Body-Oriented Coaching: What it is and How We Will Work Together
As many of you know, I am working on my certification toward becoming a Body-Oriented Coach, informed by Somatics. This article goes more in-depth on what that is and what it would look like to work with me.
Structure
- Welcome to Your Coaching
- What is Body-Oriented Coaching?
- What to Expect from our work
- Precious personal experience of coaching and/or psychotherapy
- What you bring
- What I bring
1. Welcome to Your Coaching!
I am looking forward to working with you!
This document sets out what we’re doing and how it works. It is meant to be informational and is not a contract.
If there’s anything you want to ask, just get in touch. Email: Dana@thesoothery.com
Dana P.
2. What is Body-Oriented Coaching?
Body-Oriented Coaching is a cutting-edge somatic coaching approach that works not just with the intelligence of our minds, but also the intelligence of our bodies.
This type of coaching is gaining more and more popularity due to its ability to achieve effective results - and because the latest scientific findings provide a great deal of research for why it works.
Body-Oriented Coaching draws on the schools of the somatic psychotherapy Gestalt, Focusing and Hakomi (my personal favorite), and incorporates the latest findings from Neuroscience, Embodied Cognition, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Polyvagal Theory.
Our evolving understanding of each of these domains moves us away from the traditional focus of modern psychology on the reflective mind, and points us towards the Human Being as an integrated system, a complex, intelligent whole.
Most People, especially in the world of work, live from their heads, operating from their intellect. Of course the intellect is incredibly useful and enables us to bring ideas into reality, but we’ve been over-using it, and this can lead to us feeling off-balance.
By using the body in coaching, there is potential to experience more than is already known by accessing the wisdom of the body and breaking through old stories, frozen beliefs, and stuck patterns of behavior.
This type of work can involve engaging with the human form (our bodies) and energy in a variety of ways, including posture, shape, pattern, flow, space, rhythm, movement, stillness, & breath. It also involves following our sensations, emotions, felt senses, and imagination.
Working in this way helps us reconnect with the whole of ourselves and wake up to the untapped resources our bodies hold for living more fulfilling, wise, and ethical lives in the world.
3. What to expect from our work together
Body-Oriented Coaching can sometimes look and feel quite different than traditional coaching.
Here are some ideas for you to hold in mind during our work:
The Authority of the Body
In this approach, we honor the authority of the body. We trust and listen to the body’s impulses, and engage with them to bring them forward.
I may encourage you to sit, stand, lie, shake if you feel the impulse, and move freely. If you need to drink, eat, have a water break..go ahead! This is not an interruption to the process.
We are cultivating a new relationship with the body, one in which we are saying, “I hear you, I am listening and responding.”
Slowing down and working with the Present Moment
During our sessions we will take time for you to come into mindfulness.
This means entering into short periods of time where you are calm and centered enough to observe your own reactions, as if you were observing the behavior of another person.
This can be one of the most powerful things we do in coaching, as we connect with more of ourselves and the deep wisdom that is already there.
In order to support this, part of your role is to continue reporting back to keep me informed on how things are unfolding in your experience.
By trusting the process, tracking what’s happening in the here and now and following your experience as it unfolds, new insights, new possibilities, and new choices will become available.
You are in the Lead
Although I am the one holding the space, you are in the lead. At any point if you feel uncomfortable and want to stop, we can do that.
While we aim to bring gentle attention to all of our bodily experience, we won’t go anywhere you don’t want to go. You are practicing tuning into your inner guidance system.
Bringing an Experimental Attitude
Much of our work will include trying different experiments. I will suggest some ideas of what to do in the moment based on what is happening in the session. We can follow what you are drawn to, and see where that leads.
There is no expectation or attachment to outcome: all results are useful, even if nothing happens at all. This can be creative, effective, and fun!
Working with what is not already known
Often by working with the body, we are working with the unconscious: what is not already known.
As we do this, you may become aware of things that may come as a surprise to you, including some deeper feelings that may feel uncomfortable. This is completely Okay. Our coaching is a safe space.
Resistance
In our work together, we will practice bringing attention to the whole of your bodily experience..including sensations, emotions, images, or thoughts. At times, part of you may resist this and this is completely Okay too. In these moments, we can befriend this resistance.
In this approach, resistance is regarded as having a deep intelligence and it is absolutely welcome too.
The same might be true of our inner tensions. Where possible, allow these, and if they continue to come to the surface, we might explore them.
Interrupting
Unlike a traditional coaching process, interruption is a normal part of Body-Oriented Coaching.
This is because I will be listening to the whole of you. I am interested in both your story (your words) and what your body is expressing as the storyteller (your non-verbal communication).
Therefore there are times when I may interrupt to see what your body is communicating in the present moment as this may be interesting for us to follow.
Correcting
You are the expert on your present moment experience and it’s important that we use the right language. So if I say something that feels inaccurate, PLEASE correct me!
Offering this sort of feedback helps us to really strengthen our coaching alliance, and build even more trust in our relationship. Finding the right words also helps you connect deeper somatically with what is emerging.
In Person v Online
This process can be just as effective, or even more effective, online as it is in person. This is because the important conversation is not so much between me and you as it is between you and your experience. I have found that being comfortable in your own surroundings, wearing comfy clothing without having to go out, drive, deal with weather, see people, go to a new place, etc is really, really nice.
If we are working online, please ensure you are in a private and secure space or room, where you can be free to move as you wish, and the camera has a good headshot of you including at least your shoulders. And also have a good internet connection:)
Giving Time for Nourishment and Integration
At times, toward the end of our sessions, we will sit in silence to help you integrate, let things sink in, journal, or follow whatever feels right.
4. Previous personal experience of coaching and/or psychotherapy
(If we work together and have a contract, this will be in the pre-coaching questionnaire.)
As part of designing our alliance, it is very helpful for you to share your preferences and your previous experience of the support you have received.
What has been your previous experience of coaching and/or psychotherapy?
What did you particularly enjoy and what was more difficult?
What do you need me as a coach to know about you as a client?
What are your hopes and expectations for this process?
5. What you bring
All of you, as you are.
Whatever is obvious to you to bring- thoughts, ideas, questions, notebooks.
Whatever is obvious to you do do or talk about in a session, do that! There will be information in it.
There is no right place to start. We start where we start, go where we go, and what shows up along the way is all that could ever happen.
The process works best:
-If you have a clear outcome in mind for our work,
-If you can follow and report regularly on your present experience,
-If you are able to get into a calm inward focused state and are relaxed enough to allow reactions,
-If you are willing to experience some painful feelings and speak about them and,
-If you have courage and be open and honest about your experience. That courage will be your greatest ally.
6. What I bring
All of me, as I am.
All of my experience to assist you into your present moment somatic experience.
Attention to how you say things; and reasons you might say things; this is the emerging experience we can work on during the session.
All of my presence to explore what’s going on for you right now, knowing that this is what unlocks possibilities.
A knowing that you are an amazing human being, full of potential.
The trust that your body has the wisdom to know what change needs to happen and that it can facilitate it from the inside.
If you would like to work together or have further questions, email me at Dana@thesoothery.com