The Constructed Awareness Podcast

Episode 6: CA and Nonviolence

Episode Summary

In this episode of the Constructed Awareness Podcast, Tyler Orr is joined by psychotherapist Jandira Zaki to explore the principle of nonviolence in therapy and its role within Constructed Awareness (CA). Together, they reflect on how shifting from making clients feel better to holding space for awareness can transform both clinical work and personal relationships.

Episode Notes

• 00:00 – Welcome and introduction to Jandita Zaki
• 02:40 – Overview of CA and its first principle: awareness brings change
• 04:55 – Ron Kurtz’s influence and the concept of “violence” in therapy
• 07:20 – Jandita’s personal experience discovering nonviolence in CA training
• 12:05 – Filling vs holding space: therapist discomfort and the urge to help
• 19:10 – Sitting with silence vs holding silence in session
• 23:30 – Resistance, duality, and how advice-giving creates tension
• 25:50 – Helping interns move from fixing to presence
• 28:10 – Mindfulness as repression vs mindfulness as presence
• 32:40 – Sitting with emotions without promising outcomes
• 37:05 – Nonviolent language: “I want you to” vs invitational phrasing
• 41:40 – Co-regulation, childhood experiences, and emotions as involuntary
• 46:10 – Cultural perspectives on emotions like anger
• 50:40 – Eurocentric therapy vs CA’s flexible building blocks of experience
• 55:40 – How CA helps clients discover their own inner wisdom
• 58:00 – How to connect with Jandita and resources on Constructed Awareness