Wicklow psychotherapist pens novel that highlights impact of mental health on men

Irish Independent

24-05-2025

Luke Devlin from Blessington currently works as a senior psychotherapist with One in Four Ireland, which supports adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
His novel, The Anatomy of a Silent Scream, is written as an exploration of how mental health and trauma affects men and is told through the eyes and experiences of the chief protagonist 'Paddy Flint' as he works with some male clients, whilst trying to navigate the collapse of his own internal world.
Speaking abut the novel, Luke said: 'I'm not Paddy, but I've definitely walked near some of the terrain he covers—wrestling with identity, with silence, with the weight of emotional inheritance. Growing up in Dublin, you become attuned to what's left unsaid, and I think that shaped the emotional architecture of the story.
'The most challenging aspect to writing the novel was letting Paddy get close to the truth without rushing him there. As a writer, you're tempted to resolve things quickly—but trauma isn't linear. I had to sit with discomfort, ambiguity, and delay. That was hard. But emotionally honest fiction can't be neat.'
Explaining where the inspiration for the book came from, Luke shared his own experiences.
'My professional life has been dedicated to understanding and supporting men—particularly those navigating the often-unspoken terrains of trauma, addiction, suicide, and abuse, he said.
'My work spans various frontline settings, including addiction recovery, crisis intervention, and community outreach, always with the goal of meeting men where they are, not where society expects them to be.
'Through my ongoing work with One in Four Ireland, an organisation that supports adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, I've had the profound responsibility and privilege of sitting with men who have carried their stories in silence for decades. Many have spent much of their lives trying to manage the unmanageable alone, often without language for what they've endured. Many other men have not made it to tell their stories.'
He added: 'This novel is born out of that lived proximity to pain—and to resilience/ It is a fictional narrative that is deeply rooted in the truths I have witnessed time and again: that behaviour often tells the story words cannot; that vulnerability in men is too often misread or ignored; and that healing begins not with answers, but with being seen.
'This book does not aim to explain trauma away, but rather to hold space for it. To honour the men who have trusted me with their stories—and to invite readers to look closer, listen deeper, and understand what lies beneath the silence.'