We live and breathe our histories
This history is held in our cells, our bodies, our soma
This history is shaped by our upbringing, culture, beliefs, family, institutions. All of our lived experience has moulded us into who we are at this moment.
When we were younger we were skilful, and when life got challenging and our basic needs weren’t met, we made adaptations. We put behaviours in place to take care of ourselves. These skilful adaptations then get embodied. That is, we repeat them enough times that they become automatic, unconscious. This then becomes who we are.
But are we?
To learn to take new actions we need to begin to practice ourselves differently. This can be tough. A change of perspective, great ideas, an enlightening moment, new beliefs - these may be steps on the journey, but they will not fundamentally alter deeply embodied patterns of behaviour.
To begin to do things differently we need to unravel what we know, and at the same time begin to do things anew. If you think of how long you’ve been practicing the patterns that have shaped you, you’ll know that getting to grips with new behaviours takes time. If you’ve ever learnt to drive a car, you’ll know this. And, as old patterns clash with new practices, you’ll need to learn to be comfortable with what’s uncomfortable.
Somatic coaching is a therapeutic and transformational process that builds awareness, facilitates opening of the body and encourages new practices
It’s somatic because its foundation is the domain of the body (‘soma’ is an ancient Greek word meaning the living organism or body in its wholeness) and it’s coaching because it’s a creative process helping you move towards what you care about.
It’s also a methodology rather than a ‘type’ of coaching. Because of this it serves in supporting people with both developmental and therapeutic needs. These include the realms of leadership and personal development, as well as serving people wanting to work with various health concerns; emotional problems, mental health issues, disordered eating, body image crises and other conditions can all be explored within the domain of the soma.
To talk about how a somatic approach to coaching could support your professional or personal journey
This work has given me so much more self awareness around my tendencies. This awareness means that when my ‘old shape’ creeps up I can now give myself options in how I want to respond. It’s been so useful having a coach, having weekly commitments, check ins and feeling purposeful progress towards my wider goal..
— Marlon Rose Tavares, Filmmaker