This is a general call out to anyone who reads this blog who might be interested in looking further into the therapeutic and educational possibilities of silence.
I’m interested in the idea of silence as a way to stimulate thought and practice in the way that Erin Manning talks about the thousand possibilities that exist for dancers before they finally resolve into this movement or that (Manning, 2007). I’m also interested in its deliberate use as a postmodern strategy designed to leave problems unresolved as a way to keep open the possibility of thinking otherwise or a thousand alternative ‘lines of flight’ (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987). And as an educational strategy akin to Jacques Ranciere’s notion of the Ignorant Schoolmaster that’s been important in recent years in ideas like inquiry-based learning and threshold concepts (Rancière, 1991; Meyer & Land, 2006). Recently I came across it being used by two speech and language colleagues who use silence as a deliberate strategy to empower students (from primary school to university) who have been learnt to become docile in the face of authority (Zembylas, 2007).
It seems to me that physiotherapy practice and teaching is the exact opposite of silence. Our curricula are so full of content, there’s no room for ambiguity and our practice is an exercise of problem-solving and achieving closure in the most efficient way possible. Silence could then also be an interesting counter to the Enlightenment narrative of surety and control over nature, and might offer some support to practitioners who realise all-too-soon that their practice is far removed from the rational simplicity sold to them by health care textbooks, educators and practitioners.
Do any of you have any thoughts on this? Anything to help expand some of this thinking?
(And if I don’t hear back from you, do I take your silence as a good thing?)
References
Deleuze, G, and F Guattari. A Thousand Plateaus — Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Translated by B Massumi. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1987.
Manning, E. Relationscapes: Movement, Art, Philosophy. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2009.
Meyer, Jan, and Ray Land. Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge. Taylor & Francis, 2006.
Rancière, Jacques. The Ignorant Schoolmaster: Five Lessons in Intellectual Emancipation. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1991.
Zembylas, Michalinos. Five Pedagogies, a Thousand Possibilities : Struggling for Hope and Transformation in Education. Rotterdam; Taipei: Sense Publishers, 2007.
Jo Bloggs says
“Silence is the perfectest herald of joy: I were but little happy, if I could say how much. …I give away myself for you and dote upon the exchange.” ― William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing originally posted by Naomi Eisenberg on 09.09.14 @ 06:36
Jo Bloggs says
Hi Dave I like the idea of the use of silence as a therapeutic strategy. I think it has real value for physiotherapy, and could be a technique more physiotherapists might use in their clinical practice. Anyone who knows me may find this extraordinary as I can be, ahem, rather vocal. However with patients I have tried to train myself to keep quiet, to be, and in doing so to let the space of silence speak. It really works for me… er… I really should try it with my friends too. I think I came across the idea / technique reading Carl Rogers On becoming a person (2004 / 1961) [Constable; London]. There’s something about how we are taught to be problem – solvers and (in the UK national health service) perhaps how we get socialised into task-oriented practice that gets in the way of us being therapists – as psychotherapists might see themselves. So, I agree with you that too often we don’t feel confident to allow for ambiguity. I’m not sure I’d claim silence as a counter narrative to The Enlightenment. I think I’d like to argue that silence creates the space for thought, perhaps even for mindfulness, and so a means for better establishing a meaningful relationship between PT and client. But I’d need to give this some more thought, so I’ll keep quiet for now.
originally posted by Ralph Hammond on 09.09.14 @ 08:12
Jo Bloggs says
With emphasis on threshold concepts – I think the idea of liminality – a space for transition where there is uncertainty at the threshold – presents an ideal moment for silence and at least space for exploration of self. Inquiry-based learning can frame this and can work really well with appropriate feedback to make the self-exploration ‘safe’ – but you might have to be resilient to lower ‘student feedback survey’ scores!
Originally posted by Lester Jones on 09.09.14 @ 18:58
Jo Bloggs says
Yes I agree. My own rant is that physiotherapists can tend to focus on ‘doing’ rather than ‘thinking’ and this leads to a simplistic way of seeing things rather than problematising and considering things in more depth. Its understandable as they do need to make decisions, but enabling them to be more comfortable with uncertainty would I think be helpful. I’ve not thought of silence as a method to develop this before, sounds interesting. 🙂
Originally posted by Nikki Petty on 09.09.14 @ 19:47
Jo Bloggs says
Good morning, Mr. Nicholls. Good points for thought. Many in the Eastern philosophies (i.e., Buddhism) have used “silence” for thousands of years during meditations to better learn to LISTEN to their bodies and the greater world in general. You can’t hear what others are saying if you are talking at the same time. What a cool research subject if we studied the difference treating a person in a completely silent manner and used only our hands or bodies. You’d have to get the optimal subject group, but perhaps using words makes for a more confusing therapy session for some people (strokes or folks with auditory processing issues). Just a thought…
Originally posted by Mary Lou Stillwell on 09.09.14 @ 22.29
Jo Bloggs says
Hi, I have been dwelling on the phenomenon of silence in physiotherapy for a while. As silence, in the way of not with words talking in the practicing of physiotherapy is a phenomenon of special interest in my observational study of physiotherapy in primary care for patient with chronic neck problems. But, there is also another point. Today I got an invitation to participate in an art performance: Silence Meal as part of Silence project by the artist Nina Backman. I have been invited to be one guest at the the Silent meal on the 22. of nov. The aim of the artist is for the participants to explore what happens when no one talks and to explore the experience of a meal with others in silence. I think I will join this project and surly want to reflect on my experiences. May be this is a far way out of what you have in mind. If not may be I hear from you.
Originally posted by Wenche Bjorbækmo on 10.09.14 @ 07:01
Jo Bloggs says
‘There’s no room for ambiguity’ caught my eye. It reminds me of silent meditation/mindfulness which is gaining attention in the literature of late. It has been recognised as a useful tool for emotional regulation. Is it the emotional response to ambiguity and uncertainty that we want students, the practitioners of tomorrow, to be comfortable with? To enable them to embrace the ever changing complexity and uncertainty in practice.
Originally posted by Graeme Paul-Taylor on 10.09.14 @ 10:31
Jo Bloggs says
I think this is a big point. In my experience working in psychosomatic and psychiatric field, the relational aspects in therapy room is central, and silence is a “tool” with powerful effects. I would like to join the blog, looks very interesting to me.
Originally posted by Guiseppe Daverio on 11.09.14 @ 2:42