Parole che curano. Dalla magia alla talking cure (passando per la retorica)

Abstract

The article proposes a reflection on the ability of words to soothe pain and, more generally, the ability of language to have (positive or negative) effects on our lives. This ambivalent power represents an interesting phenomenon to better understand the role that language plays in the construction (and/or dissolution) of our social bonds. The reflection is guided by some intuitions of psychoanalysis which have their roots in ancient Greek culture and especially in classical rhetoric.