The Neuroscience of Emotion Circuits and Navigating Territories of Conflict with Sarah Peyton, Part 2
In Part 2 of my conversation with Sarah Peyton, we dive deeper into the neuroscience of conflict and emotional healing, bridging the Mediate Your Life framework with the groundbreaking research of affective neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp. Together, we…
Read MoreThe Mystery and Power of the Triangle to Transform Conflict
A Warm and Welcoming Hello to You All, As we navigate the complex challenges of our time, I have been thinking a lot about the structure of the triangle. In this newsletter, I talk about the layers of meaning in this symbol and how it relates to mediating our lives and applying this understanding in…
Read MoreStanding for Justice and Empathy with Humility
In the delicate balance between standing for justice and promoting empathy, I struggle with how to hold these two together simultaneously. At the heart of this challenge for me is the recognition that when calling out (or “calling in,” as it’s now said) what I see as an injustice, it’s easy to fall into promoting…
Read MoreOur Way Out of Hell
Have you ever prioritized your own needs over someone else’s? Have you noticed there was a cost to doing so? I have been pondering over this as I witness events in Israel-Palestine. I desire to get to the core of what is happening and extract the needed lessons for myself and civilization. Join me in…
Read MoreNo Bad Parts – In the Violence of Our World
No Bad Parts is the title of one of Richard Schwartz’s latest books on Internal Family Systems (IFS), an approach to trauma healing. In the IFS model, inner “parts” of our psyche take on more extreme beliefs and roles in order to keep our system safe, particularly to protect other hurt parts that have been…
Read MoreEmpathic Understanding in War — A Revolutionary Act For Peace
The violence and suffering happening in Israel-Palestine is excruciating to witness. I can only imagine how truly horrific and unbearable of an experience it is for those living there. So much is being written and spoken about what’s happening. What can I possibly add to the conversation that could be helpful? There is talk about…
Read MoreNavigating Conflict and the Hero/Heroine’s Journey
It’s so interesting to me how what’s new builds on what has been, but in unseen ways. I see now how what is emerging in me about what is needed in the world has been growing and developing since early in my life and in the early roots with Nonviolent Communication and Mediate Your Life…
Read MoreHolding Paradox to Bridge Our Differences
Bridging our differences is, I believe, what we humans now need to do to survive and support the flourishing of Earth, yet it seems impossibly out of reach. We may think we need to choose between pessimism or optimism, but why not be both? What happens if we hold the paradox? There is much to…
Read MoreMLK, Nonviolence, and Communication
Today in the U.S. is the holy-day each year we celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., his nonviolent approach to social change calling society towards the soaring ideals enshrined in the U.S. Declaration of Independence of freedom and equality for all. Dr. King was a tremendous light shining out…
Read MoreFear and Trust Facing the Year Ahead
At the boundary between 2021 and 2022, looking out over the future landscape of the coming year, I see conflict, violence and suffering growing and spreading in the world, And I also see, at the heart of the dissolution, a tremendous light getting brighter and brighter, brilliant and beautiful. Sharing with a dear friend and…
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