Friday Lunchtime Lecture Series: Psychotherapy and the Art of Deep Listening, Grace Fisher, LMFT

Friday, June 10, 2016

Psychotherapy 

and the Art of Deep Listening

Grace Fisher, LMFT

“Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals.”       Christopher J. Isham

As therapists, we listen. We listen to people talk about their lives, their struggles, their joys and sorrows. But how do we listen?

This talk will explore ways to cultivate a deep listening presence for our clients, and for ourselves. We’ll look at how the threads of intention, body awareness, and directed attention weave a tapestry of deep presence. By first offering this presence to ourselves we can quiet the mind, and allow our deepest wisdom to guide us with our clients. Mark Nepo writes to listen is “to lean in, softly with a willingness to be changed.” When we, as therapists, allow ourselves to be changed by our clients, the shared space becomes sacred, and the healing more profound.

Drawing upon the principles of mindfulness and existential–humanism, Grace will include poetry, stories, offer experiential exercises, and allow time for discussion.

Grace Fisher, LMFT is in private practice in San Anselmo. She works with tween and teen girls, adult couples and individuals. Grace has taught mindfulness at Spirit Rock for over a decade and is currently leading the weekly women’s meditation class and the Path of Parenting class series. Grace is also in the multi-year Community Dharma Leaders Training Program at Spirit Rock. She is deeply interested in the intersection of mindfulness, spirituality and psychotherapy. She holds a Masters of Education from Stanford and is a member of the California Bar.