- Loading
-
Get The Matrix
Subscribe to our email list to receive a printable (pdf) self-assessment Matrix, information for translators, and updates on our blog posts. You may unsubscribe at any time, and we will not share your address with others. Click Here to Subscribe -
Recent Posts
- Avoiding Fundamentalism in Spiritual Practice
- Feeling Your Feelings (When They’re Hard to Feel)
- Feelings and Emotions: Describing Them vs. Feeling Them
- A Young Woman’s Dream: When You’re Triggered, Feel Your Feelings
- Observing, Interpreting, and Experiencing in Conflict Resolution and Personal Growth
Archives
Author Archives: Jacob Gotwals
Avoiding Fundamentalism in Spiritual Practice
When we’re in community with others who are enthusiastic about a particular approach to life, it’s possible to fall into a kind of fundamentalism in which we limit ourselves to viewing life through the lens of that approach. I experienced this myself when I was learning Nonviolent Communication (NVC). In this article, I describe my experience of fundamentalism, I explore how fundamentalism can follow from the stories we hold about our spiritual practices, and I suggest how we can translate these stories so we can maintain our open-mindedness, awareness, and flexibility as we participate in spiritual community. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged beliefs, fundamentalism, identification, NonviolentCommunication, spiritualPractice
Leave a comment
Feeling Your Feelings (When They’re Hard to Feel)
You might imagine that if you can name your feelings, you should be able to feel them—but in my experience, that’s often not the case. Sometimes our feelings are obvious—but more often, they’re either suppressed or hidden behind thinking. And feeling your feelings is especially hard when you’re triggered. Reactive emotions are uncomfortable to feel; they compel us to react, instead. Generally, the last thing we want to do with reactive emotions is simply feel them. But feeling your feelings can be a powerful way of freeing yourself from reactivity. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged attention, feelings, feelingTones, reactivity, sensations, shift, thinking, thoughts
Leave a comment
Feelings and Emotions: Describing Them vs. Feeling Them
Describing feelings and emotions and feeling them are two important—yet distinct—skills to have. Lets explore both skills, and see how they can be helpful. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged awareness, bodySensations, connecting, empathy, feelings, needs, NonviolentCommunication, reactivity
Leave a comment
Observing, Interpreting, and Experiencing in Conflict Resolution and Personal Growth
Making observations, interpreting, and experiencing are three ways of approaching experience. Let’s see how they relate to conflict resolution, personal growth, and spiritual growth. Continue reading