Wendel Zwaal
Trainer
My Nonviolent Communication journey took off in January 2017 when I attended Yoram Mosenzon’s Basic NVC Course.
I experience NVC as the compass I always longed for after many years of feeling lost, disconnected and depressed. After being orphaned at birth in South Korea, being adopted to the Netherlands, the divorce of my parents, emigration of my father and passing away of my mother all before reaching adulthood, I had taught myself to focus on other people’s needs and to avoid conflict, clueless of my own needs in this world.
NVC supports me to navigate life with compassion and empathy to connect with myself and others, to be with what is.
In rapid succession I attended more courses and within a few months a seed was planted that embodying, learning more about and sharing NVC with others would be something I would love to do for the rest of my life. This seed has not only sprouted but also come to bloom by joining the wonderful team of Connecting2Life Trainers. I also offer private sessions and mediations in English and Dutch.
I’m a mother of two small human beings. They are my inspiration to contribute to building a compassionate world, beyond right and wrong.
Wendel’s steady and compassionate mediation during a heavily loaded discussion between my partner and me, provided us with the space to breathe and talk through difficult emotions, while at the same time giving us the gift of fresh insights. Wendel gave empathy precisely where it was needed, and spoke our own ‘jackal’ language to help us both feel completely heard and understood. We are forever grateful to Wendel for the positive and lasting influence she has had on our relationship.
R.
Wendel immediately gave me the confidence to know that even challenging, unpleasant emotions are welcome in the context of NVC training. She did this both through the uncompromising nature of her presence and by literally stating it and – especially – by embodying it. This was enormously reassuring. Wendel dares to experience challenging feelings and she dares to show and share them, and as a result I dared to do it too. Her way of listening made me realise for the first time that these emotions don’t have to be harmful to someone else, despite what I’d assumed for a long time.
M.S.
Wendel is a calm, straightforward listener. She is present and empathic, without getting caught up in my drama; she asks questions that bring clarity, without me feeling that I’m being steered in any particular direction. After the session I experienced more peace and clarity within myself.
R.A.
