Our Fall Retreat 2024

October 18-20, 2024 at Tierra Pacifica School in Live Oak/Santa Cruz, CA

With trainers Jean Morrison, Kristin Masters, Rick Longinotti, Eric Huang, and Caren Camblin

Friday 6:45-9 pm

Saturday 9 am - 5 pm

Sunday 10 am - 5 pm

Join us for a weekend of in-person learning, reflection, and fun for folks with any level of NVC experience, including beginners! We are offering this experience by donation--pay what you can!

We’ll start Friday evening with greeting, gathering, sharing our wishes and intentions, and laughing along with Conflict Improv, performed by NVC Santa Cruz core trainers.

Saturday and Sunday will feature workshop options for new to very seasoned practitioners. Scroll down to see our detailed offerings!

Lunch breaks will be a generous 90 minutes so you can walk or drive to nearby restaurants or grocery stores, or bring a bag lunch to eat on site (fridge available).

There will also be opportunities for shared meals, hiking/walking, and rest.

We are using compassionate pricing to meet our needs for generosity and your needs for contribution. This means you are welcome to register to attend for any amount that works in your budget. Here is some context to help you decide on an amount:

• Sustaining: A sustaining donation of $301+ helps us continue our mission beyond this retreat.
• Maintaining: A maintaining donation of $300 helps us cover our overhead costs for this retreat.
• Supported: A supported donation of $10-299 will be gratefully accepted as we would like to welcome all interested parties, regardless of ability to pay.

Register by Friday October 11, 2024

OFFERINGS

SATURDAY MORNING

Session 1 A

Intro to NVC with Jean

For those starting new and those who want a refresher. Get the ‘Big Picture’ view of NVC and the foundational aspects of this phenomenal universal process that grabs our minds, hearts and souls has us wishing we had learned this in our homes, schools, and communities. And… it’s not too late!!

Session 1 B

Distinctions that Make a Difference with Eric ~ Part One

In this session, we will play in small groups to dive into the clear and nuanced differences between observations and judgments/evaluations and also between feelings and thoughts. How does awareness of these distinctions support a path to NVC consciousness? This session might be most useful for people new to practicing NVC (within 3 years) and can be fun for learners with more experience.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Session 2 A

Beyond Moral Outrage: Thinking Peace with Rick

Stevie Wonder said at the Democratic Convention, “We need to choose joy over anger, kindness over recrimination, and peace over war.” How do we transform our righteous anger so that it can become a powerful force for changing hearts and minds as well as the structures of domination? In this workshop we will consider history and our life experience to explore what works. We’ll practice powerful, non-moralistic communication.

Session 2 B

Journaling with NVC with Caren

Sometimes journaling can backfire and make us feel worse if we’re just narrating the same old stories over and over. In this session, we’ll bring more skill to the page. We’ll play with three different concrete journaling techniques for self-empathy and grounding: the jackal & giraffe dialogue, a letter from the other to myself, and a gratitude practice founded on sensory and somatic modalities. Bring your journal and a pen or pencil you enjoy using.

Session 3 A

A Dramatic Reading from That Loving Feeling: A Couples Guide to Transform Hurt & Criticism into Kindness & Gratitude with Rick and the Retreat Players

Session 3 B

Distinctions that Make a Difference with Eric ~ Part Two

In this session, we will play in small groups to explore the clear and nuanced differences between needs and strategies and also between requests and demands. How does awareness of these distinctions support a path to NVC consciousness? This session might be most useful for people new to practicing NVC (within 3 years) and can be fun for learners with more experience.

SUNDAY MORNING

Session 4 A

The Power and Purpose of “Do-Overs”—An Essential Relationship Skill with Jean

It bears saying many times "no one’s perfect.” Which leads us to acknowledge that we’re all going to do and say things that impact others in uncomfortable ways… disappointment, hurt feelings, frustration, anxiety, withdrawal.

Apologies for actions or words we regret can be made even more effective in re-connection and repair if we initiate an authentic ‘do-over.’ When my daughter was a teenager I accidentally (intuitively perhaps) did a do-over and was so surprised at the instant shift to connection in us both that I knew I wanted to be able to replicate it. It’s
now part of my making amends a la NVC and my brain's neuroplasticity likes it too. And… it’s easier than you think!

Session 4 B

Who is Triggering You? with Caren

It could be a co-worker, family member, acquaintance, or even a political figure. If you find yourself feeling activated and disconnected around a particular person, Marshall Rosenberg’s process for dealing with “enemy images” could be helpful for accessing empathy for yourself and the other. Let’s see what requests or boundaries might emerge!

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Session 5 A

Men, Shame, & Anger with Rick

How male concern for status and our socialization in moralistic standards impacts our relationships—and what to do about it. A participatory workshop for all genders.

Session 5 B

What’s Power Got To Do With It? with Kristin

There are so
many considerations to be taken into account in choosing how to apply NVC to a
situation, and a bunch of them have to do with perception of power and access to resources. We’ll explore ways to adjust our choices due to “power.”

Expect this session to be fun, choiceful, enlightening and insightful!

Session 6 A

Staying Relational with Kristin

Sometimes we slip out of relationality and then wonder why our attempts at NVC fall flat. We’ll play with somatics and brain science that give us clues about staying in relationality, while inviting others to stay with us. We’ll use examples from real life, and find options we can apply IRL, too! This work integrates NVC skills and principles so we can stay in it
together.

Session 6 B

Mourning, Action, & Rest with Caren

How can we face the world as it is, mourn what breaks our hearts, and not give up hope?
We’ll explore Joanna Macy’s three dimensions of action, as well as needs-based mourning and rest, as helpful structures for fostering shared reality about the world’s injustices and deep care for ourselves and others.