language and suffering

The connection between language and suffering has intrigued me ever since I went to a Holocaust symposium held at my old college several years ago.  At that symposium, a visiting professor shared a paper on torture and how it affects the body.  What I remember most was the idea that torture robs a person of words, forcing them back to the pre-verbal stage where they can do nothing more but scream.  She also quoted someone as saying that with other emotions, there is an outward focus.  You are angry with someone.  But that is not the case with physical torture--physical torture gets trapped inside.

At the time, I filed the thought away, asking myself what role language played in helping someone heal from traumatic events.  Does that mean healing resides in regaining the ability to put words to the experience? 

Then, about a year ago, I came across a book at the library called The Silent Child: Exploring the World of Children Who Do Not Speak.  This was written by a French psychologist who worked with children who, for one reason or another, would not or could not speak.  He always began his session by first observing their play and then inserting himself into that play to communicate with them on their own terms.  He mentioned one magical moment where he worked with a child who loved to swing doors--after not making any progress for several sessions, the man happened to swing his body along with the door.  At that point, the boy looked at him and connection happened. 

Now, today, as I was sitting in my usual place in the library, my eyes fell on a title I had noticed several times before, but this time I decided to pick it up and see what it was about.  It is called No Language But a Cry.  When I opened to the first page of the prologue, I saw that it is the story of a girl who was abused so badly that she did not speak for the first twelve years of her life, not until she was placed in the care of some nuns who somehow managed to draw her out.

That is as far as I have read, but I am excited to learn more about how she managed to speak again and what the nuns did to help her--one more link in understanding the connection between language and trauma.