My own personal experiences in the last four decades have been extremely insightful—entering hellish places and spaces in my country and others, rich and poor, and watching in amazement people being shocked with cattle prods, tied to beds, dumped into seclusion rooms, water squirted in the face, locked in filth, putrid jail-like cells, and wrestled to the ground by three, four, five guard-like caretakers. Yet, I have also been amazed at the goodness and courage of caregivers who dedicate their lives to helping others, seek non-violent alternatives, and create often loving relationships with those whom they serve.

Gentle Teaching has moved away from a behavioral approach to an introspective one in which our role as caregivers has changed to a teaching process based on four pedagogical purposes—to teach marginalized persons individuals to feel safe and loved as well as to become loving toward others and engaged as much as possible in his/her own life-project. These four intentions are central to the human condition and its development. They are at the center of all development and all other purposes emanate from them..

The vast majority of today’s interventions are based on behavioral change rather than a healing process. A nonviolent approach calls on families, clinicians, caregivers, the legal system, and policy-makers to understand that a focus on teaching marginalized children and adults to feel safe and loved is a healing process that rids each person of hateful actions and interactions and moves individuals toward pro-social actions and interactions. The infrastructure of Gentle Teaching has evolved into a different focus—the essential role of unconditional love as central to the human condition.