Difference Between Somatic Therapy and Somatic Coaching: Part 2
As discussed in previous blogs, there are similarities and differences between therapy and the type of somatic work I offer clients. Somatic coaching and bodywork can be very therapeutic, but that is not the same as saying they are meant to be a replacement for therapy. Remember that therapy, including somatic therapy, is primarily designed to address a particular issue, a particular trauma. Somatic coaching is broader - it is about learning to live in your body and live from a place of being centered and grounded. In becoming more centered - more aligned with our values and more connected to our bodies - we invariable navigate through past traumas and past pain.
Somatic Coaching
In somatic work it is essential to do more than just talk about what your issues are. In this blog I review some of the ways I work with clients and why I believe they are important for your somatic development. Again, this is not to say that the traditional way of organizing with a client (seated facing each other and talking) is not a highly important and effective clinical choice. The point is that it is a limited path of somatic development because it only reveals how we organize in our body in one particular context or domain.
Standing
When we stand we have the opportunity to organize ourselves in our body in a way that centers us and prepares us to take action. That action could be a movement or it could be a conversation - a conversation we are having with ourselves or with another. Even if we are simply standing to walk into the kitchen to make dinner, we have an opportunity first to align ourselves with how we want to be in the world. And to align ourselves with how we want to be, we first have to feel our body. I will almost always work with clients on a standing practice so they can begin to feel how they live in their body when they take a stand for what they care about. For example, do they tighten their belly to look “put together” in a particular way? Or perhaps they keep their feet close together such that they avoid taking up space or being seen?
Walking
Similar to standing, when we walk we want to be walking in a way that connects us to how we want to be in the world. If we want to transform something about ourselves, it won’t work just to try to be different during those moments we are having a challenging time. We need to practice being different in our body. Walking from center means you are walking in such a way that you are present, open, connected. It means that when I work with clients I will at some point watch them walk and offer suggestions around how they can shift their walk in such a way that they are practicing embodying their personal values. This may mean bringing their gaze up, taking a longer stride, or letting their hips and shoulders be more relaxed. If we want to embody something new, we have to practice moving about in ways that show it.
Standing Practices
Building on standing and walking, standing practices are done while both myself and the client are standing. In these practices (and there are dozens of them) we may interact with each other, making gentle physical contact. Remember: the mind lies; the body doesn’t know how to lie. In this sense, these practices are incredibly revealing about what is actually going on with someone. Are they timid around how they place their hand on my shoulder? Are they overly aggressive in how they do it? How we move tells a story about what our inner narratives are. If we want to explore embodying what it is we care about, it is hugely beneficial to practice being in our bodies in ways that are aligned with what we claim as our values. How we interact with another during a standing practice will reveal the work we need to do, and how to do that work.
Bodywork
Bodywork is another way of working with people that is almost always left out of somatic therapy. Once again, like standing and walking, we will consciously or unconsciously organize ourselves in a particular way when we lay down on a massage table with a practitioner standing over us. For some, this is relaxing. For others, it’s terrifying. And how our body responds to touch and relaxes (or doesn’t) is equally revealing about what’s going on in our inner world. It can be very challenging to feel the degree to which we are holding tension in our bodies until, through mindful touch, we invite softening and letting go of our unconscious muscular contractions (armoring). Bodywork is how we learn what it feels like to be relaxed and alive at the same time.
Coaching and Bodywork Move Us Beyond Just Talking
We can talk about our fears and our values and our longings, but how we actually show up in the world and show up in relation to others is revealed in how we are in our bodies when we stand, walk, move about, etc. Unless we are examining what happens in our body when we get up from the chair, we can’t fully learn how to be in a body that supports the changes we want for ourselves. Somatic coaching and somatic bodywork are right for you if you want to transform how you show up in the world. Message me to schedule a consultation for either online or in person work.