journal_august_2026_release_full_edition - Flipbook - Page 126
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At that stage, my wish was to separate the lives of these two women living in
different contexts. I9m not sure at all that that was the right thing to do, but my
hope at that stage was to put Sandrine back in the context of the women of her
time, not of her mother9s time. They're linked by their listening skills, certainly, but
not really by similar life experiences. Now that I think about it, I can see better why
this idea of her mother accepting what I would call 8unfair9 treatment was so
important to Sandrine. I should have asked more.
Catherine: But you're talking about & are you talking about your mother again,
Sandrine? &
Sophie9s Sandrine: Yes.
Catherine: What connection do you make between the lack of listening you
experience within your family and your mother?
Sophie9s Sandrine: Well, my mother kept quiet. She's withdrawn; that's how she
is. She's a woman and (long silence between Catherine and Sandrine)
& She chose to keep quiet, my mother did.
Catherine: I see.
I allowed the silence to give Sandrine time to reflect on her mother's deliberate,
chosen position. However, we were reaching the end of the time we had set aside
for this conversation.
Sophie9s Sandrine: It's a choice, because as I told Sophie, she always said it was
fine that way.
Catherine: It's a choice, as you say, that was made in a very specific context,
don9t you think? Which is that of your mother and her arrival in
I Could See Myself in Her … Practising Insider Witnessing in Supervision
Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, August 2026 Release, p. 111-135.
www.journalcnt.com