Ghost Clients and Unspoken Stories
There are people in your client’s story who never make it onto the record. A dead parent. An abusive coach. A child they lost touch with. A former version of themselves they’re ashamed of. These invisible figures—their absences, their echoes—shape everything. And the jury feels them, even if they’re never named.
In BTC, we call this the ghost layer of the story. It’s the part of the social atom that isn't listed on the chart but radiates power across the timeline of the case. If you ignore these ghost clients—these silent characters—you risk building a story that makes logical sense but emotional nonsense.
The Ghost Layer Is Real
In Moreno’s language, the social atom is the set of significant relationships a person carries—past and present, real or imagined. But in the courtroom, we often strip the story down to what's admissible. What’s allowed. What’s safe.
But jurors pick up on what’s missing. A client talks about their choices but never mentions anyone guiding them. They show emotion but offer no names. A silence stretches too long. Something doesn’t match.
And so the juror—like any human—fills in the blanks. Sometimes inaccurately. Sometimes dangerously.
Role Practice Illuminates the Unseen
In our BTC witness prep circles, we often use an exercise called “Invisible Atoms.” We ask:
Who is in the room when you tell this story?
Who are you protecting by staying vague?
Who are you still arguing with—inside your head?
Then we rehearse telling the story to them. Not the jury. Not the lawyer. To the ghost in the story. It changes everything.
When the emotional truth of the story is honored—not just the admissible one—clients breathe easier. They speak with less force and more depth. And jurors listen differently.
Truth Is Larger Than the Record
Your job isn’t to flood the court with everything. Your job is to find the resonant role relationships that hold meaning, and bring them to life without sacrificing clarity. BTC gives you the tools to do that—without collapsing into oversharing or vagueness.
When you know which ghosts are in the room, your presence shifts. You carry your client’s story with a steadier hand.
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