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• Somewhere House

Silence vs Distraction

What does silence mean to you?  For so many silence is a scary thing.  We live in a world where we receive constant distraction from every direction and immediate gratification from most of the things that we do.  Having grown up in this world, the idea of silence used to fill me with fear, because when there was no sound, the stream of inner thoughts turned into a bombardment. 

Today I have learnt that silence is a wonderful thing because when I am silent I can really listen.  I can listen to myself and discover what is going for me; what I’m thinking and feeling.  I can listen to the beautiful sounds of nature that are all around me and take pleasure from the simple things.  And importantly, I can listen to others and give them the gift of my full attention. 

Toady in group we are playing some background noise, and asking the clients to consider the power silence, and to reflect on how the background noise is affecting their concentration and ability to listen.   

Addiction is noisy in so many ways, so embracing the power of silence and understanding how too much noise impacts on relationships, is a powerful tool in recovery.