Black milk--an essay on the nature and importance of saying

Three types of verbal communication are considered: saying, speaking and talking. While speaking covers a topic and talking fills a social void, saying is defined here as a communication to a particular person at a certain moment with a specific intended meaning or effect. Examples of saying are presented from the Bible and the author's interactions in cases of dementia and catatonia, and a poem by Celan. Examples are brought to help define the role of the psychotherapist in communicating with the depressive world view of his/her patients.