Episode 415: Gestalt, Alexithymia, and the Language of Wholeness

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Recorded13 Nov 2025

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Today’s episode challenges conventional, deficit-focused views of alexithymia, which is often characterised as the absence of words for feelings, by reframing it as a fidelity to wholeness. The author of the source article, Jaime Hoerricks, PhD, argues that for individuals, particularly those on the autism spectrum, who engage in gestalt language processing (GLP), emotion is experienced as a continuous, indivisible chord or landscape rather than discrete, analysable notes. Dr. Hoerricks critiques the “violence of translation” imposed by clinical frameworks that demand emotional experiences be segmented and named, suggesting this process destroys the original, resonant meaning. Ultimately, she proposes that alexithymia is not a lack of feeling but an “abundance” and “refusal to fragment” the integral connection between the attuned body and the surrounding world.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-whole-before-the-word-glp-andLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

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