Skip to main content

Conscious Communication


"If we want to be compassionate we must be conscious of the words we use. We must both speak and listen from the heart." -- Marshall B. Rosenberg

Conscious communication requires us to be truly present to what is occurring. When we are unconscious, we both speak to and react to others out of habit. And in the face of what we perceive as someone's judgment and criticism, we automatically (and unconsciously) defend, withdraw or attack.



To communicate consciously requires attention to two areas:
  •     You speak from awareness of what you are observing, feeling and needing, and
  •     Through watching and listening, you are aware of those same needs in others

I learned about conscious communication through NVC (Non Violent Communication.) It is a process of learning to communicate compassionately and authentically. NVC was created by Marhall B. Rosenberg who wrote "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life" (available through major bookstores and amazon.com.)

For those of you who are interested in this subject, there is a group in the Bay Area that runs NVC workshops. I am not affiliated with them so you will need to contact them directly for information. Check out http://www.baynvc.org and see whether this is a process that may benefit you. I have found NVC to be a profoundly liberating process personally and professionally. The process is simple and yet powerful. Check it out!

"When we focus on clarifying what is being observed, felt, and needed rather than on diagnosing and judging, we discover the depth of our own compassion." -- Marshall B. Rosenberg

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Keep Loving

"The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson   As I meditated today, I asked the Universe what will be helpful for me to focus on. A swift and powerful feeling of sweetness filled my heart. The message came clearly: "Keep Loving". In the spirit of that message and giving thanks to all that has supported our lives, I would like to give thanks to the Universe for you, for your unique presence in the world and for bringing your blessings to everything and everyone that crosses your paths. With appreciation, Christine  2020 has been a challenging year for pretty much everyone worldwide. Here are a couple simple self-healing tips to help you connect to more inner peace as you move through this period. Using  EFT , you can tap with the setup phrase of: "Even though I am having trouble accepting (whatever the situation is), I deeply and completely love and accept myself and choose to feel love and appr...

Home-Coming

(This article was first published in December 2008 Metta Center email newsletter.) In a recent personal EFT session, I connected to a deep part of me that was so anguished because she couldn't find what she has been looking for on Earth. This part connected me to a felt-sense memory of sweet and total abiding love, a place where I felt like I had melted into the gentle bosom of the Universe. It was a glorious and wonderful feeling. My conscious and adult self recognized it as Home to me, even though this was not how my childhood home felt. Somehow, I remembered that this is the blissful place I came from, and I realized that this is where I go to when I find my alignment with Source. But strangely to me, it seemed that this deep part of me wasn't aware that I had learned to find my way Home quite often. It was as if she had not been connected to me as I grew up spiritually. This part showed me that she was tired of looking. She trusted my soul, and was expecting to find H...

A Rumi Poem: A Garden Beyond Paradise

Everything you see has its roots in the unseen world. The forms may change,     yet the essence remains the same. Every wondrous sight will vanish, every sweet word will fade.     But do not be disheartened, The Source they come from is eternal— growing, branching out,     giving new life and new joy. Why do you weep?— That Source is within you, and this whole world     is springing up from it. The Source is full, its waters are ever-flowing;     Do not grieve,     drink your fill! Don't think it will ever run dry— This is the endless Ocean! From the moment you came into this world, a ladder was placed in front of you     that you might transcend it. From earth, you became plant, from plant you became animal. Afterwards you became a human being, endowed with knowledge, intellect and faith. Behold the body, born of dust—     how perfect ...