Our somatic database is a marvel
Dealing with body awareness is part of the world we live in
Every day, we move through our world accompanied by our non-processed information. Everything that has overburdened us is deposited in our body awareness. The actions and behavioural patterns of other people trigger this stored information.
All that is required is a similar tonality in the voice of the person opposite or something else that reminds us of the past event. It happens instantaneously and bypasses intellectual awareness. We don’t even recognise that we are reliving the past at precisely the point in time when the relevant event took place.
Imagine that you experienced something unpleasant during your childhood. A group of youths, say, a few of whom you knew well and liked, beat you up so badly that you lost consciousness. Your body awareness will have stored all the external and internal events, in both your conscious and unconscious states.
Everything is stored: every kick and every punch that brought you to the floor, and the resulting wounds, provided the dreadful event has not yet been processed.
There are feelings associated with this experience, as you can imagine. These, too, are stored in your somatic awareness. If someone today triggers these feelings or unknowingly touches you intensely on one of the affected areas then you slip immediately into the past.
You even cut off from relationships that get too close, as back then there were also so-called friends involved. This past experience influences your attitude as well as your thoughts, even if you no longer remember it.
Our society needs to start dealing with body awareness signals on an everyday basis
I use this database a great deal in my work. It is where all non-processed information from the past is deposited and it is the source of all the information I need. I can immediately recognise the relevant event and how much of it has not been processed. Your everyday signals show me this.
Inconsistent behavioural patterns are also a good source of signals. Admittedly, it requires a high level of sensitivity to be able to siphon off this information. You need to be able to understand signals as well as to possess the gift of being able to translate them.
In my view, somatic awareness provides advisers, facilitators and coaches with an excellent opportunity to understand their clients, as it will be easier to be able to explain their reactions towards line managers, staff and colleagues.
It is particularly useful to see and resolve these signals when working with managers, as stress strengthens the reactions that occur as a result of non-processed experiences. This knowledge also needs to be integrated into society.
“We need social integration of all the knowledge about our body awareness.” (Tweet)
Imagine how helpful it would be if even schoolchildren were to learn this knowledge as a matter of course. One’s body knowledge consists of natural intuitive perception, an individual body’s strongest ability and contact with the language of organ and body awareness. Dealing with our body’s awareness should no longer be alien to us: it should be as obvious to us as breathing, moving and thinking.
What does body awareness mean?
Body awareness envelops your body entirely, in a sense, and stores all unprocessed experiences. Think of external body knowledge like a thick pelt. This is how everyone carries stored information from the past around with them – at work, at home with the family and in other environments.
All non-processed information that had an impact on you in the outside world is deposited in your external body knowledge, e.g. if you had illnesses in your past that produced heavy symptoms but you were unable to process the experience then the organs that were affected will continue to emit signals indicating it.
Today, note all the signals that are stored in your body consciousness by becoming aware of whatever the signal wants from you; this will release the stored memory that is disrupting your everyday life. Once you’ve heard the signal, the important thing now is to register it in a pragmatic way. You only need to recognise and name the signal to do this.
Spare yourself pain!
Save yourself detours through the painful feelings that are in most cases associated with these memories. Logic can be used to explain how to do this. Your mind will always lead you towards interpretation, i.e. back into your painful feelings. All mind-based processing therefore leads you back into old pain. I’d like to use a metaphor here that gets to the heart of the matter:
“The mind leads you to the grave, the heart carries you in its arms.”
Three phases of the natural and incidental release of signals stored in body consciousness
But how does the body’s database work? Body consciousness is your storage disk and is subdivided into external and internal awareness. ‘© LEADERSHIP Work after Anke Sommer’ essentially works with these body consciousness levels. There are three phases in which signals are released from the body awareness levels in everyday life
The setting for this work is very important!
The environment in which signal release takes place is crucial. It should be a natural, open environment that is as close to everyday life as possible, i.e. a setting that is not in any way reminiscent of a therapeutic context! The reason for this is the increased accumulation of painful feelings. These should not be touched.
Signal release is equally successful if it occurs incidentally. This applies to most stored experiences if the people concerned are physically and psychologically healthy. These signals emerge particularly effectively in everyday consciousness, i.e. while working in your company, in a café or in a trustful discussion about your professional concerns – wholly in passing.
The three phases of signal release in everyday consciousness
There are three release phases, the first of which is always needed. This work ensures that we do not leave the level of everyday consciousness.
The first phase, which is always necessary, is the release that occurs through increased awareness, which is effected through specific questions targeting your body consciousness. A large number of unprocessed signals are released from your somatic awareness in this phase alone.
The second phase of release occurs equally naturally. It targets the remaining information that has yet to be taken up. Natural movement sequences determined by your experiences, and which have now been identified via the facilitator’s signal-recognition skills, are integrated into the LEADERSHIP COACHING workshop series as well as into the work with small groups.
These movement sequences release the stored information piecemeal out of your body awareness. The sequences are integrated into tasks to be carried out jointly, i.e. in groups. Each person has a different task and thus also a movement adapted to himself/herself.
The third phase of release isn’t essential but nonetheless very useful for people in positions of responsibility who are placed under heavy pressure in their everyday work lives. You learn how to remove the remaining stored matter in passing, during your work, when taking the dog out and in your family life.
You can now release the signals yourself. There is again no generalising here. Each person needs an individual approach that is to be integrated into the daily routine. Taking responsibility for your subconscious behaviour towards staff, colleagues and partners is necessary for phase three to succeed.