Play this music. Take a moment to focus on your breathing and get into a relaxed state. Then, ask your deepest self the answers to the following questions. Write down whatever comes to you:

• When do I struggle to listen?

• What do I feel inside when I'm struggling to listen?

• Deep down, what am I afraid will happen if I listen more attentively?

• What experiences in my past contribute to my feelings and fears about listening?

• What experiences in my ancestors' pasts make it difficult for me to listen?

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Destroy the paper you wrote of this on. Wash your hands. Take a deep breath. Smile.

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Now, imagine that all of the trauma and fear in you that makes listening difficult is another person. Write that person a letter. In the letter, complete the following prompts:

• You don't need to be afraid because....

• Listening will help us by....

• Listening will help other people by....

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Read over what you wrote. Pull words and phrases from the letter to write up one to three affirmations. Use the Breath of Life technique to internalize these affirmations.

We prepared a guided meditation that you can do each day to help you increase your ability to listen.

If you're a patron on our Patreon, you can access a recording of the meditation by clicking here. Otherwise, you can have someone read you the written script of the meditation or record yourself reading it.

Write a plan for daily maintenance. Your plan could include the following:

• Do the listening meditation (from step 2) at a set time each day or every other day.

• Use the affirmations you wrote in step 1 with the Breath of Life at a set time each day or every other day.

• When you're struggling to listen during a conversation, use the technique you learned during the meditation to instantly become present.

• After a conversation where you didn't listen very well, ask the feelings in you that made it hard to listen to come up. Use Tapping to process these feelings.