Sacred Space: Listening Well Is an Eloquent Sign of Caring

Most people report that they are hardly ever really listened to very deeply or for very long.  Partners in Healing (clients) who come to my counselling practice often tell me that nobody has ever listened to them their whole life.  Listening well is an art form.  When we are young, there is very little emphasis put on learning how to physically, emotionally and spiritually listen.  There are very few human models of listening well from which young people can learn.  Listening is not just limited to hearing with our ears.  Emotional listening is when we are “tuning in” to the energies and the frequencies of the other person.  Some scientists believe that we can only really “hone in” on another when our pineal gland in the middle of our brain is in harmonic resonance with the pineal gland of the other person.

Sacred Space is born when two people or more are in sympathetic attunement with each other.  Sacred Space can also be created by forming a spiritual cocoon around a person when one is imbedded in their environment.  The projections of “inside” and “outside” melt away leaving the individual in a state of ecstasy.  Sacred Space can be created, sustained, nurtured and,

unfortunately, sometimes pierced.  Sacred Space requires that a “safe container” be established wherein the people involved feel secure and protected from spurious interventions.  Ground rules need to be followed to ensure this.  

One of the most well-known techniques for learning how to listen well is the ALT, or Active Listening Technique.  ALT is based on the idea that we must not separate the sender from the receiver.  

In this “inter-subjective” technique there is no division.  There are two subjects fusing as one entity.  In most successful listening methods it is generally recognized that the kinesiologists are probably correct when they hypothesize that 7% of human communication is through the actual words we use, 38% is through the way in which we express those words, and 55% is non-verbal, subtle and operates at the subliminal level.    

Another technique is “Cortical Field Re-Education”, CFR, which is training our Psyche to listen to the “total message” of what is going on.  When our cortical field is aligned with our authentic Self, we are then able to “listen well”.  Our director becomes our own Psyche, not someone else.   

This article was written by:

Richard M. Haney, M.Ed., Ph.D. (Counselling and Mediation)

Richard has been practising Wholistic Counselling, Coaching, Hypnotherapy and Mediation for the past 25 years in Ottawa.     

To contact Richard please call (613) 234-5678 or send an e-mail to:  richard@ottawacounselling.com