Dear Students:
When I was in my Feldenkrais Training one of my classmates highly recommended I read the book Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg. My friend said he learned how to easily manage his employees & create more satisfying relationships with his family & friends because of it. To this day, I am grateful he introduced me to a compassionate & conscious way of relating with another human being, at the start of my Feldenkrais practice.
The Nonviolent Communication website has a wealth of educational material on it of Marshall Rosenberg in action. I hope you visit it after watching the videos I include here. I fell in love with Marshall’s gentle demeanor and his powerful & effective process of helping people work through hostility & animosity. I encourage you to listen to him describe how he taught people to simply resolve conflicts, in the video above.
Rosenberg said, “I help people speak a language of life which is closer to the truth – just what everybody needs – and stay away from these enemy images that can easily sound like blame, criticism, attack.”
At the beginning of
sessions with couples, he translated in words, the unmet needs each person had but couldn’t say in anger. When a partner was heard for the first time by the other, a heart to heart connection was made & reconciliations became possible. Marshall stressed, “the solution will find us when the connection is there.”
In Northern Nigeria, he sat down with a Christian Chief and a Muslim Chief at opposite ends of a table, and brought a halt to a killing spree amongst their tribes. One of the Chiefs said, “if we know how to communicate in this way we won’t have to kill each other.”
During the video to the right, enjoy watching Marshall demonstrate with a puppet & giraffe ears on his head, exactly how he worked with a husband & wife in the grips of a 39 year.emotional battle. By empathically listening, he helped them hear the meaning behind their hurtful words & stories so they could begin to heal together.
Marshall successfully used the same techniques when assisting residents in Palestine & Israel & in many other war-torn areas. He took the time needed when in volatile situations to build heartfelt bridges between folks in over 60 different countries throughout his lifetime.
I believe that if everyone on the planet learned from Nonviolent Communication & the Feldenkrais Method it would create harmony from within which would spread without. May you learn how to communicate with others in loving ways so you can heal relationships one conversation at a time. Peace!
~Donna
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