I heard you say ... validation.
Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.
Brene Brown
I see with my ears the soul of your heart,
through the words from your mouth.
I hear with my eyes the strength of your soul
through the movements of your body.
Daynjoor Kieu
Quick review: #1– see your emotions: I’m sad and that’s okay. #2 – recognize emotions from thoughts: “I’m sad” is an emotion. “I feel worthless” is a thought. #3 – Don’t fight or resist your emotions
Moving forward to #4 – “I heard you say …” Validation is engagement, not agreement, judgment or acceptance.
Someone recently asked me how to communicate and change their relationship with and the behavior of a crazy relative. They started the conversation with, “I don’t want to listen to them repeating the same old complaints. To keep playing the same recording in their head. I just can’t deal with that anymore. So what can I do to make things better?”
A nurse once asked my how to better communicate and change their interactions with a patient in chronic pain who was very angry, disrespectful and argumentative.
A parent once asked me how to help their child struggling in school and making poor choices that got them into trouble.
I replied, “Validation.”
They all replied, “What is validation?”
I replied, “Validation is just a beginning of a dialogue.
to be continued
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