“Deep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of another person. You can call it compassionate listening. You listen with only one purpose: to help him or her to empty his heart.” -Thích Nhất Hạnh
At its core, Active Listening is just a fancy way of describing something that most people already know intuitively – sometimes, if you talk with someone about your problems, you feel better. What makes Active Listening different from talking with someone normally, is that there are rules for the behavior of the listener designed to offer the maximum possible emotional support to the speaker. For example, an Active Listener will never interrupt you, try to tell you how to solve your problems, or judge you. It is not about having someone try to fix you, or tell you how to live your life! The whole process is designed to help the speaker (you!) talk through their problems, find relief, and maybe even some solutions.