Weekend Workshop
March 3rd - 4th (9.30am – 5.00pm)

Dear All,

On the 1st and 3rd weekends of March I am running a course called
'Solution-focused Communication in Relationships' that may be of interest to
spiritual students and those interested in the psychology of manifestation.
It is essentially an introduction to the psychological model that Marshall
Rosenberg presents in his book 'Nonviolent Communication' (NVC). Although
it is possible to teach the basics of NVC in a single weekend, I now teach
this course over two weekend workshops, to allow time to explore some of the
model's profound spiritual implications. Although Marshall Rosenberg's
approach has been to present the model in a Humanistic framework, I believe
it belongs alongside the contemporary spiritual teachings of Eckart Tolle,
Byron Katie, Gangaji, John de Ruiter, Adyashanti and others. It may also be
viewed as a very practical application of the implications of the 'Law of
Attraction' teachings that have been popularized by the release of 'What the
Bleeb do we know' and 'The Secret', to the details of how we use language in
thought and communication.

I am running this course through Lismore ACE, and at a Lismore venue, at the
cost of $140 for both weekends, or $70 each, so this is a good opportunity
to get quite a thorough introduction to NVC at a very low cost. More
details below:

Solution-focused Communication in Relationships
This 4-day programme of two low-cost weekend workshops uses the principles
and practices of Marshall Rosenberg's 'Nonviolent Communication'
(www.cnvc.org) to bring a fresh awareness to the way we think and
communicate. What distinguishes this approach from others is its emphasis
on the development of empathy (feeling-energetic connection with others) and
self-empathy (feeling-energetic connection with ourselves) through a deeper
awareness of our core motivations, the fundamentally life-serving and
positive desires in every human being. Developing a deeper awareness of
these core life-energies - that Rosenberg calls the Universal Human Needs -
appears to be the key to creating rewarding communication and harmonious
relationships.

Part I - From Reaction to Co-Creation: Observations, Feelings, Needs, and Requests
The first weekend is a basic presentation of the model and aims to raise our
awareness of ways of communicating that are creative rather than reactive;
that create connection rather than disconnection, and are characterised by
compassion and acceptance rather than judgment. The material of the course
is presented through video of a Marshall Rosenberg seminar, through
experiential self-enquiry exercises in pairs and through group discussion.
Each participant will receive a 40-page handout set to support their learning.
The main areas of exploration in the first workshop are: connecting with the
Universal Human Needs in ourselves and others; understanding the
relationship of feelings to Needs; taking responsibility for our feelings;
and the practice of appreciation. The themes of 'making requests that are
not demands', and making observations that are objective (i.e. without
evaluation) will be introduced, but will be covered more fully in the second
weekend workshop, Part II.

Part II - Building Presence and Connection: The Path of Self-Empathy and Empathy
In Part II of the course, participants will once again be using self-enquiry
exercises to go much deeper into the elusive themes of objective
observation; the nature and purpose of feelings; the Universal Human Needs;
and the subtle practice of making requests from the feeling place of
imagining what we want rather than what we don't want - that is, from a
place of energetic connection with the life-energy of Needs.
The principle of objectivity will be explored through self-enquiry into the
experience of Presence: that objectively observing consciousness that we
become aware of when we bring our attention into the present moment.
Rosenberg has found that Presence (Attention in the present) and Connection
(Intention to connect - by connecting with the life-energy of Needs in
others and in ourselves) are prerequisites for the practice of deep, honest
and effective communication in relationships.
The Part II workshop aims to provide an introduction to the key relating
skills of Self-empathy and Empathy: the practice of Self-empathy to connect
with the life-energy of our Needs, and to develop the objective and
compassionate perspective of Presence; and the practice of Empathy to apply
that compassionate attitude in our relationships with other people, learning
to see their speech and behaviour as an expression of the Universal Human Needs,
the divine life-energies of the Soul.

Facilitator: Will Parker
Venue: Men and Families Centre, 17E Keen Street, Lismore.
Dates:
Part I - March 3 & 4 - $70
Part II - March 17 &18 - $70
Times: 9.30am - 5.00pm all four days
Please bring food for a shared lunch.
Booking through Lismore ACE - Phone 6622 1903

This is an expanded version of a course that I have been running for over a
year now and I intend to continue running the course in this four-day format
at least four times a year, so consider taking Part 1 this term and Part 2
next. If you would like to be kept informed of future courses or if you
have any questions, email me at
miracles@byrononline.net
or phone me on 6624 5235.


Kind Regards
Will Parker