I have just completed a 5 day Non Violent Communication retreat with one day taken out in the middle to parent. This is my fourth retreat and each time is such a radically different experience which always leaves me having my needs met. This is essentially what NVC is about for me at the moment, how can I communicate my needs and hear others needs in a way which creates peaceful negotiation and the equal valuing of needs.
So often there is a story and emotion attached to a request from my partner which does not allow me to see her need as a need that she has that I am not responsible for. I can however on request offer support to meet her need as long as it is not in immediate conflict with a need of my own. If it is I may need to check out what the conflict is and whether this resolvable. Often this sense of thought and consciousness is impossible to reach as I do not commit time and breath to it. I do however always have this choice and the NVC course reminds me of this.
My experience of this course was that I can choose to create reminders all over my house and develop a constant awareness of choosing how I feel and how this relates to my relationships and my productivity as a human being on a mission.
For more information on NVC please check out Marshall Rosenberg at
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