What is it?
This is a holistic approach to helping people that deals with the mind and the body in equal measure. It is designed to produce change and it can be transformative in many cases. By taking a look at the whole of a person, it is possible to address issues and to reshape a life in a more positive manner. Somatic is a word that derives from the Greek term soma, meaning the whole body, not just the main parts of it. Because most professionals now agree that psychology and neurology are more intertwined than people use to think, it is increasingly understood how much human biology plays its part in how we all think and feel. If you consider just how much muscle memory your body has, for example, then you can appreciate just how the body and the mind are interlinked. Also, if you have had trauma and still years past you are having problems this is no coincidence, the affects still lie within your body and, may have manifested itself into illnesses and pain. Animals are natural at somatics and reset their nervous system after a traumatic experience (e.g. shaking or freezing and then shaking it off). Humans have a much more evolved brain so bring rational and reason into it and, our nervous systems don’t get reset and result in continual distress, pain and secondary illnesses because we don’t realise what is in our bodies. Somatic body coaching helps people to achieve what they want in life by addressing bodily issues in the round alongside mental ones.
How can it help you?
Anyone who suffers from mood swings, self-esteem issues and anxiety – can benefit from somatic body coaching. It aims to improve confidence and to help reshape bodily practices and habits that may be holding you back. For example, if you focus on smiling more – a bodily practice – then you can affect your own mood and the mood of those around you. This is a simple example, but if you apply somatic body coaching to people who may have suffered from some form of trauma, then you will see other bodily responses which may be framing their mindset negatively. Often, it is the case that by addressing issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) somatically, its more debilitating effects can be overcome. All too often, people with PTSD try to manage their condition on their own, without sufficient help and wholly within their own minds. Somatic body coaching can help you to break free of such mental shackles.