Jeff* and his wife, Sharon*, came to Stand InBalance because they were struggling with their 13 year old daughter. During one session they chose to connect with a large donkey which they decided represented their “daughter”. As they began walking their “daughter” to the barrel labeled “communication” the donkey stopped and refused to move any closer. While Jeff and Sharon appeared to be communicating with each other and working together, the donkey’s reaction said otherwise!
We asked Jeff and Sharon to pause and become mindful and open to understanding what the donkey was expressing through his body language. This helped them shift into a more amenable mindset. The next step was helping them both let go of negative self-talk and body tension so they could be open to letting their donkey teach them about authentic communication. If they made assumptions, went back to negative thought patterns, or weren’t really honest about how what they each thought and felt about their plan to influence their donkey (daughter) to move forward, the donkey would flat out stop.
After two sessions focused on communication, Jeff and Sharon realized that their “daughter” refused to walk with them until they were both speaking from the heart and REALLY listening to each other. When they were receptive and tuned into themselves and each other their “daughter” was happy and cooperative.
Although their actual daughter wasn’t always as cooperative, Jeff and Sharon found that things went much smoother and there was less tension when they were open and responsive with her and with each other. Learning this type of receptivity from their experiences with their donkey “daughter” was a game-changer for strengthening their communication with their real daughter at home. Jeff and Sharon found that when they were open and receptive understood their daughter far more and noticed subtle cues that they had been missing before.
*All names and identifying information have been changed.
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