Practical Tools for Self-compassion: Self-empathy: Mindful Compassionate Dialogue Relationship Competency 4 (Video Conferencing or Self-Paced)

Thursday, April 29, 2021
11:30 AM 1:00 PM

Google Calendar ICS

This workshop will focus on the fourth relationship competency of Mindful Compassionate Dialogue called Self-Empathy.

Is this you?

In facing difficult situations or even your own high standards, you can sometimes have a whole inner committee of thoughts pulling you different directions. Trying to make sense of it can be tiring work. You need a break from internal processing that goes in circles and self-analysis that leaves you feeling disconnected.

You find it easier to feel and express compassion with others than with yourself. You can name other's needs before identifying your own. You have given a lot to others and are ready to give some gifts to yourself. But it's difficult to know what you really need and how you thrive, especially when social conditioning exhorts you to maintain an external focus.

This course is for anyone who would like to cultivate a grounded sense of confidence using concrete tools.

What's It All About?

Self-empathy is an essential ingredient in a thriving relationship. To have a loving and conscious relationship with another, you also need to have a loving and conscious relationship with yourself.

Self-empathy gives you relief from internal conflict, criticism, and doubt. You learn to greet each part of your experience with compassion and acceptance, which gives you access to wise discernment and effective action.

Self-empathy is a skillful means for taking responsibility for your experience. When you can sort experience into categories, such as observations, thoughts, feelings, needs, and requests, it is easier to meet it with equanimity and compassion. In addition, it enables you to stay true to your values and express honestly with another.

In this workshop, you will be introduced to the process of self-empathy in the framework of Mindful Compassionate Dialogue. Here are the specific aspects of self-empathy we will address:

Identify the differences between self-empathy and other responses to your experience
Learn to identify and make use of an anchor
Translate self-critical into the true message of feelings, needs, and requests
Understand the importance of being able to direct focused and sustained attention on that which supports a warm and compassionate relationship to experience.

About Mindful Compassionate Dialogue

Mindful Compassionate Dialogue (MCD) naturally supports you in creating the relationships you want by integrating the wisdom and skills of three powerful modalities: Hakomi, Nonviolent Communication (NVC), and mindfulness.

Each modality contributes something unique to the process. Hakomi offers clarity about reactivity and healing. NVC provides a method for achieving self-responsibility, skillful communication, and agency. And mindfulness adds the stable attention and clear focus needed to continuously refine your understanding and skills.

MCD is a system meant to provide access to agency, compassion, mindfulness, and wisdom. Personal transformation is achieved through practice with the 12 Relationship Competencies and Nine Foundations, which arise from a central, life-serving intention.

What to expect?

In this 90 minute workshop, you will engage in conceptual learning, group discussion, experiential learning, and skills practice. Practice exercises will be done individually, in pairs, and in small groups. You can apply examples from your own life that you choose in the exercises.

Understanding the online format

Students will be signing in to the workshop simultaneously in real time from their own locations, using Zoom. We will be able to see and hear each other. For visibility, it’s important to have a light in front of you, not behind you. The technology allows for breaking up into pairs or small groups, which the trainers can check in with just as would happen in an in-person course.

You will be able to review a recording of the workshop for a full week after it ends. Students won't be shown on the recording, but can be heard. You can participate in discussions via chat if you don’t want your voice recorded. This course may be sold later as a pre-recorded course.

You can also opt to take the series only through the recording.

Having someone in your life available to do the exercises with you is recommended for this option.

You will receive a detailed handout as a part of the workshop that you can download and keep for future reference.

Details:

Live attendance means:

Arriving on time to the workshop.
Attending and participating for the duration of the class. It is very disruptive to come in and out of the workshop; please plan to attend by recording if you cannot stay for the full 90 minutes of the workshop.

Access to the video recording for a full week following the workshop.
Receiving a detailed handout that you can download and keep for later reference.
Ensuring you have consistent access to internet speeds and connectivity that support video conferencing (600kbps/1.2Mbps (up/down) for HQ video; 1.5Mbps/1.5Mbps (up/down) for gallery view).