Our Social Dilemma!

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Ever meet anyone who doesn't listen as well as you'd like?

Perhaps their attention wanders… or they jump straight to their own stories or opinions without acknowledging yours?

Or they get defensive, or give you advice that you never asked for? 

Or console, commiserate, interrogate, trivialise or anything else that might redirect your attention from what’s really alive in you?

 

Ever meet anyone who talks more than you enjoy?

Perhaps, saying the same thing in different (or even the same) ways?

Or, vomits their stories, complaints or pain onto you without you asking for it, agreeing to it...or even being able to defend yourself against it?!

 

I’ve met a lot of these people, and sometimes I'm one of them.  

I wonder if you are too. 

 

Any idea why we act these ways?

 

I believe that almost all of us, almost all of the time, are starved of empathy; of quality listening, care, compassion and understanding. This adds to our lack of self-connection and inner resource, thus we further lack the awareness and capacity to effectively ask others for empathy, or offer it to those in need.

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The unsatisfied hunger for those elusive needs (empathy, understanding etc) means we desperately attempt to meet them in unconscious ways: we impose our words on others, we repeat ourselves, we go on and on regardless of our captive listener's enthusiasm.

 

A vicious cycle results. But it can be broken.  

If we remember to slow down, we can interrupt our usual empathy blocking habits, and instead get present and curious. Then we can genuinely listen to our self and others, and those precious needs are met. This opens up a whole new world for us all; so much healing, growth, trust, understanding and connection.
 

This training is designed to offer you exactly this; to help you master the lost art of empathic listening.

 

We journey together in an experiential exploration of empathy, using individual and group processes, games, exercises, role-plays and meditations to integrate the teachings.

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You Can Gain:
 

- Improved relationships: Create a safe space for open and honest communication.
 

- Compassion for yourself and others: Learn how to connect with others on a deeper emotional level, understand their needs, and respond with care and understanding.
 

- Healing and transformation: See how the magic of empathy can transform uncomfortable emotions like stress, anger and fear.

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- Power up your life: Empathy reduces stress while increasing resilience, trust, healing, creativity, learning and connection.

 

- Positive impact: Empathy skills can transform conflict, support sustainable collaborative action and positive social change.

 

- Bliss, Joy & Love: The pleasure centres of the brain light up when we are empathically heard and understood.

 

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We Explore:

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- Distinguishing empathy: Clarifying the difference between it and  sympathy, consoling, agreeing, giving advice etc.
 

- Effective listening skills: How to overcome common listening barriers, to hear the essence of what other people say (no matter how they express it) and to truly listen with genuine curiosity and focus. 

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- Modes & applications: Explore the different types of empathy and when to apply them.

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- Reflection: Various options to show we've heard someone, such as Mirroring, Paraphrasing and Translation.

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- Layers of empathy:  Beyond the surface-level techniques of active listening to delve deep into the core principles of empathy.

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- Social dynamics: Questions that can support our relational awareness e.g: How to enjoy it when people complain (even about us)?