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Restorative Empathy

Transforming Domination Culture from the Inside Out

How Would Your Life Change if You Could Ask for Whatever You Want?

February 6, 2016 By Angela Watrous

image4I believe in the power of making requests.

Vulnerable, specific, actionable requests.

So many good things can happen when you make powerful requests:

~You offer people an opportunity to contribute to your life.
~You deepen your sense of self-connection and being “fully with” yourself.
~You exponentially increase your chances of having your needs actually met.

On the surface, making powerful requests is fairly simple:


1) Identify the need you’re hoping to have met.
2) Envision your ideal strategy to meet that need.
3) Ask for exactly what you want, with a willingness to hear “no” (if you aren’t open to hearing “no,” you’re making a demand, not a request; remember that there are infinite strategies to meet every need, and becoming wedded to a particular strategy is at the heart of conflict and violence).
4) If you receive a “no,” envision your next-best strategy to meet that need, potentially incorporating the needs of the other person to create a win/win strategy, and make that request. Repeat until you find a strategy that meets everyone’s needs.

While this process is relatively simple, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Making powerful requests can tap into some of our deepest vulnerabilities.

If you’re reading those four steps and thinking, “I don’t think I can do that,” what’s getting in the way of asking for what you want most?

Are you afraid of hearing no?
Afraid of being judged?
Afraid of uncomfortable feelings?

If so, you may have some early-life survival rules, unconscious sacred vows, or intergenerational patterns that prevent you from knowing what you want and/or asking for it.

Using depth-healing processes, I can support you in bringing those longstanding patterns into compassionate, conscious memory, offering you more choice and agency in your life.

Contact me to schedule an exploratory Restorative Empathy session to get support on making those powerful requests you’re longing to make.

With love and empathy,
Angela

Filed Under: Nonviolent Communication, Requests, Warm Resonant Support

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Welcome to Restorative Empathy!

My work is inspired by a rich lineage of nonviolence, the neurobiologically healing power of empathy, and diverse spiritual traditions. I approach personal and social healing as inextricably linked. Read More…

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