ABOUT HC
Horizontal Communication is communication that seeks to connect people in genuine mutual compassion and release, rather than staying trapped in power struggles. It builds more satisfying relationships, and brings about fresh, creative solutions to situations that used to feel stuck.
Many of us don’t realise that the way we communicate is shaped by a ‘vertical’ culture of domination. Almost all of us come from an ancestry of domination – whether our own particular ancestors were the dominators or the dominated. When we use the resulting heritage vertical communication strategies currently normal in our world, to try to express love and care, or to try to solve problems, this often backfires, and we’re left feeling bewildered: where did things go wrong?
Horizontal Communication can empower us to sustainably connect with those we love, as well as to transform interactions with ‘enemies’.
Horizontal Communication problem solving does not identify a perpetrator and a victim, but looks at mismatches of underlying needs, and seeks to replace solutions that meet the needs of only some parties, with dynamic win-win solutions that come closer to meeting everyone’s needs.
Horizontal Communication is an umbrella term that embraces many forms of alternative communication such as Non Violent Communication, Rogerian Active Listening, Clean Language and more. HC seeks to distill and combine the essence of these different communication initiatives, and cut to the core ‘DNA’ they all express, without the details that sometimes get in the way. This is not done in order to replace training in any of these excellent communications disciplines, but to contextualise and complement, and in some cases, help complete.
You are encouraged to participate in these existent forms of life-changing training, and, at the same time, if these other forms have not worked for you, simplified HC as presented here, might offer enough of the breakthrough you desire.
ABOUT JE’ANNA
Je’anna L Clements believes that the human species is about to come of age. Either we will annihilate ourselves in the process, or we will evolve new ways of being and doing. Horizontal Communication is one of the things that can make that difference. Self-Directed Education is another, and you can find articles by Je’anna and other awesome authors on this topic here are www.self-directed.org, and support in your journey both with Horizontal Communication and with SDE facilitation here at https://www.patreon.com/JeannaClements