Workshops & Retreats
— Open to the public —
Relationships are key to our well-being. But relationships are not stagnant— they live and breathe and sometimes they don’t go well. The strength of our relationships rests on our ability to connect with others, and most important, to repair connection when we struggle. Sadly, many of us grew up in homes where the adults did not have strong skills for coping with difference or discord. Similarly, so much of what we see in the culture around us — whether it’s on social media, television shows, or in the political realm — could serve as “how to” manuals in creating mistrust and distance.
Nonviolent Communication and the skills that I teach are deeply counter-cultural, in the sense that they are premised on the idea that it is possible to be compassionate and authentic, to look out for one’s own needs at the same time as we work for the well-being of those around us. Do you hesitate to speak up about things that matter to you? Do you wish to speak up with more gentleness? Would you like to know how to respond with strength, clarity, and compassion when people speak to you harshly?
For most of us, the ability to combine strength and compassion in language is not our mother-tongue. It comes easier to avoid, disparage, speak with sarcasm, or raise our voices. But the language of strength and compassion is learnable. With it, our relationships go better -- and we are more resourced, stronger, and happier. These skills can then also be brought into our work in the world and with the younger generation, so that we can create systems that will better serve us all.
