It was so difficult!
It reminded me of the first time I tried Nonviolent Communication.
We started with an exercise that consisted on finding the needs behind a phone call of some one saying:
-You know, this mediation is the last chance for this situation!
It was like talking to a wall, I could not find her needs, I had somebody by my side that helped me with self empathy, that was ok, I felt frustrated because I needed clarity, but even then I could not find a way to understand or connect with the “caller”.
But you know what, I loved it!
I’d been there before and with practice, help and kindness of other participants I have been able to connect and find the needs behind a statement.
It was a mixture of frustration, curiosity and challenge.
After a couple of… hours, I think I got it. I needed more information, I had to push the “caller” to talk a little more, and thus giving me more details about how she felt and then it was easier to find her needs.
Setting a frame that was given to us, was also challenging, I did not integrate well the words that were used on it. So I think I will rewrite them in a way that is more in tune with my personality.
I am very exited to find the essence of mediation and to see how can I contribute to it. To find a way of playing and working with it where I am comfortable and where I can support people in connecting with each other’s needs.