What is Nonviolent Communication?

November 1, 2018 Denise Torres

Dear Friends!

I recently was reading an email from Puddle Dancer Press letting me know that they have put Marshall’s book, “Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life” on sale. As I scrolled through the message I found a very helpful description of this work.

If you have ever had a hard time explaining NVC to others or wanted to encourage others to check it out, you might find this description very helpful too. After being involved for as long as I have been I also found it to be profoundly accurate. …

From Spinning in Our Heads to Grounding in Our Hearts

August 1, 2018 Bryn Hazell

I was with a friend recently and he was very upset. He had been working out of town away from his partner for months, and she had not answered his phone calls/texts for a week and a half. Before this break in communication, she had been with a group of their friends, and she’d mentioned a new guy in the group.

Being alone and away from home, my friend had plenty of time to gnaw on the situation over the last week and a half. “She said she’s busy, but who is that busy?”…

The Metta Meditation

July 1, 2018 Denise Torres

Are you familiar with the Metta or Loving Kindness Meditation? The Metta is a heartfelt wish for our own well-being and the well-being of others. It is said in ever-widening circles. We start first by saying it for ourselves. This is my version:

May I be filled with kindness for my heart.
May I be well in body and mind, and safe from inner and outer danger.
May I be happy, peaceful, and free.

Practicing Acceptance by Letting Go of "Shoulds" and "Shouldn'ts"

June 1, 2018 Denise Torres

"Listen to the Mustn'ts" by Shel Silverstein

Hi from New Mexico!!

Although we flew in, Mike and I have been driving a bit. As we go from here to there I’ve been noticing how there has been a major shift in me—a shift from needing things to be just so, and a practiced willingness to see things as they are. …

Try Translating to Compassionate Communication!

May 2, 2018 Bryn Hazell

Although it certainly is helpful when the person I am communicating with has some Compassionate (Nonviolent) Communication skills, I find that I can usually connect with someone by what I call “translating” what they are saying to Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Translating means I guess their feelings and needs. If my guess isn’t accurate, the person will let me know, and then I can connect with whatever feelings and needs they are experiencing. …

Creating Your Own Season of Nonviolence

March 1, 2018 Denise Torres

I would like to share a poem with you. It’s called “Peace is This Moment Without Judgment,” by Dorothy Hunt.

Do you think peace requires an end to war?
Or tigers eating only vegetables?
Does peace require an absence from
your boss, your spouse, yourself? …

Welcome to the New Year!

January 1, 2018 Denise Torres

Welcome to the New Year! For some of us, getting to January 1st brings a sigh of relief—the holidays are over and things can get back to normal. For others, it’s the New Year itself that might feel groundless: “Where am I going? What am I doing?” Of course, there are those who embrace it all without distress. However, if you are one of those who struggles with this time of year, I’d like to share an NVC practice that I think might be helpful.