The Potential for Compassionate Witnessing
One of the components of SHADE (c) is Discernment. The idea is that when a person is in the midst of a difficult situation, whether it be a conflict, a critical incident, or some hard choice to make, we need wisdom and discernment. Often it is hard to hear the "still small voice" in the midst of stress and chaos, and certainly making decisions during these same times can be next to impossible. Even if the decisions come relatively easy, there's the second guessing to deal with. The discernment piece of SHADE involves having at least 1 or 2 others help in these moments when clarity and trust are needed, and I envision compassionate witnessing being the mode with which they do this. Compassionate witnessing flows out of restorative practices, and specifically, restorative responses to adversity and trauma. It entails two people having a facilitated conversation that is witnessed by two others. When the conversation is over, the two witnesses then talk about what t