Compassionate Dialogue

Just like enlightenment, it may be easiest to understand Compassionate Dialogue in terms of what it is not ???? (Nisargadatta throwback there – see I am that).  This is especially true when juxtaposed with other existing technologies (eg NVC), heart circles (eg Radical Faerie Gatherings), and forums (eg Zegg). Compassionate Dialogue is not a gathering, salon, forum or conflict resolution strategy.

Compassionate Dialogue is a holistic framework for living and relating from our most nourishing, replenishing, and inspiring parts as they expand and connect in our whole brain, where there is trust in discernment of safety. It is both a philosophy for a way of being in the world, as well as a lived practice with specific techniques associated with it.

As a framework, Compassionate Dialogue provides a lived experience of discernment around what it feels like to be in a safe space, where the people you are with actively support you in bringing out the part of you that knows what’s best for you. We choose to believe in each other, in whatever we do or don’t do. Compassionate Dialogue is an active approach for moving beyond Domination/Separation culture to a culture of compassion.

As a philosophy it relates to clearing the disconnect from healthy ego, soul, and spirit, to feel in our body a oneness with all relationship, and a joyous separateness in discovering and offering our unique gift to give the world. Similar to some of the philosophies of yoga, Compassionate Dialogue focuses on living in harmony with the self, each other, all life and all beings (human and non-human!).

The physical practice itself and specific techniques are focused on cultivating body awareness (breath, posture, heart rate etc.), emotional awareness (sensations of resonance/dissonance, specific emotions), and mental awareness (thinking mind, wise mind, monkey mind) while engaging in interactions and conversations with the self, others and in small groups. Once a sufficient level of awareness is present, we slowly bring in the philosophy of Compassionate Dialogue as a practice in consciously cultivating healthy ego (healthy self-love, empathy, management and transformation of wounded/shadow self etc.) one step at a time toward whole-being-ness.

For more information about the philosophy of Compassionate Dialogue see our Compassionate Dialogue Handouts in the Resources and Learning Materials Menu: https://www.thewayofvibrantly.org/compassionate-dialogue-handouts-key-concepts/