What is the Mindfulness Communication Technique?
It’s a simple, partnered practice for waking up to the nature of life and your own wisdom, so you can move yourself beyond the problems or concerns of daily life.
MCT’s are an opportunity to gain insights, clear up misunderstandings and deepen your understanding of Three Universal Principles underneath all human experience.
The MCT technique looks simple enough with two people sitting in chairs or on pillows on the floor facing each other a few feet apart. The practice can be difficult to achieve. It is not a conversation or social encounter.
The MCT practice is a process of completing communication cycles and listening without judgment. The listening partner must try to remain neutral so that the active partner is left free to be either positive or negative. They need this relationship freedom to reclaim their natural internal freedom – to help them discover their own truth and tap into their own inner wisdom.
In our “normal” conversation we are almost always giving people advice with one person tending to dominate the other. We don’t “normally” know how to just listen. When we do listen we don’t keep an open mind – instead we take sides. These “normal” conversation results in a level of abuse that creates and amplifies group think. Group think is a consensus agreement – everyone tries to think the same way and there is much emotional energy expended to keep everyone in line. All meaning is derived from the agreement with others. The MCT practice is a process of interpersonal communication is designed to prevent this abuse.
The Basic of the Mindfulness Communication Technique
Position: Two people sit directly facing each other.
Roles: One person will be the contemplating and communicator partner (speaking partner) and the other partner will be the open and non-judgmental listener (listening partner).
Instruction: The listening partner will give a pre-determined instruction and then listen with out commenting.
Reception: The speaking partner accepts the instruction.
Contemplation: Having received the instruction the speaking partner contemplates whats been asked and then sets out to comply with the instruction.
Communication: The speaking partner communicates whatever arises for them as a result of their contempation.
Acknowledgement: Once the speaking partner has completed his communication the listening partner simply acknowledges the speaking partner with, Thank You!
Reverse Roles: The speaking partner now gives the listening partner a pre-determined instruction.
Perfecting the Mindfulness Communication Technique
The receptive partner should not change the wording of the instruction, give it sloppily, or put his own emotional content on the instruction to lead the active partner. The instruction is given clearly and cleanly.
The receptive partner should not use facial expressions, nods, body language, “vibes,” or any other means to express an opinion or evaluation of what the active partner says.
With cycle change-overs, never change-over (reverse roles) until an understanding is reached.
When the receptive partner does not understand what the active partner said, he can say,
· “Clarify that”
· “Say that again”
· “Summarize that”
Read related article: Practicing the Mindfulness Communication Techniques
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