Helping People Communicate Compassionately!
Jeff Tretsven
Looking for an effective and refreshingly different approach to communicating? You've found it!
You can learn to communicate clearly and without moral judgments that sound critical. Compassionate Communication shows you how you can demonstrate compassion in your life. Jeff says "for me I heard in church and advice from books and teachers that we should be compassionate. We shouldn't judge others." I thought it was great advice but how do you actually act compassionate and nonjudgmental? When I discovered Compassionate Communication (also known as Nonviolent Communication, acronym - NVC) I thought, "oh, so this is how you demonstrate compassion."
"The longest journey a man must take is the eighteen inches from his head to his heart."
- Unknown
The reason many people don't know how to act compassionate is that no one has ever taught them how to demonstrate compassion. Marshall Rosenberg has developed a simple way of communicating that allows people who practice it, to take the journey from their thinking head to their loving heart. He calls it Nonviolent Communication. This method will automatically put you in a compassionate place if you follow it. I was amazed at how others responded once I operated from this perspective. Marshall developed four simple steps for the process of NVC. Just doing any one of the four can make a difficult situation much better. When you do all four the results are amazing.
I was very clearly guided to "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life". When I do meditations on my life purpose the themes of Compassionate Communication and related work such as coaching and mediation keep coming up for me.
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
--- Mahatma Gandhi .
Another area of study I enjoy is dream interpretation. I have been journaling my dreams since 1997 and have been part of dream study groups and lead a dream study group. My favorite dream book is The Mystical, Magical, Marvelous World of Dreams by Wilda B. Tanner. I have found when I combine dream study with Compassionate Communication amazing healing can occur. A woman in the group was having recurring dreams of using a bathroom in public. The common symbolism for urination and bowel movements is the release of emotions. I asked her how she dealt with emotions in her life and she said she did OK. I asked her to tell me about situations that were emotional and how she dealt with them. I could see she wasn't fully dealing with them. I used Compassionate Communication to dig deeper and show her how to express herself better. After a very intense session, which fortunately most people couldn't make it that night, she was very appreciative of the experience and her recurring bathroom dreams went away.
"Here's a rule of thumb that will help you: If you believe that something is good, and you do it, it benefits you. If you believe that something is bad, and you do it, it is a very detrimental experience.
--- Abraham
Excerpted from the workshop in Ft. Collins, CO on Sunday, June 14th, 1998 #521
Our Love,
Jerry and Esther (Hicks).
Do you know how compassionate you are to yourself? Dr. Neff has a self-compassion test you can take. One of the most valuable aspects of Compassionate Communication is learning to be compassionate toward yourself. If you don't give the gift of compassion to yourself you will have a hard time giving it to others. A big step in staying centered is being connected to what you are wanting in the moment. Connecting with what you are wanting is self-empathy.
Wishing you great success in connecting with yourself and others!
This section still under construction
Where to go from here:
A good place to start is to take a moment to meet Jeff .
Next, you may want to explore the Articles & News section for the latest additions to our website.
Check out Jeff's dream pages.
Jeff has contributed to the communication skills of people from the following areas in Colorado near Montrose: Delta, Olathe, Gunnison, Cimarron, Colona, Ridgway, Hotchkiss, Paonia, Crawford, Telluride, Norwood, Naturita, Cedaredge, Orchard City, Grand Junction, Ouray
