WHEN LESS IS MORE

(Published in the East Bay Psychiatric Association Newsletter, January 2000)

We psychiatrists like to use words. We believe that by using language we can explain, clarify, and help resolve emotional problems. Without the use of language, we are helpless. Would you consider me crazy if I told you that absolute silence can also be highly therapeutic?

I saw a documentary movie recently about the use of the Buddhist meditation technique "vipassana." Inmates in prisons in India can elect to participate in a 10 day meditation treatment program which requires absolute silence. After these 10 days, we were shown prisoners who had been transformed from violent, aggressive inmates, to calm, controlled individuals; their behavior and motivation had altered drastically.

The dynamics of what happened to these inmates is complex, as in India one may have to wait for years in prison just to get a trial. Thus, there is a lot of motivation to look inward and use this open-ended amount of time to gain control over one’s frustration and rage. Regardless, what was once a hell-hole of a prison filled with violence and chaos, has been turned into one of relative calm and serenity.

I have two acquaintances who periodically go to “silent retreats.” They spend a number of days in complete silence, and leave the retreat feeling emotionally cleansed and renewed. And it is well known that monks throughout the ages have taken vows of silence to enhance their own state of piety.

There are many studies that show that people do better health-wise when they have outlets to verbally express their feelings to others. Paradoxically, the opposite may also be true--that periods of absolute silence may also be emotionally beneficial. It is thought provoking to realize that saying nothing has more therapeutic impact on some individuals than vast amounts of verbal expression has on others.