The Embodiment of Nonviolent Communication Principles in Aikido: an Elicitive Approach to Conflict Transformation
My thesis is the result of a research in which I thoroughly investigate the philosophical relationship between Nonviolent Communication and aikido. Systemically anchoring my arguments in the elicitive conflict transformation approach, I start by analyzing the roots of Nonviolent Communication as developed by Marshall Rosenberg. I continue by describing the Japanese art of aikido, specifically its historical origins and its spiritual roots, focusing on Shinto, Shingon Buddhism and the Omoto Kyo sect. Finally, I present the philosophical amalgam of Nonviolent Communication and aikido as seen from a practitioner’s point of view. In fact, I build my arguments upon my practice of the Art of Peace, and I methodologically bring the verbal and nonverbal aspects of nonviolence together in order to create a holistic understanding of elicitive conflict transformation, which I call Aiki-NVC.
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My journey in Innsbruck encouraged me to keep looking inside myself for knowledge, in addition to seeking information from external sources. For this reason, I chose embodied writing, as developed by Rosemarie Anderson, to be the principal methodology of my research. My experiences practicing aikido, meditating and applying the embodied writing methodology generated the insights on which I built and developed Aiki-NVC. Until this day, I practice Aiki-NVC as I foster the qualities of empathy, sincerity, gratitude and making requests, while being rooted in the here and now.
This thesis has been published by LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing as a book, titled “The Embodiment of Nonviolent Communication Principles in Aikido: an elicitive approach to conflict transformation.”