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NLP Master Library: Virginia Satir

Virginia Satir

Quotes from Virginia Satir

I wish for all of us to live as fully as we can. The only time I really feel terrible is when people have not lived a life that was an expression of themselves. They lived with all those “I shoulds” and “I musts” and with blame and appeasement and all that stuff, and I think to myself: “How sad.”
Virginia Satir (1988)

When I was much younger than I am today, an older person whom I cared for very much once told me: "Spend at least fifteen minutes a day weaving dreams. And if you’ve woven a hundred, at least two of them will take on a life of their own."
So keep dreaming your dreams and don’t worry about whether they can come true or not; weave them first. Many have killed their dreams by trying to find out whether they could realize them before they had even dreamed them. So if you are top-class dreamers, dream them — several at once — and then see what kind of reality emerges to bring them to life, instead of saying: "Oh my God, what can I even dream in this reality?"
Virginia Satir (1984)

Whatever another person says cannot make us into what they see us as, unless we allow it ourselves.
Virginia Satir

Before I leave this world, one of the things I wish the whole world would know is that human connection is created through the contact of skin, eyes, and the sound of the voice. These are the things we were taught before we had words. The way our parents touched us, how they looked at us, how their voices sounded — all of that is stored within us.
Virginia Satir (1988)

The Life of Virginia Satir

You can find more about the life of Virginia Satir in our section on Important Figures in NLP on the page Virginia Satir.

The Four Satir Types (Coping Stances)

Core Concepts of Virginia Satir

Core Beliefs:

Virginia Satir was convinced that there is a life force or world spirit that operates in many dimensions and also influences our behavior.

She saw every person as a valuable part of creation.

She was also convinced that every human being is unique and beautiful. This understanding of the world and humanity shaped her psychotherapeutic relationships.

Nevertheless, she was realistic and knew that for many people, their inner riches could be deeply buried.

She did not assume that all people only do good or are driven solely by positive motives. But at their core, all human beings are good.

Virginia Satir gave the highest priority to interpersonal relationships and respect for oneself and others. Every person depends on relationships and cannot exist alone. She also emphasized mutual dependence and the fact that everything we do reflects back on ourselves.

Like other representatives of humanistic psychology, Virginia Satir believed that if we grow up and live under growth-promoting positive conditions, we are fundamentally good, creative, productive, and loving.

For her, growth, development, and change were essential characteristics of life itself.

Every person is born with a very specific potential that distinguishes them from all others and makes them unique.

Virginia Satir's Toolbox

Other Topics on Virginia Satir

Literature

  • Moskau, Gaby & Müller, Gerd F. (Eds.):
    Virginia Satir - Paths to Growth, Paderborn 1992 (Jungfermann Publishing)
  • Andreas Steve:
    Virginia Satir - Patterns of Her Magic, Paderborn 1994 (Jungfermann Publishing)
  • Bandler, Richard; Grindler, John & Satir, Virginia:
    Talking with Families, Munich 1987 (J. Pfeiffer Publishing)
  • Satir, Virginia; Banmen, John; Gerber, Jane; Gomori, Maria:
    The Satir Model, Paderborn 1995
  • Walker, Wolfgang:
    Adventures in Communication, 1996 (Klett-Cotta)

Lesson Content