Stimulating, interactive webinar and workshop events, and reading

Saturday, April 25 · 11am – 1pm ET

Enjoy more enduring relationships and more personal fulfillment, and find ways to also make all aspects of daily life more authentic, enjoyable, and productive for you and those around you.

In this webinar, David B. Alexander, licensed psychotherapist, will present and discuss the principles of Nonviolent Communication and their fulfilling application in daily life.

During and after the presentation, there will be time for questions and answers. Discussion will also be invited as a way to engage those attending in a more direct way. See selected testimonials and terms of service below.

This will be an enriching, safe opportunity for learning how to deepen relationships of all kinds through better communication, including through authenticity towards oneself, achieving more often the results we desire. In the workplace, go beyond praise of others to share genuine appreciation, while also giving a voice to your own vision, purpose, and goals.

Saturday, May 9 · 11am – 1pm ET

Expressing ourselves from a deep place is rewarding in so many ways. Yet it can be hard to express affection, for reasons such as fear of rejection or fear of becoming committed beyond the comfort zone. And it can be hard to express frustration or anger, for reasons such as fear of alienating the other or fear of doing harm.

Our inner urges and wishes often may not match what we are able to express. But with good communication skills, we can start to see a path that avoids the fears and lack of clarity mentioned above.

Join this interactive monthly workshop dedicated to improving on important relationships and your own awareness and well-being.

There is no single formula for good communication. However, when we are genuine with other people, it encourages authenticity, and people start to truly understand and appreciate each other's feelings and needs. And by expressing from a deeper level, we start to understand ourselves better, as well. All of that leads to more fulfilling relationships, an ability to work out solutions when there is disagreement and conflict, and a better, realistic sense of self-esteem.

Saturday, May 30 · 11am – 1pm ET

The lotus flower rises invisibly through mud and muddy water, and opens up pure and clean despite its history and surroundings. If we can keep on the right path while in the middle of activity and challenges, we can discover a life of true freedom and compassion.

The topics include a basic short history of Buddhism, primary principles (see below), and the impact of Zen in modern life.

The principles and concepts that are covered are:

The Middle Way: a crucial piece of understanding for maintaining one's balance and staying on a healthy and effective path towards self-knowledge.

The Four Noble Truths: the first teachings of Buddhism, that we have the opportunity to break from suffering, through right understanding, mindfulness, and action.

The Eightfold Path: the key components for living a life that benefits self and others, and clarifies and frees mind and body.

The Three Treasures: the elements that support following the path towards awakening and liberation.

Saturday, June 13 · 11am – 1pm ET

Daily life often consists of small and fairly simple interactions that keep things running smoothly or at least meet the needs of the moment.

In addition to those simple interactions, there are the conversations that involve important and perhaps challenging content: hurt, anger, and even feelings of love and emotional intimacy, which can all be difficult to bring up, or to fully take in when offered by another person.

And yet, these same, somewhat raw conversations provide the opportunity for deeper mutual connection, as well as supporting one's own well-being and vitality.

Topics for discussion will include:

• The benefits of expression vs. silence: bring more life to your life

• Handling anger well

• Handling affection and empathy well

• Reframing the conversation: realizing that the negative is fundamentally based on a positive

• "Good" words / "bad" words: which words and phrases create more conflict, and which heal

We invite all participants to bring in their own real-life questions and challenges around the above topics, or other topics related to "difficult conversations."

Saturday, June 27 · 11am – 1pm ET

Explore the wisdom of Zen and Buddhism with long-time practitioner and teacher David B. Alexander. We will look at some well-known and lesser-known expressions and quotes of Zen and Buddhism, and examine what they are communicating.

Two of the quotes we will examine: "What is the sound of one hand?" and "To study Buddhism is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self...."

Zen expression is often about experiences that are not common and not very easy to understand. However, that challenge is sometimes used, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to make Zen seem mysterious. The reality is that these expressions and quotes express important experiences, giving words to our immense potential as human beings. The meaning is often not obvious at first, but can be understood better when discussed with clarity.

Discover more of the profound and liberating meaning of Zen and Buddhism.

Saturday, July 18 · 11am – 1pm ET

There will be about 1/2 hour of presentation, after which we will engage in conversation regarding any situations the participants wish to discuss. If participants do not have such questions to discuss, I as the facilitator will present various scenarios to examine together.

As someone who has raised two children who are now in their 30s, I understand the stresses and the joys of the experience, and the topic will be carefully infused with a good dose of ironic humor, as needed. Whether children are very young, or are themselves adults, the parent / child relationship is a special one of strong connection.

Close relationships such as parent / child usually bring out our deeply held values, worries, and hopes. Learning how to navigate the multiple forces affecting parent / child relationships is a valuable life skill.

Saturday, August 8 · 11am – 1pm ET

What if someone in your life takes a chance and is vulnerable--sharing or doing something with which they are not usually comfortable--with you? How do you respond to fully support the moment and their choice?

These important moments can slip by us unawares, but practicing attunement can help respond more fully in every moment.

"Appreciation" is having a feeling of gratitude inside you, toward another person or yourself. "Celebration" is expression of that appreciation to the other person or to yourself. Both aspects are important!

Saturday, August 22 · 11am – 1pm ET

Most of us know karma as, basically, the concept that our thoughts and actions have consequences, whether immediately or at some future time. Although that statement captures the basic principle of karma, there is significantly more to karma than that.

Another important teaching is the Four Immeasurables, which can be seen as a solution for creating good karma, leading to liberation. To find our true freedom we need to use our higher capacities as human beings, which help us break free from limitations. Actions that are "clean", and do not create bad karma, help us toward our own and others' liberation.

Our higher capacities allow us to cultivate a mind that frees itself from following past negative karma, gradually breaking those chains. By connecting to one's unlimited mind rather than to the narrow mind, we can help free ourselves and others from painful complications in living.

During and after the presentation we will discuss and practice these principles, and enjoy community.

Saturday, September 19 · 11am – 1pm ET

How can you give honest feedback and still keep or improve a good relationship? What if your partner asks you "Do I look good in these pants?" and you think "No"? If a friend has started a business and is about to invest a lot of time and money into it, but you feel it is a bad idea: what do you say, if anything? What if someone you care about is entering into a romantic relationship that to you seems unhealthy: what do you do or say?

These are typical of what can be difficult but important choices in how we communicate, making a relationship deeper or creating stress in a relationship, and potentially helping others and ourselves along a good path in life, even through small interactions.

On one hand, as William Blake said "A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent." On the other hand, authenticity in communication is crucial for strengthening the profound connections that are part of a well-lived life. We will explore how to be authentic and empathetic at the same time.

Saturday, September 26 · 11am – 1pm ET

There is a deep connection between William Blake's worldview, and the worldview of Zen Buddhism.

Our human experience of Truth does not belong to only one cultural heritage, geography, or time; it belongs to all human beings and is our potential to discover for ourselves.

Zen is concerned with finding the original, clear self and expressing that energy and wholeness in everyday life. There are many writings about how to find and live that original self.

In his work, Blake portrayed the human being as ultimately what he called Albion, which represent the original human before our timeless fall from a fully healthy and integrated state of being.

Both Zen and the works of William Blake are pointing to the inner freedom and harmony that we each have from the beginning, but that we need to discover for ourselves.

Saturday, October 10 · 11am – 1pm ET

All of us are meant, eventually, to be leaders, and in some aspects of our lives we are leaders from the moment of birth. When an infant cries, she or he is trying at a visceral level to lead others to respond in a way that helps the infant and makes "the world" (as the infant experiences it) better.

How do we respond as adults to different strategies that others use to lead? And how do WE lead when we are in a position of leadership? How do we lead even when others do not call us a "leader" officially?

Issues we will explore include "power with" vs. "power over", ideas of protection vs. punishment, and the strength of vulnerability along with empowerment.

Saturday, October 24 · 11am – 1pm ET

The Book of Job, from the Old Testament, is considered the oldest book in the Bible. It tells a dramatic story of transformation and awakening.

William Blake made this one of his last projects for illustration, along with the illustrating of Dante's Divine Comedy. The art for the Book of Job was completed, while the Divine Comedy project generated many watercolors (and seven engravings), but was not completed before Blake's death.

Traditional attempts to speak about The Book of Job stumble on such things as why did God allow the Devil to torture such a good man? And why did Job suffer so severely before he finally came back to an even better life?

There is a non-religious, but spiritual, answer to this as well as other questions about the meaning of the Biblical story. In addition, the art created by William Blake to illustrate the story is dramatic and matches well with Blake's understanding of human nature and the possibilities for wisdom.

Find out the beautiful evocation and meaningful interpretation of the Job story in William Blake's engravings.

Saturday, November 14 · 11am – 1pm ET

What if you could find ways to interrupt old patterns of friction or even conflict, and instead find a way to understand and be understood, creating peace and connection instead?

I remember hearing one member of a couple say to the other "I feel that you are an idiot!" after being requested to use "I" statements and express feelings. Of course, that is a fairly extreme example of following the letter of the instructions but not the spirit.

However, when we are genuine with other people while staying with an empathetic attitude, it encourages authenticity in dialogue, and people start to truly understand and appreciate each other's feelings and needs.

Why this re-thinking of the spoken message is helpful is part of our topic of effective communication, dispute resolution, and improving and saving of relationships. The goal in good communication is that all parties in the process can feel seen and heard, and come out with a stronger, positive connection to others.

Saturday, December 12 · 11am – 1pm ET

Does it seem confusing and strange how American society, and to some degree many societies around the world, have moved towards authoritarianism and conspiracy theories? Yet, it does not need to be that way.

The most common response on seeing ideas with which we strongly disagree is to call those with whom we disagree "stupid." Alternative insults are: uneducated; snobbish; weak; out of touch; living in mom's basement; on welfare; and so on. What a list of harsh judgements!

The ways we experience ourselves and the world starts with our family, and continues to evolve throughout adulthood, influenced by those around us and by society's values as a whole. We each attempt to find meaning and fulfillment in our lives while also having impact on the health of our society.