Discussion of Profound Silence by Steven L. Ablon, MD

This essay, a discussion of Dr. Steven Ablon's paper on profound silence in an analytic treatment, considers the relevance of Winnicott's thinking about the positive aspects of silence for some analytic treatments. The author discusses Winnicott's interest in the importance of non-communication in the service of forming a true, rather than false and compliant, self. Winnicott observed that adolescents, especially, require privacy in searching for an identity and for establishing a mode of communicating with others that does not lead to a violation of the personal self, including in the analytic situation. In the spirit of Winnicott, Dr. Ablon in his work with his adolescent patient grew comfortable being silently present, creating a holding environment that allowed his patient to develop largely through play rather than interpretation and insight.