Author
Dr. Ras Mulinta, B.Ed.; Ph.D. Physiology (biography and disclosures)
Disclosures: Nothing to disclose.
What I did before:
For years, I struggled to give feedback that truly supported growth. I took on the role of teaching enthusiastically, often feeling pressured to perform. At times, I masked my own cognitive fatigue, imposter syndrome included, to keep the energy up. I was functioning in a paradox: exhausted yet energized, kind yet guarded. Despite feeling isolated, I still carried the weight of creating emotional safety for others.
A year ago, I created the L.O.V.E. framework: Listening, Observing, Validating, and Empathizing[1], which offered the structural clarity I needed to respond and provide feedback with greater care by using inclusive language.
While the framework provided an enduring sense of grit and ability to be more creative and productive during assessment time, it did little to alleviate the cognitive burn-out and exhaustion I was experiencing. In fact, adopting the framework caused elevated brain energy consumption due to the extensive focus necessary for engagement during each step of the framework and the sheer volume of data that needed processing. This was more than what I bargained for, and eventually, I noticed that when unchecked, the insidious pattern of cognitive burn-out was exacerbated.
Consequently, I began to ask myself: How can I offer genuine L.O.V.E. to others if I’m not offering it to myself?
What changed my teaching practice:
Paradoxically, I was pleasantly surprised by how deeply positive the practice of using the L.O.V.E framework affected me. As I engaged more intentionally with learners and colleagues, I found myself becoming more present, attuned, and honest, with them and with myself.
I came to realize L.O.V.E. was more than a feedback tool. It felt like I had re-wired a new neuronal circuit and had unintentionally triggered a metacognitive reset, prompting me to question the deeper purpose of my work as an educator. This intersection of philosophical inquiry, spiritual practice, and neuroscience remains a paradox, and a largely underexplored area in research.
“L.O.V.E.ing” used as a verb is now a daily check-in practice of returning to myself. I experience it as active emotional regulation grounded in compassion, which I have come to call “Radical L.O.V.E.ing”. I found language for this in Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire[2], a Brazilian educator and philosopher whose work revolutionized global thought on education. In it, Freire describes praxis as reflection and action to transform the world, rooted in unconditional love. While a radical concept, he ascertained that love void of conditions leads to liberation, freedom, and self-actualization, which is the antidote to oppression.
What I do now:
Over time, I adapted the original framework to include feedback for my learners and myself. Here’s what “Radical L.O.V.E.ing” toward self looks like in practice:
L: Listening to Myself
I make time to slow down, notice bodily sensations and experiences. As a daily practice, I journal and use self-talk meditation (Supplementary Material 1) to name what I feel and regulate it. This is what Dr. Dan Siegel calls “name it to tame it”.
O: Observing with Compassion
Rather than evaluating myself by productivity alone, I pay attention to my intrinsic motivation. I balance emotions with facts and consciously choose responses that support healthier habits recommended by certified providers[3].
V: Validating My Experience
I validate my emotional and physical responses without needing to fix them. When I feel tension, I pause. When I feel overwhelmed, I remind myself, “this makes sense.” I’ve learned to reframe this as a measure of resilience and growth opportunity rather than personalizing it. Maya Angelou’s words stay with me: “Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”
E: Empathizing with My Inner World
I offer myself inclusive, affirming language using I-statements:
- “I feel afraid of letting people down.”
- “I am grieving the gap between what I want to give and what I can sustain.”
- “I am proud of how I showed up today, progress, not perfection.”
Empathy towards myself is a growth mindset in action[4] and helps me to show up more fully for others in a compassionate manner.
For example, when I Observe myself withdrawing from meetings or stuck on grading, I now Listen inwards and ask, “What is this behavior trying to tell me?”. Rather than being self-critical and scrambling for solutions as per my previous tendencies, I pause to Validate with curiosity. This shift from judgment to inquiry activates the reasoning centers of the prefrontal cortex while regulating the emotional centers of the amygdala regions to what Dr. Seigel refers as “Empathizing from within.”
How my experience is relevant to teachers in the Faculty of Medicine:
Let’s be honest. We are working within an overburdened system that urgently needs dismantling and reimagining. That work begins with “Radical L.O.V.E.-ing” of ourselves first. Through this practice, I have begun to feel more whole. My intrinsic motivation is renewed, and I experience more agency[5], clarity, purpose, and flow, in the classroom. In moments when teaching becomes fully absorbing, what Csikszentmihalyi[6] describes as “flow”, I experience a complete merging of action and awareness where self-consciousness disappears and time transforms. I also carry a deeper hope for the future of medical education, what Freire called “an act of courage and a commitment to the dream of a better world” (Pedagogy of Hope). While these qualitative experiences are challenging to quantify, there is evidence suggesting that self-compassion practices and reflective self-care significantly enhance sense of efficacy in human agency, thus reducing teacher burnout, enhance emotional resilience, and improve both teaching presence and student engagement. These benefits extend beyond individual agency to strengthen the education environment as a whole[7].
References & Acknowledgements
- Mulinta R. Delivering Feedback with L.O.V.E. A Perspective on Learner-Centered Feedback. This Changed My Teaching. 2024.
https://thischangedmypractice.com/delivering-feedback-with-l-o-v-e/ - Freire P. Pedagogy of Hope. Reliving Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Bloomsbury Academic. New York. 1994.
- Hanson R. Rewiring Happiness. Harmony. New York. 2013.
- Dweck C. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House. New York. 2006.
- Bandura A. Self efficacy mechanism in human agency. Am Psych. 1982;37(2):122–47. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.37.2.122
- Csikszentmihalyi M. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row. 1990. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/flow-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi
- Oberle E, Schonert-Reichl KA. Stress contagion in the classroom? The link between classroom teacher burnout and morning cortisol in elementary school students. Soc Sci Med. 2016;159:30-7. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.04.031
Supplementary Material
- R Mulinta. 2025. Flow Audio (8 minutes self-meditation audio clip). https://rasmulinta.com portfolio.
Vote
Loading ...
Recent Comments