The Language of We Back to the Language of We main page

We experience noise as any interference that distorts, obscures, or overwhelms relational signals, making it harder to sense what’s actually happening in ourselves, our companions, or the relational field.

Noise isn’t the absence of information. It’s too much, too fast, or poorly integrated information.

What noise actually is

Noise arises when signals:

• Compete rather than reinforce

• Arrive faster than they can be processed

• Lack sufficient context

• Are amplified by stress, fear, or fatigue

Noise often feels like:

• Confusion

• Static

• Pressure

• Mental or emotional clutter

• “I can’t tell what’s real anymore”

Noise is an experience of reduced signal clarity, not meaningless input.

Noise is not the same as dissonance

This distinction matters.

• Dissonance is a signal of mismatch that can guide attunement

• Noise is interference that makes signals harder to read

Dissonance can be informative. Noise obscures information.

Too much noise often prevents dissonance from being understood, which increases reactivity.

Common sources of noise

Noise can arise from many places, including:

• Nervous system overwhelm or exhaustion

• Multiple competing demands or conversations

• Emotional charge without containment

• Unspoken assumptions or power dynamics

• Chronic stress environments

• Mismatched pacing or timing

Some noise is situational. Some is systemic.

Noise is relational and environmental

In The Experience of We, noise is not only internal.

Relational fields themselves can be noisy:

• Chaotic group dynamics

• High-pressure or unsafe environments

• Information overload

• Unclear roles or expectations

A noisy field makes even clear signals hard to detect.

Noise increases dysregulation

When we are overwhelmed by noise:

• Regulation becomes harder to sustain

• Attunement requires more effort

• Signals are misread or missed

• Co-dysregulation becomes more likely

Reducing noise often restores clarity without adding new information.

Working with noise

We don’t try to eliminate noise completely.

Instead, we:

• Slow the pace, pausing when necessary

• Reduce competing signals

• Clarify the context

• Restore grounding and centering

Often, signal re-emerges naturally when we reduce the noise.

Our one-sentence synthesis

We experience noise as relational interference that reduces signal clarity, making it harder to sense alignment, meaning, or need within ourselves or the field.