The Unspoken Terror

The Unspoken Terror

This paper examines the paradoxical avoidance of mortality discussions in clinical settings, particularly with patients facing chronic disease and degenerative neurological conditions. Drawing on theological frameworks of divine presence manifesting through absence as articulated in the author's previous works, this analysis proposes that clinicians' systematic avoidance of death-related dialogue creates an "elephant in the therapeutic room" that undermines effective care.