KPFA - Talk-It-Out Radio

Join host Timothy Regan, with special guest Martha Lasley, Certified Nonviolent Communication Trainer and Leadership Coach, for this episode.

We provide the definition of a particularly difficult form of communication called a “Microagression,” and provide several examples, and then demonstrate how you might free yourself from the freezing effects of them. We offer you ways to respond that brings more relationship back into our world: more consideration, kindness, empowerment, clarity, honesty, and inclusion.

This episode is for you if you want to build your power and capacity to respond to insidious divisiveness and aggression with language that builds bridges instead of walls between people.

The post Microagressions: What They Are, How they Work, and How to Respond appeared first on KPFA.

Buddhism teaches that craving is the cause of suffering. Certainly when we abuse drugs, alcohol, food, sex or other substances or behaviors we create suffering for ourselves and others and are not the most effective in making the world a better place for all. Host Marlena Willis talks with Valerie Mason-John, also known as Vimalasara, who herself used the Buddha’s teachings to overcome addiction. She shares her experience with others on how Buddhism can support recovery.

Vimalasara (Valerie) Mason-John co-authored the award-winning book Eight Step Recovery – Using the Buddha’s Teachings to Overcome Addiction. She is president of the Buddhist Recovery Network and is the cofounder of a secular mindfulness program for addiction. She is also the author of the new revised edition of Detox Your Heart – Meditations For Emotional Trauma. She is a leading African-Canadian voice in the field of Mindfulness for Emotional Trauma and Addiction.

The post Craving and the End of Craving appeared first on KPFA.

Host Nancy Kahn talks with guest Max Rivers, author of the new book Loving Conflict. Mr. Rivers discusses how to practice embodied Nonviolent Communication in primary intimate relationships, how to use conflict to unlock intimacy, and ways to return to effortless love using a process he and his partner developed called the Teamwork method. Mr. Rivers covers three stages of relationships: the infatuation stage, the differences stage (conflict stage) and the mature relationship. Nancy and Mr. Rivers talk about how the skills of mediation can improve primary relationships and help surface the root cause of conflict so that more needs can be met.

Listeners are invited to call in to the show at 7:30 pm (510-848-4425 or 1800-958-9008) to ask focused questions or provide comments related to the show’s topic.

Max Rivers is the lead mediator at TheMarriageMediator.net where he pioneered marriage mediation. He has developed a six-session process to help couples learn how to use Nonviolent Communication to navigate their difficult conversations. He is available at his office in Philadelphia or worldwide over video conferencing. He is the author of a book about his work with couples entitled, Loving Conflict, available at Amazon.com

The post Loving Conflict in Our Primary Intimate Relationships appeared first on KPFA.

Timothy Regan explores a list of key conditions that help human beings communicate with compassion and honesty, especially when passions are high.  He welcomes callers to add to the list.

He then shares some tips and approaches of several groups who are bringing strangers and opponents together to connect and collaborate across our politically and interpersonally fractured United States.  Examples include:  “Better Angels,” “Livingroom Conversations,” “Urban Confessional,” and “The Empathy Tent.”

The post Some Conditions Necessary for Healthy, Empathic, Nonviolent Dialogue appeared first on KPFA.

Host Marlena Willis talks with filmmaker, Ana Joanes, whose film, Wrestling Ghosts, is about the tools we can use, including Nonviolent Communication, to become better parents. It follows the epic journey of Kim, a young mother who, with the help of her partner Matt and the support of therapists, works to confront her traumatic childhood to build a stronger bond with her sons. Victor Lee Lewis, one of the featured healing practitioners in the film and who works with Emotional Freedom Technique, which uses tapping on acupressure points to clear out trauma, will also appear as a guest. The film will premier at the LA Film Festival on September 27 and then have showings in Oakland on the September 29 and Santa Cruz on September 30.

Ana Joanes is a documentary filmmaker dedicated to inspiring conscious action and systemic change through film. Her previous works include Generation Meds, an exploration of our fears and misgivings about mental illness and medication, and Fresh, which celebrates the farmers, thinkers and entrepreneurs who are reinventing our food system. Before dedicating herself to filmmaking, Ana was a lawyer. She founded Reel Youth, Inc., a video production program for youth coming out of detention and other underserved youth. Ana is the mother of three children, and with Wrestling Ghosts, she hopes to contribute to a shift toward a more compassionate world.

Victor Lee Lewis, MA, is the Founder and Director of the Radical Resilience Institute, and Radical Resilience Coaching and Consulting. He is a Progressive Life Coach, trainer, speaker, and social justice educator. Victor brings a unique socially progressive vision to the work of personal growth, personal empowerment, and emotional health. He is best known for his inspiring leadership role in The Color of Fear, an unusually powerful video about racism.

The post Wrestling Ghosts: A Conversation with Ana Sofia Joanes appeared first on KPFA.

Host Nancy Kahn talks with guest Kelsey Blackwell, author of Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People. Kelsey shares her perspective on why dedicated spaces for People of Color contribute to healing from “embodied inequality.” Kelsey Blackwell is a writer, embodiment facilitator, and coach specializing in wellness, racial justice, mindfulness, meditation, and natural living. Nancy and Kelsey discuss how they have experienced both White people and People of Color express resistance to People of Color meeting separately, and explore possible reasons for the resistance. Tune in to hear a larger exploration of embodied practices that addresses trauma and the impact of oppression that people can incorporate into their lives.

Listeners are invited to call in to the show at 7:30 pm (510-848-4425 or 1800-958-9008) to ask focused questions or provide comments related to the show’s topic.

Kelsey Blackwell is a body intellectual, writer and dancer who works at the intersections of spiritual practice, social justice and creative expression. As an embodiment facilitator, Kelsey offers mindfulness and embodiment practices for exploring power and privilege. Kelsey teaches the class InterPlay for Artists, Activists and Dabblers in Oakland, California, which offers body-wise tools for more expression, health and resiliency. She holds an MS in Magazine Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Follow her on her blog: themarvelouscrumb.com.

The post Healing from Embodied Inequality appeared first on KPFA.