Somatic Body Oriented Coaching
No person ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and they are not the same person. Heraclitus
Why Somatic Coaching?
Our mind and body are inseparable. This deeply interconnected relationship means that when we treat the bodymind as separate, we become disconnected and feel more stress, tension, stuckness, overwhelm, perhaps a sense of being lost. Even when we know what we need to do, often, this intellectual understanding alone doesn’t lead to sustained transformation. If we seek to meet a challenge fully or invite lasting change into our lives we must include the whole of ourselves. Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours shape our neural pathways. Through embodied awareness, we can influence these pathways, supporting meaningful and sustainable change. These sessions provide a supportive space to connect as a unified bodymind, to deepen your understanding of yourself, your life situation, and your relationships. This connection helps you get clearer on ways to move forward .
By inviting the full intelligence of the bodymind with loving curiosity, we become present to how you are in the moment, to discover how your experiences are shaped by unconscious beliefs and habitual responses. Noticing these patterns helps us to see which of these are resourcing and nourishing and which ones are no longer serving you. This is deeply empowering: just as the body holds unhelpful patterns/memories of the past, it can also learn and embody new, more life-affirming ways of being. In doing so, we make space for more joy, play, ease, balance, and creativity.
Unlike most other coaching, somatic body oriented coaching is process led NOT goal driven. Each time we meet, we co-create a safe environment for you to be fully present with your whole self. We will slow down, enter periods of time where you are regulated, calm and centred enough to observe what is happening in the bodymind. From this place, we greet whatever presents itself in the moment. This might be a topic or situation already known or something that arises without prior conscious thought; all is welcome. Whatever comes, we greet it with kindness and care, not with judgement – there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. In these sessions, through thoughtful, assisted self-discovery, we are cultivating a playful curiosity in order to learn information from your whole bodymind system about what is unconsciously being habitually and automatically organised by old assumptions and beliefs. These might be keeping you stuck, preventing you from thriving, making you unwell. We spend time resourcing and nourishing your system, and by following what emerges, noticing patterns, new insight and possibilities will arise. The use of somatic based enquiries offers depth and richness. Forward movement in your desired direction is created, through integration of these insights, in and out of sessions. Helping facilitate connection with, and development of, the whole-self in a nurturing environment will facilitate a clearer understanding yourself and/or a situation.
The somatic body oriented coaching session follows your lead; you are the expert of your bodymind. Everything is by invitation.
Before we start working together, I offer a 30 minute free consultation. We can think about any questions you may have and explore hopes and expectations. Once we decide to work together, we will then draw up an agreement which sets out the parameters of our sessions, including cost, confidentiality, frequency and duration of sessions, cancellation arrangements, etc
I offer sessions in person at Falmouth Active Health or online. Each session is £65 for an hour, and it is usual that we meet once a week. If cost is a barrier for you, please let me know as we can think about this together.
What to Expect…
We can experience our unconscious patterns in both our physical and emotional body. For example: muscle tension, headaches, sleep disturbances, ill health, anxiety, low mood, anger, or frustration are all signals that we are off balance. When we acknowledge and include our full selves in the process, we open the door to a richer, more integrated dialogue. Ignoring or overriding parts of ourselves often results in resistance—manifesting as stress, illness, or emotional dissonance—and keeps us stuck in familiar patterns.
It is for someone who would like to understand themselves and/or a situation better by giving space to areas of their lives (relationship, family, work) that they feel are not best serving them - to help readdress a balance.
I have training and have experience in working with many areas of life experiences, including: trauma, vicarious trauma, stress/ burn-out and anxiety.
Who is it for?
Psychotherapy deals with how someone’s present life is influenced by their past, in psychotherapy we might spend more time alongside events and experiences from the past. In somatic coaching the focus is on a person’s present moment experience and seeking clarity on how they might move towards a more meaningful and fulfilling future. It is possible for each session to be self contained with an initial specific enquiry, exploring the enquiry, next steps and end.
It might be that during the course of our coaching sessions, it becomes clear that we need to approach the past to help understand a little deeper what is happening. As I am a psychotherapist, this is not a problem and we can re-contract to your need.
How is Somatic Coaching is different from Psychotherapy…
This work is rooted in the long standing evidence base for different approaches such as Gestalt therapy, Hakomi and other body oriented therapies.