Listen with the Heart Relationships and Hearing Loss
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009Listen with the Heart Relationships and Hearing Loss
While distressing for an individual, hearing loss also takes a heavy toll on family and friends. These stories chronicle the unique challenges of hearing loss in interpersonal relationships, including communication, self-identity, and how to continue sharing and growing in these relationships. Many shared activities, such as enjoying music, whispering sweet nothings to a lover, and hearing children’s voices are deeply missed by both the hearing and hearing-impaired relationship partners. This book illustrates the power of relationships to transform people and how each party has unparalleled opportunities to grow in profound and unpredictable ways.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Insights into Counseling with Hard of Hearing & Deaf
This is layperson version of Harvey’s book: Pschotherapy with Deaf and H-O-H People. The title must be special to those with hearing loss, since I heard a blind golfer (Kevin Hall) speak that he too listens with the heart.
He is a fascinating human who brings his enthusiasm for life and better relationships to his counseling with those with hearing difficulties. He does this in relating ten counseling cases concerning such as: student-pupil-parent-school faculty tensions; old age and hearing; the isolation and despair of hearing loss; hearing + deaf marriage; parents and birth of deaf child; siblings dealing with deaf sister;
There is much to be gleaned from this read, all written with great sensitivity and joy and humorous style. Harvey demonstrates with his own practice experience how hearing loss affects not just the individual, but those around as well. One will certainly garner a heightened awareness and sensitivity to these individuals, who normally feel low esteem, isolation and depression due to not catching all the hearing world has to offer.
Remarkably, this outstanding counselor has helped many with his kind, but to the point approach.
Hoping to receive some spiritual tidbits, there were really not much of these. Some from Dali Lama, etc. but not much for the Christian. The last case with the older lady who was in close contact with God was exhibited as experiential.
That said, this is valuable resource for those in counseling, or around deaf and hard-of-hearing to raise our sensitivity bars to new levels that we might be more kind resource for these individuals.
4 Stars Insights
I bought and read this book because of a recommendation given to my husband by his communications course instructor. First of all, just having it with me was a communication helper. People would ask about the title and I would explain what it was about and why I was reading it. Secondly, I liked the book because it detailed numerous real life examples of relationships of those who are hearing impaired and includes the writer’s/ psychologist’s interactions, observations and recommendations for those individuals. But it was also very emotional reading and it taught me some things about myself and my communication issues. My only negative comment: I would have liked to see a few less examples and some sort of summation — “a putting together of it all” at the end, but the author didn’t do so. But I liked the book and think it will prove even more helpful as I read through certain portions again with a view to applying what I learn.
4 Stars Interesting book
I have several friends who have lost their hearing or only have partial hearing. This book is written from a laypersons point of view, and is not technical at all. It gives true accounts of families in therapy situations with hearing loss either as the reason for the therapy or how hearing loss has affected the family in dealing with life’s issues. Listen with the Heart uses humor and down-to-earth writing. I enjoyed reading it, giving me food for thought.
