Never question the beauty of what you are saying because someone reacts with pain, judgment, criticism. It just means they have not heard you.

Time and again, people transcend the paralyzing effects of psychological pain when they have sufficient contact with someone who can hear them empathically.

NVC self-forgiveness: connecting with the need we were trying to meet when we took the action that we now regret.

Two questions help us see why we are unlikely to get what we want by using punishment... The first question is: What do I want this person to do that's different from what he or she is currently doing? If we ask only this first question, punishment may seem effective because the threat or exercise of punitive force may well influence the person's behavior. However, with the second question, it becomes evident that punishment isn't likely to work: What do I want this person's reasons to be for doing what I'm asking?

Translate all self-judgments into self-empathy.

Our survival as a species depends on our ability to recognize that our well-being and the well-being of others are in fact one and the same.

When we are depressed, our thinking blocks us from being aware of our needs, and then being able to take action to meet our needs.