I suggested to William that he embodied a historic habit common among people who have suffered persecution and discrimination.

We are affected by the bodies of others.

And in the very act of attentive witnessing, you can be released from the grip of their automaticity.

Chief among them is finding the courage to tell and accept the truth. At that moment, your stories of blame and victimization about why you suffer fall away.

Truly listening involves relating to another person not through your internal filter but in a quiet, observant, connected way.