What the Heck is Somatics?

And how do we incorporate it it into what we do at HRD retreats?

We all have bodies. And we are all aware that each of us has a body. But only you can inhabit your body, feel what's going on in your body, and know what it is like to be in your body. That is somatics. And if we tune in and pay attention, our bodies have many stories to tell.

We all have stories we tell ourselves, and stories our body tells us.  When these stories are consistent, connected, and in alignment it is easier to move through life (physically and metaphorically.)  When they are disconnected, both the mind and the body suffer. We get stuck in life. We feel anxious. We experience pain that has no "cause." We may even get physically ill.

Your body is continually sending sensory signals to your brain.  Some of these are from external scanning to help maintain safety (sight, sound, etc.) and others are internally generated to help maintain homeostasis (thirst, hunger, pain, sleepiness, temperature).  You cannot stop the regulatory function of your body sending signals.  But you can disconnect from these signals, thereby denying your body a dialog with your brain, and resulting in a disconnection in the mind/body story. 

The body says, “Hey, I’m hungry!” Or “That hurts!” Or “I need sleep!” 

The mind says, “I’m fine.”  That's a disconnect.

Or perhaps you had a feeling, and a caregiver or someone you trusted or looked up to told you this feeling was wrong. You were basically told the signals from your own body could not be trusted. Then connecting to them started to feel unsafe, so your subconscious created a disconnect.

This incongruence, whether it originated from within or from someone you trusted, can cause you to begin to distrust your body. Your body’s wisdom is still there, you just lose access to it. In all likelihood, you are completely unaware that you no longer trust your body or listen to it.

This is different from the times you make a conscious choice to override your body's homeostatic messaging. For instance, if you're training for an endurance event, or dieting, or starting an exercise program to get into better shape and you choose to ignore the signals of hunger, or discomfort from a workout this is not a disconnection.  This ability is actually a skill. It is more like a conversation.  “I know this is hard, but it will help us be in the shape we need to run that marathon.” The pain, hunger, thirst, discomfort, etc. is acknowledged and consciously overridden. The dialog continues.

There are times, however, when the choice is not conscious. In times of trauma or extreme stress our subconscious self may disconnect from our body’s signals as a means not to feel them. It is a coping mechanism. This often occurs when we feel our circumstances are not within our control. Or if we have already disconnected in some way because connection didn't feel safe. The trauma or stress is stored in your body, but your conscious brain disconnects from it. In other words, your subconscious remembers it and associates it with some part of your body, but your consciousness does not. This is a disconnect. This disconnect can lead to physical pain, ailments, autoimmune disorders, and even disease that may seem to have no real origin.

In those times of trauma or extreme stress we will also often develop a behavioral coping mechanism (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) which can evolve into a lifelong pattern of behavior, especially if it worked to keep us safe and alive.  That's your nervous system and subconscious self working to keep you alive. The behavior that successfully protected you from that trauma or stress becomes habitual - reinforcing the bodily association. The two, body and habit, are forever connected.  When you're trying to change patterns (physical or behavioral), this mind/body connection means that there are two keys to unlock the door and make changes in your life. 

Top down: from the mind to the body, and

Bottom up: from the body to the mind.

Sometimes one key functions better than the other. Sometimes they work best together.

Sometimes when you unlock the behavior (top down), you also unlock the physical block.

In other words, you finally discover through coaching or therapy why you keep self-sabotaging and all of the sudden your back pain goes away.

Sometimes when you unlock the physical block (bottom up), you also unlock the behavior. In other words, you work physically to release the back pain and all of the sudden you are making better choices in your life.

Sometimes, you need to unlock them separately. 

In other words, when we work from the point of view of the mind, thinking, and behavior patterns to make positive change, we might notice there are also changes to tension we hold in the body.  And, when we work from the body’s point of view and learn to regain connection to the body and release tension, we might also unlock the underlying stress, patterns, or trauma that was being held there resulting in a gain in confidence and a change in behavior patterns. 

Top Down: Many coaching programs are focused on the brain, the nervous system, and nervous system regulation. They use top down methods to unlock old patterns. They may also include experiential practices to help clients attach to the new patterns; they can be very effective.

Bottom Up: Somatics is a bottom up approach focused on creating safety from within our own bodies.  Then working to release old patterns, trauma, and stress by reconnecting our bodies with our minds through movement, breathwork, and deep internal listening. Yoga, somatic experiencing, and breathwork are all examples of bottom up methods.

At HRD Retreats we integrate traditional top down approaches with somatics and experiential learning.  Both approaches help us find and connect with our own answers and inner wisdom. Because of its highly experiential nature, working with horses takes a top down approach and makes it very embodied. Combining somatic movement, breathwork, and Equine Assisted Coaching makes a unique and highly effective program for personal growth.