Silence Lends Integrity to Speech: Transcending the Opposites of Speech and Silence in the Analytic Dialogue

Abstract

In this paper the interplay between silence and the spoken words used by analyst and patient will be explored within the context of clinical practice. Both analyst and patient, it is argued, are engaged in a personal struggle to try to discover an integrative connection between silence, often experienced as nothingness, and speech, often experienced as suffocating or mendacious.The uses of silence in aiding speech to attain integrity will be described with reference to two clinical vignettes. Selections from psychoanalytic theory and practice will be discussed, throwing some light on silence and analytic spoken dialogue, and it will be argued that a Jungian perspective contributes a further, unique, insight through the concept of transcendent function. This is a way of seeing silence and speech as opposites, out of which new levels of meaning arise as a result of union and unconscious cooperation in the relationship between them. This union is known as coniunctio.

Okul Psikolojik Danışmanlarının Danışma Sürecinde Sessizliğin Kullanımına İlişkin Görüşleri ve Deneyimleri

“…Similar views that silence is an indicator of resistance shared by person-centered and Gestalt approaches (Denham-Vaughan and Edmond, 2010;Otani, 1989). On the contrary to these views, numbers of researchers and theoreticians following neo-psycho-analytic approach (Bravesmith, 2012;Gale and Sanchez, 2005;Gans and Counselman, 1999;Levitt, 2002;Meissner, 2000;Sabbadini, 1991;Urlic, 2010) emphasized that silence is a valuable communication way which needs to be comprehend instead of an adverse circumstance that needs to be cope with.…”

“…Sessizliğin bir direnç işareti olduğu yönündeki benzer görüşler danışan merkezli yaklaşım ve gestalt yaklaşımı tarafından da paylaşılmış, sessizliği; süreci zorlaştırıcı bir faktör olarak değerlendirmişlerdir (Denham-Vaughan ve Edmond, 2010; Otani, 1989). Bu görüşlerin aksine başta neo-psikanalitik yaklaşımı takip eden birçok kuramcı ve araştırmacı (Bravesmith, 2012;Gale ve Sanchez, 2005;Gans ve Counselman, 1999;Levitt, 2002;Meissner, 2000;Sabbadini, 1991;Urlic, 2010) sessizliğin başa çıkılması gereken olumsuz bir durum olmaktan daha çok, anlaşılması gereken değerli bir iletişim biçimi olduğuna vurgu yapmışlardır. Sabbadini (1991) sessizliğin danışma sürecinde iletişimi tamamlayıcı olduğunu ve dirençten daha fazla şey ifade ettiğini; terapistleri ise sessizliği, danışanların içsel dünyalarını daha iyi incelemeye yardımcı olmak için kullanmaları gerektiğini belirmiştir.…”

The contribution of silence to spiritual care at the end of life: a phenomenological exploration from the experience of palliative care chaplains

“…Three areas of focus emerged: the relationship between silence and speech, the use of silence and the practice of silence. When understood and used skilfully, silence presents not as an absence of speech (Bravesmith 2012;Capretto 2015) but as an active presence, a 'container of words' (Sabbadini [1991(Sabbadini [ ] 2004 or the ground from which speech arises and connections are made (Denham-Vaughan and Edmond 2010). Authors also note that silences may be avoided, especially in Western culture where speech is prioritized (Harris 2004;Moriichi 2009) and that effective use of silence demands experience, training and practice (Hill, Thompson, and Ladany 2003).…”

Silence as an element of care: A meta-ethnographic review of professional caregivers’ experience in clinical and pastoral settings

“…20,29,30 Positive experiences of silence are described as comfortable, affirming and safe 6,28 but silence may also be received as awkward, 6 embarrassing, 26 frustrating or frightening. 23 Bunkers, 24 a Professor of Nursing in South Dakota, describes silence as ‘a double edged-sword’ (p. 7), a powerful force for connection or rejection; Barber, 19 reporting the experience of UK psychotherapists, finds that, either way, it can ‘touch the deepest emotion’ (p. 54). The quality of silence, sought in this review, is described in these contexts as therapeutic silence.…”

“…This is borne out in research findings; 20,21 when anxious, some therapists use more silence, some less. 21 Anxiety may lead to too many words and too little silence, 19,26 but too much silence is also been identified as a source of anxiety in both therapy 20,23 and healthcare. 6,30 Bravesmith 23 describes her aim for an ‘optimal pause’ (p. 26); King 30 suggests a well-timed silence of ideal length.…”