What is somatic coaching?

What is Somatics?

The word “somatic” refers to the physical body. Somatics comes from the Greek word “soma” meaning the body in its wholeness; not just skin and bone, but the body in its aliveness. Somatic coaching involves seeing the client as a whole person, more than their intellect, more than their capabilities, working with who they are as a whole. Somatic coaching helps people gain insight by tuning into and tracking their physical sensations and emotions, perceptions and experiences. Somatics is a term used in therapeutic work that involves the body. The word “somatic” indicates that the approach is based on the soma, or “the physical body as perceived from within”.

Somatic techniques may be used in coaching, therapy, bodywork, psychotherapy, dance, or spiritual practices.

The goal of any work including somatics involves gaining insight and clarity while tapping into your internal experience – how you emotionally feel – with your external experience – how you physically feel.

Traditional coaching focuses mostly on cognitive processes. In my view integrating the body into healing and thinking practices, results in more profound revelations; because of its intimate link to the neurological system. The body holds great wisdom that extends beyond the sphere of the mind.

What is a Somatic Coach?

So what is a somatic coach and what does a somatic coach do?

The body often knows things our brain is slower to process and connecting with a somatic coach can speed up the process of extracting that wisdom, through effective question and holding space for the client.

A somatic coach guides clients in tuning into their body to get to the root of mindset problems, patterns, thoughts or any area a client feels stuck.

Somatics (or body orientated coaching) supports clients to tune into physical sensations that arise from emotions to extract wisdom, messages or memories that exist. As a somatic coach I prioritise putting attention towards the body and what the body feels. In today’s fast paced world, we often pride ourselves on ignoring things we feel in the body.

We get a pat on the back for being booked and busy and carrying on even when our plate feels too full!

But your body usually responds to external signals before your mind does – plugging in to what is happening around you and inside you before the brain does.

As your somatic coach I will encourage you to pay attention to what your body is telling you. Identify when something feels uneasy or joyful and support you to make adjustments so you can live and work at a pace that is sustainable.

In my next post I share what happens in a somatic coaching session with me.