The Beaver and the Bunny: Living in Hiding as a Selectively Mute Child

There is no agreement about the etiology and dynamics of selective mutism. Selective mutism likely represents multiple disorders, all of which carry the symptom of refusing to speak. The controversy over the etiology of selective mutism is paralleled by controversy over its treatment; an optimal treatment approach remains elusive. With this plethora of ideas about selective mutism, detailed case studies are invaluable. This paper presents three clinical vignettes of the treatment of children with selective mutism. These children function in a rigid, shutdown, and controlling manner. They often experience themselves through a lens that is critical of both themselves and others. Moreover, these children are frequently highly anxious. Through these vignettes, this paper will illustrate how dimensions of the child’s development in addition to speech are curtailed by the grip of this severe social anxiety disorder. I will illustrate how a psychoanalytically informed psychodynamic approach that emphasizes the role of family dynamics, and the importance of therapeutic parental involvement helped these children access a vital and more expanded sense of themselves.