Please join us as we take a look at what disrupts our joy during the holidays… and discuss the delicious possibilities that abound when we declare our intention to "Greet the Holidays with an Open, Joyful Heart."

In this compelling interview with Liv Larsson, CNVC Certified Trainer from Sweden, the NVC concept of enemy images — how they develop, what they represent and how they affect our relationships with others and self — is explored.

Listen as Liv shares her experience of mediating conflict between two groups: using NVC to ascertain the needs of both sides, raise awareness, and diminish polarization.

Ask the Trainer: An NVC Academy member from Bosnia asks: "Is the NVC process truly effective in places where so much violence has occurred and people's pain is very deep?"

What do you do with feelings of shame? During this 12-minute excerpt from her course, From Shame to Vulnerability, Liv Larsson uses The Compass to explore the four directions you can move to when experiencing shame, and guides you through the different responses.

Ask the Trainer: "In trainings I say our jackals are thoughts and now I've come to wonder if all thoughts are jackals...?"

• Ask the Trainer: “I would like some suggestions on how to interact with a member of the practice group I started. This individual speaks and acts in a manner I interpret as angry and controlling.”

Ask the Trainer: "Could you explore why people 'talk too much' and how I could connect with them and myself empathically when I'm also talking too much?"

Ask the Trainer: "I recently attended an NVC workshop where the focus was entirely upon empathy, and expressing honestly was not covered. Aren't empathy and honesty both vital NVC components?"

In this lively video, veteran trainer, Liv Monroe, introduces the NVC mascots of jackal and giraffe by detailing what they represent and how they are used to teach NVC dialogue to others. Many examples of jackal expression are used throughout the video.