is for clients to expand their awareness of what they are experiencing in the present moment. Through this awareness, change automatically occurs” (Corey, 2013). This philosophical foundation aligns with my beliefs that people possess the ability to make their own changes when they are fully aware of their circumstances. Additionally, my concept that people, who accept outside sources without sifting through beliefs and standards that may be applicable in their lives parallels with Gestalt’s contact of introjection. People within this stage, willingly assimilate what the environment is feeding them, without dissecting what they need or want (Corey, 2013). Nonetheless, Gestalt’s unfinished business correlates with my opinion that unresolved issues can linger and clutter the present moment, resulting in maladaptive behavior and thinking. When emotions are not fully experienced, “they linger in the background and are carried into present life in ways that interfere with effective contact with oneself and others” (Corey, 2013). Within a counseling context, my beliefs that there should be a partnership between the client and therapist is one of the main goals in Gestalt’s therapeutic process (Corey, 2013). Similar to my idea that the counselor is more of a facilitator to help clients
As noted in the text Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (Corey, 2017), the therapeutic goal of psychoanalytic therapy is to understand unconscious motives. During treatment an individual will explore repressed experiences in childhood that may cause restrictions in their current life. In treatment the therapist or ‘analyst’ works with the client in a ‘blank-screen’ approach. This approach presents the analyst with neutrality as they do not participate in self-disclosure. Having a ‘blank-screen’ experience allows the client to explore their unconscious without hesitation or restriction.
“Words can poison, words can heal. Words start and fight wars, but words make peace. Words lead [people] to the pinnacles of good and words can plunge [people] to the depth of evil.” - Marguerite Schumann