"I thought of my whole body as an ear." Deep listening inspired by Civil Rights activist Dr. Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou, c. 1974. Public domain. 

In last week’s blog, Dr. Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra wrote about the 8 Stages of Listening she will reveal in her Compose for Change: Healing Arts class, which drops in January. This week, she digs deeper into listening, inspired by Dr. Maya Angelou.

Civil Rights activist, author, and poet Dr. Maya Angelou was a deep, deep listener. She chose not to speak at all from ages 8 to 13. She “thought of her whole body as an ear.” She would “sit still and absorb all sound.” At age 83, she called that experience a blessing. 

“Once you respect one of the senses–sound, 

you begin to respect the sense of seeing, touching, and tasting. 

You begin to respect all of the senses.”

-Maya Angelou

Biblioteca Pilarín Bayés (Vic), poema de Maya Angelou, illustrated by Marta Esmarats. Photo: Enric CC BY 4.0.

Angelou delivers speech at Clinton inauguration. Credit: Clinton Library, Public domain.

Deep listening and difficult life experiences honed Dr. Angelou’s discernment about whom she can trust. Regarding unhealthy relationships, she advises: 

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

-Maya Angelou

In healthy relationships, people can agree to disagree and still treat each other with empathy and respect. As Maya Angelou said, respecting others stems from self-respect.

“I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody.

And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too.”

-Maya Angelou

Understanding listening stages enhances personal, professional, and activist work. Open-hearted listening is also foundational for trauma-sensitive interviewing techniques, which we’ll practice in Healing Bells' upcoming course, Compose for Change: Healing Arts. Through sensory and embodied listening, interviewees and co-creators discover deeper connections and clearer solutions. 

In Healing Bells’ deep listening and trauma-sensitive interviewing practices, we engage with the senses as we listen to one another’s stories. I ask interviewees, “What is your dominant sense?” When people tell their stories through their sensory memories, they dig deeper into the stories. Even if the memories are painful, sensory memories help us piece together parts of our own puzzles and open a healing pathway. 

To learn about all 8 Stages of Listening, sign up here for the 

Compose for Change: Healing Arts class!

Sign up now!

Trauma is stored in the senses, which is precisely where it can be released. Poignant memories are also stored in the senses, such as the smell of sagebrush when you visit Santa Fe or frankincense in Addis Ababa; the scent of the ocean and sound of the waves along global coastlines; the sound of cottonwood leaves whispering against one another in the wind; the crackle of a fire; the sirens and honking horns of New York City; sounds, sights, and aromas at global open air markets; the chirp of cardinals (northern American bird), who have a crystalline clear and colorful song, and who fill me with awe with their splashes of bright red amidst grey-tone winter days. 

Listening with all of our senses can awaken ideas to create works as arts activists. Here’s Maya Angelou’s encouragement:

“Find a beautiful piece of art and admire it. 

Realize that it was created by human beings, just like you….

Remember, no one can be more human than you.”

-Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou on American Women Quarters.  Photo: Craig Campbell, Emily Damstra, Public Domain.

Next week, Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra will introduce deep listening by two Indigenous women. Find out how they engage with the arts to model deep listening to Mother Earth. Our blog drops on Tuesdays!