It’s easy to become disheartened when communication breaks down and people start turning on one another. There is no doubt that we are living through very challenging times when online chat rooms have replaced the habit of chatting and working through problems with our neighbors on the front porch.

In this workshop we will learn to restore confidence in heart-felt communication by recognizing three patterns: 

• Green light: open, like a bridge that connects us.
• Red light: closed, when a barrier seems to divide us
• Yellow light: being triggered by hidden fears

Together we will explore how to apply these practices of mindful communication to current situations in our lives.

The workshop is online only, from 1 to 4 pm EST.

Susan Gillis Chapman is the author of two books, The Five Keys to Mindful Communication and Which Way is Up? 

She’s been a Buddhist practitioner for over 50 years and is a retired family therapist. She’s taught extensively on contemplative psychology, applying the principles of Buddhism to our contemporary life situations.  She and her husband, Jerry, lived for nine years at Gampo Abbey under the mentorship of Pema Chodron.  They currently live in Vancouver, Canada, with their cat, Ziji.