Long COVID Empathy Circle

ON HIATUS.

The Long Covid (LC) Empathy Circle meets every Sunday at 4pm ET.

An Empathy Circle is a structured dialogue process based on mutual active listening (following Active Listening as first introduced by Carl Rogers in 1957), where each person will have an opportunity to speak whatever is on their heart/mind and another member is the active listener, reflecting back what they heard. The roles of speaker and listener rotates throughout the group.

Even though this group is called the "Long Covid" Empathy Circle, participants are free to talk about anything that is alive in you.

The process increases constructive dialogue and mutual understanding by ensuring that each person feels fully heard to their satisfaction.

The LC Empathy Circle is a place to be heard by those who understand, to experience empathy and also, a place for you to give a listening ear of empathy to others who also are in need of it. It is safe space to be able to release whatever is on your heart, whether it's pertaining to Long Covid or not.

The founder of Empathy Circles, Edwin Rutch, describes an Empathy Circle as:

An Empathy Circle is a structured dialogue process that effectively supports meaningful and constructive dialogue. The basic process can be fairly easily learned in about 15 minutes, and it is a lifelong practice to deepen. An Empathy Circle increases mutual understanding and connection by ensuring that each person feels fully heard to their satisfaction. The practice is the most effective gateway practice for learning, practicing and deepening listening and empathy skills, as well as, nurturing an empathic way of being.

For those not familiar with LC, there are many sources to learn more about LC, such as:
[Long COVID (PASC): What Is It and How Different Is It From COVID-19? (webmd.com)](https://www.webmd.com/covid/what-is-long-covid-pasc)