Self-Awareness & Inner Work Flashcards

In Rosenberg's process for fully expressing anger, what comes right after stopping and breathing?

Answer: Identifying the judgmental thoughts that are making you angry

After stopping, you identify the 'should' thoughts and judgments that are generating the anger.

In NVC, anger is best understood as:

Answer: An alarm signaling life-alienating thinking that disconnects us from our needs

Rosenberg described anger as a wake-up call that we are thinking in judgments instead of connecting with needs.

A trainer notices her jaw tightening during a tense workshop. Why is this useful from an NVC self-awareness view?

Answer: Body sensations are an early cue to check in with feelings and needs

Bodily awareness helps practitioners notice feelings early and connect with the needs behind them.

What is an 'enemy image' in NVC inner work?

Answer: A judgment-based picture of someone as wrong or bad that blocks empathy

Enemy images are moralistic judgments of others that keep us from seeing their humanity and needs.

What is the most effective inner step for dissolving an enemy image before a hard conversation?

Answer: Give yourself empathy and then guess the other person's needs

Self-empathy followed by guessing the other person's needs makes it possible to see them as human again.

Which statement reflects 'should' thinking that NVC encourages us to translate?

Answer: 'I should have known better.'

'Should' statements imply wrongness and demand; NVC translates them into the needs behind them.

Rosenberg linked the frequent experience of depression to which pattern?

Answer: Getting caught in judgmental thinking and losing touch with needs

Rosenberg suggested depression can come from life-alienating, judgment-based thinking that cuts us off from our needs.