Friday, July 12, 2019
An Online Class Facilitated by Beatrice Blake
Part of The Focusing Highlights Series
“Nonviolent Communication has transformed my ability to deal with anger.” ~Beatrice Blake
Beatrice further states: “I used to believe that my bad feelings were caused by others. Through NVC I learned that my feelings are caused by my needs, met or unmet. I was certainly not raised to take my needs into account!” When we feel strong emotions, it is very difficult to let a felt sense form. Nonviolent Communication (NVC) helps us calm down, by switching thoughts of blame to awareness of the needs at the root of our feelings. This Highlight is not intended to teach NVC, but rather to show how “needs consciousness” can naturally bring us to level of the Experiencing Scale conducive to Focusing. The NVC steps allow us to dwell in the situation, providing the “holding and letting” space needed for a felt sense to form. Explaining what Focusing is to people can be difficult. This process can provide the experience of felt sensing without the need to explain it.
Bio:
Beatrice Blake is most known for her work in Community Focusing in El Salvador. Originally licensed in Oriental Medicine, she became a Certified Focusing Trainer in 2000 with Robert Lee, Joan Klagsbrun and Neil Friedman. She is now a Certifying Coordinator, teaching in English and Spanish. Beatrice has studied Thinking at the Edge with Eugene Gendlin, Nada Lou, Kye Nelson and Evelyn Fendler-Lee, and has been teaching TAE online since 2012. She first studied Nonviolent Communication in 2006 with Peggy Smith but is not a certified NVC instructor. Her 7-session online classes in Generating a Culture of Peace, study Rosenberg’s theory in depth, bringing Focusing to the entire process.
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