Page 9 - Storytelling - Storylistening

IV. Listening: The Silent Half of Reminiscing and Storytelling “Listening is the first step in making people feel valued.”
– Kay Lindahl, Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening
Kay Lindahl recalls her former career as a nurse in a nursing home during the 1960s; the busy schedules and
bustling about that muffled staff’s ability to fully listen to residents.
“Multitasking just doesn’t work (when listening). You can hear the words someone is saying and you can even respond, but you are not really listening,” says Lindahl, founder of the Listening Center (www.sacredlistening. com) in Laguna Niguel, CA. She also is author of The Sacred Art of Listening and Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening.
If residents are to be encouraged to reminisce and tell their stories, listening to them must be valued by the organization as a legitimate part of the long term caregiver’s job, she says. Otherwise, staff feels guilty about stopping what they are doing to give full attention when residents are talking.
“Think about a time when someone was truly listening to you – not figuring out what to say next, wishing you would hurry up so she or he could speak, or mentally reviewing a to-do list. The person was simply there, listening to you. You felt understood, refreshed, whole, connected, healed. It’s what we are looking for when we express our desire to be listened to.” – Kay Lindahl, Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening.
“It looks like you’re not doing anything, but you are – you’re ministering to and serving that person by listening,” she says.
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