Psychotherapy: speaking to silence

The conversations that can take place in psychotherapy are unique and authorize a person to speak to areas of life that have often been held in silence. These silences have often been necessary to protect ourselves as we face the difficulties and disappointments that life too often brings. However, this protection comes at a cost to our individuality and vitality. The vitality of the self is often muted and suffocated over the course of life; it requires self-scrutiny, the interest of others, and acts of courage. “

(from Self-examination in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy by William Cornell)