Without Utterance: Tales from the Other Side of Language

After suffering a stroke and the onset of aphasia Dr. Ruth Resch engaged successfully in the difficult process of separating the 'verbal mind' from the visual mind, thereby providing a platform for arousing previously enjoyed pleasures in painting, drawing, and music. These evolved as places of rest and avenues of healing fulfillment. As a person with aphasia she found no comparable equivalent in the world of words. Her expression through art translated into a feeling of balance, an adaptation through the creation of pleasure, which she views as central to the life of recovery. Dr. Resch describes her quest for meaningfulness in all aspects of daily life and how she has learned to use the environment as a source of fulfillment and well being. Her ability to connect with the ever-changing natural environment has provided easy access to a stimulating non-verbal world. Readers at all levels, patients, students, and clinicians, will gain a deeper understanding of the inner life of someone with aphasia. We are grateful to Dr. Resch for sharing her innermost feelings in describing her long journey in the quest for a new life. Her courage, integrity, and passion for the human spirit are an inspiration to us all.