nicolasmith

~ Working from a perspective of wholeness ~ Humans are fundamental rhythmic beings who have the capacity to self-regulate, organise and heal themselves.  – Dr Pedro Prado, pioneer of psychosomatics and fellow of SE teaching faculty in Latin America Recently, I listened to a very thought provoking podcast by a  Doctor Suzanne O’sullivan who has written a book called  The age of diagnosis: sickness, health and why medicine has gone too far ( link to podcast at the end). Before we get going here, I want to be explicit: I am by  no means implying that a medical diagnosis for infection, disease or disorders  is not ESSENTIAL in terms of getting timely and correct treatment. Swift diagnosis is key here. Diagnosis – is about finding an answer, we get an answer from someone with more expertise than us, we find a solution, we get the treatment, it’s done, we move on.  This conversation prompted a  wider reflection, in me, on our desire and willingness to seek solutions and answers from outside ourselves. Culturally, we are awash with experts offering their ‘expert advice’ to us – especially in the Media/ Socialmedia who are able to solve our problems or difficulties with 5 easy steps… AND what if there isn’t an end point of ‘better’? What if our life experience is just a work in progress, messy and incomplete?  What if, what we are seeking is not a thing that is ‘finished’ and ‘done’ but more about creating some stability and more capacity for  compassion in order to contain and  hold this flow and swirl of being alive? I was pondering why this conversation about diagnosis resonated so.  Diagnosis is  about seeking answers  outside of ourselves, identifying something that is wrong and the focus being on treating the illness and the condition and not the person. When I was in my mid-20’s I chose a path of exploration, learning & teaching,  which had its roots in the traditional Ayurvedic and spiritual practices of  Yoga and traditional Thai massage and more recently in  Zero Balancing touch. All these approaches are non-diagnostic. There is nothing to find that is ‘wrong’. We acknowledge the entirety of the system. We work with the whole from the whole.. we attune to and support the inherent bodywisdom; the natural rhythmic impulse to return to cohesion and to locate homeostasis.    Why are we so ready to hand over responsibility for our well-being to someone else? This is a familiar scenario:  We go for a massage, we get off the couch. We ask: how did I feel? We want the therapist to notice us, to sense something hidden or inaccessible  and then ‘sort it out’… a bit like going to the chemist for a pill, but just  more touchy-feely! I’ve done this ( as both client and therapist)  we’ve most likely all done this. But isn’t it more interesting to be offered the response:  ” I don’t know, how DO YOU feel?  What do YOU notice happening right now?”  How can I assume to know what it is like to be in your body? Instead, how can we assist the client to find a way and a language to notice how their own body feels. This skill is called: INTEROCEPTION (more about this another time) Developing interoception is an empowering foundation for self-healing. If we don’t know how we feel we can’t make appropriate choices.   What if we can become our own guides? ( not in an  isolated way – it is healthy to lean into the support that is around us, from our own spiritual faith,  practice, community, our mentors or teachers )  What if we could become better experiencers and responders?  How would it be to connect to something that is not known nor cognitively understood?    I think this is why I was really drawn into the approach of Somatic Experiencing,  it’s a continuation of this whole-person approach. Trusting in the natural capacity of the system to heal itself, it generates an approach to life, of noticing with great curiosity and attention,  and without judgement; essentially,  Loving Kindness in action. It is this kind inquiry that increases our capacity to hold seeming contradictions, to make more space for this AND that…. I am not talking about just an ‘open house’ policy where anything goes!  We are also developing a capacity to choose where we put our attention and our actions.   Developing practical tools to consciously choose to attend to the tiniest amount of what is good/helpful/ enriching/ supportive  – in the face of  – chronic pain or emotional distress. Is a fantastically helpful first aid tool for trauma recovery. Our daily experience is not an “either, or” – it can be both. We are not AIMING to never feel dysregulated again,  never to feel triggered or upset or overwhelmed, but when we do, we can right ourselves more swiftly, like a boat that capsizes but that always returns to upright.. bobbing on the waves.  Dr Suzanne O’sullivan – the book is called: The Age of diagnosis: sickness, health and why medicine has gone too far. The link is to Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s podcast.  https://open.spotify.com/episode/650rviBXKWiEn84DvSHyPc?si=jYsK9-4ASj6dfElBjyPiyw