Monological vs. dialogical reading: reading processes as a space for therapists’ development

ABSTRACT

In this article we shall characterize two types of literary readings, the monological and the dialogical, based on the reading responses of female clinical therapists who were asked to relate to the plot of David Grossman’s novella, Her Body Knows, with its plot and the interpersonal relationships shared by its literary figures. Reading the novella, which features at its core the rescue fantasy and repair in interpersonal relations, allows us to address personal and professional issues, while evoking therapeutic insights concerning psychotherapy and the perception of the therapist’s role. The insights broached by our paper can be applied to the importance of therapists’ encounters with literature in encouraging therapists' dialogue to develop tolerance to human states, as a fertile, nourishing space for professional training and development processes.

KEYWORDS:

• Reading responses
• readings types
• psychotherapist development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.