BLOG
Learn more about Nonviolent Communication and get inspired to practice it in your everyday life. We invite authors to publish on our website, contact us!
Empathy – The Needs’ Year (Week 18)
She looked at me with an appearance that many would interpret as annoyed. With her arms crossed, she leaned back frowning and waited for me to continue talking. We were both participants of EuroLife (a two year programme led by Robert Gonzales) and a small group had...
Peace – The Needs’ Year (Week 17)
“I'm not sure, Eva, if you are satisfied with the solution… Are you?” I had just undergone an hour of group processing during my first NVC workshop. Some of the participants in the course had been involved in a conflict. With the help of the workshop leader, those...
Choice – The Needs’ Year (Week 16)
I was 15 years old and it was time to choose a high school program. Back in those days, there were not as many programs to choose from as there are nowadays. I was interested in photography and had managed to find a high school with that subject as a specialisation....
Autonomy – The Needs’ Year (Week 15)
I’m sitting and writing a test in physics. It’s a hard problem and I'm looking for a suitable equation in the formula book. Without a word, my teacher steps forward and slams the book in front of me. I look up in surprise (I was not aware that we were not allowed to...
Dignity – The Needs’ Year (Week 14)
“Damn it, Jocke! You're the best friend I have. I love you!" My friend was very drunk and I was a sober person during that period of my life. I felt embarrassed and mumbled something in response, trying to avoid the discomfort. He obviously wanted contact and I myself...
Meaning – The Needs’ Year (Week 13)
A few years ago, I rented a working space with some other people for a while. Once a month I gave an introductory lecture to NVC. Each time there was a varied number of participants, sometimes as many as 20 people. At one occasion, only a single person came. After a...
Harmony – The Needs’ Year (Week 12)
An association that comes to mind when I think of the need for harmony is a Buddhist monk sitting in silent meditation up in a mountain monastery. The wind is blowing, everything is still, all movements are slow. Life seems calm, simple and predictable. The lack of...
Trust – The Needs’ Year (Week 11)
"We will compensate for the damage!" The words came out of me without a second thought. I was one of the organisers of last year's European NVC Summer Festival and a few of the children had gone berserk. An armchair was destroyed. The pool table was broken. The place...
Mourning – The Needs’ Year (Week 10)
A few weeks ago I heard that one of my oldest friends had died because of a stroke. At first I became mute and cold. We shared our time intensely for a few years during the second half of the 80's. After that, we didn’t meet often, but occasionally, with a few years...
Safety – The Needs’ Year (Week 9)
I am writing this blog post on Monday 28 February 2022. I’m sitting in my living room in my apartment in Tensta, a northern suburb in Stockholm, Sweden. Opposite me sits Magda writing something on her computer. Outside the window the sun is shining. It is a few...
Integrity – The Needs’ Year (Week 8)
"What are you doing? The finishing line is here!” Kay shouted and gestured which track I should take. I had just covered 40 km on cross-country skis, but instead of crossing the finishing line, I took an extra lap in the stadium. The ski race went three laps and the...
Mutuality – The Needs’ Year (Week 7)
The importance of mutuality "Ha, ha, ha… You will look back at this moment and see the humour in it all." I had just shared something vulnerable and my friend was laughing. It is possible that he was right. Maybe, sometime in the future, I will look at this event with...