I think the most important thing I have taken away from my intensive weekend training - and there were many important things including connections with an amazing collection of fellow professionals from psychologists to yoga instructors - was reassurance of a "middle path."
This is actually a DBT concept - Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a modality where one is encouraged to hold two concepts to be true at the same time. Thus the dialectic. For example with a teenager it can be: "My parents are really mean and don't allow me to do the things I want, but they also love me." So it's a middle road that is not one extreme or the other (eg "I hate my parents" or "I love my parents.")
With Somatic Experiencing this is more related to body experience and my big discovery was that I "check out" a lot at certain times during the day. This was especially true during long lectures and intense, emotional demonstrations. The clinical word is dissociate - or not being present in your body, checking out, spacing out. Those who experience extreme trauma such as a abuse or war or accidents have good reason to dissociate. But we all do this everyday for less urgent reasons and simply because there is so much information coming at us all the time that we cannot always take it in. At first I felt a sense of guilt and shame that I was doing this so much. With the help of many teachers at this workshop, I was able to accept that this happens and just begin to notice it. Then it became less of a big deal and I began to relax ( less anxiety) and voila - less dissociation and more ability to focus and notice things.
This also lines up with Joseph Goldstein's Insight Meditation technique of noticing and naming emotion, thoughts and sensations that enter the mind/body during meditation. By naming and noticing them they become a bit more distant and allow you to maintain control and be present.
It was really quite a gift. Going to try and hold onto this.
This is actually a DBT concept - Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a modality where one is encouraged to hold two concepts to be true at the same time. Thus the dialectic. For example with a teenager it can be: "My parents are really mean and don't allow me to do the things I want, but they also love me." So it's a middle road that is not one extreme or the other (eg "I hate my parents" or "I love my parents.")
With Somatic Experiencing this is more related to body experience and my big discovery was that I "check out" a lot at certain times during the day. This was especially true during long lectures and intense, emotional demonstrations. The clinical word is dissociate - or not being present in your body, checking out, spacing out. Those who experience extreme trauma such as a abuse or war or accidents have good reason to dissociate. But we all do this everyday for less urgent reasons and simply because there is so much information coming at us all the time that we cannot always take it in. At first I felt a sense of guilt and shame that I was doing this so much. With the help of many teachers at this workshop, I was able to accept that this happens and just begin to notice it. Then it became less of a big deal and I began to relax ( less anxiety) and voila - less dissociation and more ability to focus and notice things.
This also lines up with Joseph Goldstein's Insight Meditation technique of noticing and naming emotion, thoughts and sensations that enter the mind/body during meditation. By naming and noticing them they become a bit more distant and allow you to maintain control and be present.
It was really quite a gift. Going to try and hold onto this.
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