Writing as Witness: The Third Ear and the Stories We Carry

Much of care unfolds in ways that remain hidden – in pauses, silences, gestures and emotions that resist clinical language. Drawing on the practice of narrative medicine and psychoanalyst Theodor Reik’s concept of the “third ear”, this workshop invites participants to listen beyond words to the unseen emotional textures of human experience. Through guided creative reflection, participants will explore how writing can help us witness, hold and make sense of the stories we carry – both spoken and unspoken – within healthcare, caregiving and everyday life.