Why don’t people just “shut up and listen?!” I hate the Jerry Springer show, the Montel show, the Judges shows…they make tons of money showing people yappin’ and screamin’ at each other. Why can’t people listen with an open mind for a change?

Why can’t people see two sides of an issue? We have to listen to each other. We’re all too busy planning what next thing we’re going to say. If we could “see” the “other viewpoint” we would have more peace in all our relationships. You’ve really helped me, Dr. O’Grady, “shine the light.”

By the way, I test as an Empathizer extrovert (ETE) who “can feel people” and who “can feel what people are mad about” and I can suck in peoples emotions at a party. After using TTM, I don’t feel like such a freak.

“Talk to Me” showed me how to stop trying to explain or share my feelings any longer with someone who has wax in their ears. I used to think “trying harder to fix things” was the only solution. Now I know sometimes you need to let go of those people who don’t want to (or can’t) change.  Now…I’m making really good moves for me. I’m happy and people around me are noticing. I used to be the typical “Empathizer communicator” who was a “bleeding heart” but now I have better balance.

I’m comfortable with myself…life is good, today. I used to be miserable–cryin’ and carryin’ on. I’m moving on and writing the next chapter of my life. Not too long ago, I thought I would be depressed for the rest of my life. I’m so excited to feel alive again!

No longer on his hook…

Negative emotional states (feeling blue, anxious, angry, guilty) act like fog that makes traveling at normal speeds on the two-way communication highway impossible. The problem: To get rid of negative emotions, we often hand them off to another and “stick” them in the mind of a co-communicator.

Empathizer-type communicators are prone to picking up negative or positive emotions from others that do not belong to them. Instigator-type communicators are prone to inciting (passing along) negative emotions in others that do belong to them and need to be worked through. Either way, your emotions affect your optimistic vs. pessimistic attitude and are acted out on the relationship stage for better or worse.