Do We Find Peace in the Absence of Sound?

BY: Neighbors’ Consejo|

In silence, many people find true peace, reflect, are creative and can even let off steam. Undoubtedly, this total absence of sound brings many benefits to our peace of mind. As Napoleon Hill said “wise men, when in doubt whether to speak or to keep quiet, give themselves the benefit of the doubt, and remain silent”.

According to the KJV Dictionary, [1]  silence is “to oblige to hold the peace; to restrain from noise or speaking”. Merriam-Webster [2]  define it as “forbearance from speech or noise”. For example, in some Asian Cultures, it can be a sign of respect. On the other hand, in countries like Italy and Spain, silence in a meeting would be uncomfortable and awkward [3] .

Joshua Schultz, Psy.D, wrote: “Silence occurs not only between topics, but also within them. This “intra-topic” silence is a therapeutic tool that therapist can use to help their clients go deeper into the material by allowing them to think about what to think about what to say next [4] ”.

Then, what is the importance of silence in therapy? In the Comparative Study “Therapist use of silence in therapy” made by Clara E Hill, Barbara J Thompson and Nicholas Ladany [5] :

“For the specific event, therapist used silence primarily to facilitate reflection, encourage responsibility, facilitate expression of feelings, not interrupt session flow, and convey empathy. During silence, therapist observed the client, thought about the therapy, and conveyed interest”.

According to Counselling Tutor [6] , silence occur for a number of reasons. For the counsellor it can be a deliberate use of silence to encourage the client’s self-exploration; an organizational use of silence enabling the counselor to collect her/his own thoughts; a natural ending to a phase of discussion, etc. For the client it can be a time to make connections, to wait for words or images to occur; an attempt to elicit a response from the counsellor, such as satisfying a need for approval or advice; an organizational use of silence enables the client to collect her/his own thoughts, remember events, assess values and reflect on feelings, etc.

Silence brings many benefits to our mental health. Some of them include: lower blood pressure, improve concentration and focus, calm racing thoughts, stimulate brain growth, reduce cortisol, stimulate creativity, improve insomnia, encourage mindfulness [7] , relieve stress, increase personal reflection [8] , etc.

In conclusion, how you can get more silence in your life? Make your vehicle a noise-free zone, reduce background noise, remove your earbuds, start your day before the rest of the house wakes up, start with small, incremental changes. Shhh, do not wait! Silence your world, so that your emotional wellbeing can be louder than everything else.

References

 [1]https://av1611.com/kjbp/kjv-dictionary/silence.html

 [2]https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silence

 [3]https://www.countrynavigator.com/blog/the-meaning-of-silence-in-different-cultures/

 [4]https://positivepsychology.com/silence-in-therapy/

 [5]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12652641/#:~:text=For%20the%20specific%20event%2C%20therapists,the%20therapy%2C%20and%20conveyed%20interest.

 [6]https://counsellingtutor.com/basic-counselling-skills/silence/

 [7]https://www.healthline.com/health/mind-body/physical-and-mental-health-benefits-of-silence#insomnia

 [8]https://www.seebeyond.cc/blog/2021/5/21/the-8-beautiful-benefits-of-silence

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