The “gift of listening” is based on the ability to grant deep, contemplative attention—which remains inaccessible to the hyperactive ego.

The most effective way to show compassion to another is to listen, rather than talk. You have an opportunity to practice deep, compassionate listening. If you can listen to the other person with compassion, your listening is like a salve for her wound. In the practice of compassionate listening, you listen with only one purpose, which is to give th

begin by noticing your reactions. Do you tend to listen to see if you agree or disagree with what the other person is saying? If so, that’s a good indication that a bias may be interfering with your ability to fully hear what’s being said. For example, clients often come to me convinced that “life is hard.” For them it’s not something they believe,

Just as surgeons must first learn anatomy, the future “Angst doctor” must first understand the relationship between the one who counsels and the one who is counseled. And, if I am to contribute to the science of such counseling, I must learn to observe the counseling relationship just as objectively as the pigeon’s brain.