River of Guidance Library
Compassionate Communication:
Cultivating Constructive Approaches to Interpersonal Conflict
with Daniel Wasserman, Rahimah Sweeney, Munira Reed, and Abraham Sussman
Our Sufi path offers us direct guidance for manifesting peace and harmony in our relationships with each other. Deep listening, growing compassion, witnessing and mastering our habits of reactivity, and watching our breath are all foundational towards becoming active peacemakers. The inner work of cultivating forgiveness and awareness of one's own heart condition contributes naturally to the outer work of reconciliation with others.
In an era when separation, partisan division, polarization, and marginalization of others are exploited endlessly by social media and politics, there is an urgency to develop the experience and realization of Unity and the applied benefits of that realization. Our Sufi path aspires to sacred relationships. Compassionate Communication will address practical techniques to restoring harmony and healing in relationships when conflicts arise. Working through differences and conflicts through constructive communication is an antidote for separation and ultimately war.
The course will be collaboratively presented by Daniel Wasserman PhD (SRI Mureed Advocate), Murshida Rahimah Sweeney PhD, Rev. Sheikha Munira Reed PhD, and Murshid Abraham Sussman PsyD. All four are long time mureeds deeply immersed in our Sufi lineage. Collectively they integrate years of direct spiritual experience with diverse multi-modal psychological training (including Non-Violent Communication) and bring a lifetime of professional experience working in the field of Conflict Resolution and Mental/Emotional/Spiritual Health.
Watch two 90-minute videos
(at your own pace)
Supplemental Materials for Course
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CLASS ONE READINGS AND PRACTICES (downloadable)
Dear Friends,
Below are materials presented during the first Compassionate Communication class from
Munira, Daniel, Rahima, and Abraham. May you continue to deepen your experience,
understanding, and skillfulness cultivating compassionate communication.
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Dear Friends,
It was an honor and delight to be with you for the Ruhaniat River of Guidance course, Compassionate Communication, in July 2021. Thank you for joining us. We were touched by the collective engagement and response, and know that this vast topic requires a lifetime of refinement of skills, calling for ever-deepening spiritual practice. As promised, we are following those sessions with this letter. We also offer you the Metta practice (Rahimah shared this during the last class) as a beautiful practice to continue with.
We hope that the spiritual teachings and practices offered continue to open helpful doorways to this work of communicating constructively with each other. It is our hope that the tools we offered help to build and strengthen compassionate communication. Polishing the mirror of the heart and compassionate communication go hand in hand.
The two sessions we offered served as an introduction to this heartfelt work. From the class break-out group conversations, it is clear that most of us are faced daily with complex situations that cause us to return to the depth of our being to respond with compassion. We live in relationship and community; at home, in our neighborhoods, and in groups of all kinds, including our Ruhaniat community. Learning to communicate compassionately with each other can only further more positive relationship and increase our sense of collective well being. In this light, River of Guidance is considering offering another course on Compassionate Communication some time next year.
In grateful service,
Munira Elizabeth Reed, Daniel Wasserman, Rahimah Sweeney and Abraham Sussman