Encountering Silencing

‘Following their brilliant book From the Abyss of Loneliness: to the Bliss of Solitude, in which they teased out the silence in which loneliness tends to germinate, the writers and co-editors Buchholz and Dimitrijevic turn their magnifying glass and sound amplifiers into the eye of the storm and encounter silencing. Gathering an impressive list of contributors in their new co-edited book, Encountering Silencing, they examine meticulously the intricacies of active silencing of victims, perpetrators, and witnesses – the triad of participants in traumatic events – spreading from self-silencing to the denial and disavowal in socio-political groups and institutions of the truth about traumatic experiences. They do not shy away from facing the long tradition of silencing creative voices in the history of psychoanalysis as well. In this book, with the help of their contributors, Buchholz and Dimitrijevic recognize that silencing is a human form of communication, inspired by the malignant consequence of power. They emphasize that it is the act of silencing and not the trauma per se that leads to emotional suffering and mental pain. This book does more than paint the roadmap of the processes and mechanisms involved in silencing and its consequences so we can recognize them as clinicians. It is also an invitation for all of us to sharpen our skills and expertise and nurture the courage that is needed in the important battle against acts of silencing. At the end of this book, I was left with the sensation that there is already another book in the making by this duo, a book about power that I'm already eager to read.’

-- Ofra Bloch, psychoanalyst and filmmaker

‘There are few innovative concepts in psychoanalysis these days. The active, mostly unconscious intrapersonal or social imposition of silence, preventing giving voice to experience, charts a fresh and essential course through clinical and societal experience. As psychoanalysts we know that “words matter” but are perhaps less troubled than we should be by the causes, manifestations, mechanisms and treatment of individuals who are deprived of or deprive themselves of hearing ideas spoken. This fascinating book explores in a fascinating multifaceted way perhaps the most fundamental of psychoanalytic ideas – why is the expression of experience in words so close to the core of what is uniquely human, and what happens when forces combine to prevent full manifestation of experience. The editors brought together some of the most sophisticated writers in our discipline to re-explore core psychoanalytic ideas through this innovative lens.  The result is an outstanding highly original and immensely valuable collection of perspectives on what may be one of the most important idea in contemporary psychoanalysis. A major book that is likely to become a classic contribution.’

-- Peter Fonagy, OBE, FMedSci, FBA, PhD, Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Developmental Science, UCL; Chief Executive, Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London

'The editors and authors of this fabulous book complement the psychoanalytic focus on the intrapsychic dialectics of experiences included and excluded from consciousness with a focus on collective processes of experiences included and excluded from public discourse. They discuss both small (psychoanalytic associations) and large “groups" (subcultures, entire societies). The book is a crucial contribution to connecting psychological with cultural and social analyses. This volume will inspire all readers interested in understanding the psychology of collective emotions and memories.'

-- Tilmann Habermas, Professor of Psychoanalysis, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main, Ger