Heart Based Relating
Life is Relationship. Our other offerings work on this fundamental principle from the perspective of the individual, but one of the most obvious versions of this are our personal relationships with friends, family, and the realm between and beyond. We derive fundamental nutrition from touch, friendship, intimacy, romance, and sex, but our modern social and cultural structures can be very challenging to navigate. This is particularly so when we form deep, personally significant relationships without the full potential of our conscious awareness. We are often given only a bare minimum of teaching about how to form such a relationship, and most of that is laden with the cultural baggage of those who came before us.
The most intimate relationships in our lives may be romantic, may be sexual, or may be something else entirely, but we are perfectly aware of the simple truth that they are a core part of our lives, our identities, and our health! Being able to navigate these relationships is a skill, and one that can be cultivated and refined.
Our system of heart-based relating combines three core elements:
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Nonviolent, Compassion-centric Communication
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Conscious Touch-Literacy Development
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Agreement-Based Relationship Building
The most destructive elements in a relationship revolve around unexamined, often unspoken expectations, unreasonable demands, and the decline of loving presence which can accompany the common process of just taking for granted what we have. By coming (back) to our partner(s) with a foundation of love, treating everything we have as a gift, asking for what we feel we need, and being able to accept what our partner is able to offer, we have the ability to take the burden off our relationship, and share in the journey as equals.
Integrative Alchemy collaborates with Integrative Alchemy to work with couples (2-on-2 and 1-on-1-on-1-on-1), with polyamorous polycules, and with groups to cultivate these core skills and relationship styles.