Twig's SE Reflections

Play Episode 75 Here

There's a hope amongst many of us that if we can just "get this to Pendulate" than the task will be done - we can then sit back and watch the magic happen. I don't offer an exhaustive list of why that's a fantasy or incomplete appreciation of what we're doing but I can assure you it is. In a informal-podcast-kind-of-way I say as much in this episode.

Mentions:

In the close of this episode I recommended Brad Kammer's webinar introducing Larry Heller's developmental trauma model NARM. I attended this 2 hour program with Brad recently and was appreciative of NARM (and Brad's) ability to distinguish between Shock and Developmental trauma. There are more introduction webinars coming and I find them reasonably priced. Here's a link to the registration page on Brad's site.

I also saw that the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute is doing another round of short programs on the Foundations of Disaster Response. I'm just saying...I think that's a really great thing. The locations and dates are all listed on this page.

Play Episode 64 Here

Continuing with the theme on Pendulation, this story based episode reviews a few reminder details about how to help ensure that things oscillate if they're not going to of their own.

Many of the themes I touched on in Episodes 63-64 were addressed extensively in my Guide to the SE Language.

Here is a critical question behind the scenes in every session...Will this Pendulate? From a repetitive tension pattern to a looping storyline there are plenty of times a felt experience won't find change unless some outside smarts are brought to bare. That's part of our job as Somatic Experiencing Practitioners: to be able to discern whether an element of experience is likely to pendulate or not and what to do based on that assessment.

Do we lean on this or that element of experience? Do we trust the pendulum to swing or get in there and direct it? Do we hope for the best or make something else happen? I don't answer these directly but I do look at them all while holding the tension inside the question - will this pendulate?

More material on Cultivating Pendulation is available on this episodes show notes page: http://www.liberationispossible.org/will-this-pendulat-podcast-063

Play Episode 62 Here

There are moments in sessions that stand out as more important than others. These events range from increased curiosity to full fledged tracking of involuntary somatic experience. Typically the attention necessary to catch and follow these moments of significance are lost on our clients due to the general noise or thoughts and expectations common to us all. Before we can expect our clients to hang out in the present moment we're going to need to learn how to guard it for ourselves and we'll often need to protect it for others - sometimes even from ourselves and our professional desires. Here's one group of things I'd like to share about a hidden detail in our SE sessions that makes all the difference - how we protect the moment.

Here's another little time-lapse showing part of the process of making these podcasts.

https://vimeo.com/143889052

Play Episode 61 Here

An episode dedicated to a meditation on the similarity between facilitating SE sessions and the act of hunting in the open field, including notions about shared frame of mind, attitude, challenges and joys of engagement. Along with some thoughts about what we're looking for as key information scent in our sessions and the need to sometimes "Hold back our hearts" while the conditions for success are being cultivated.

Maybe it doesn't happen to everyone but plenty of us have wondered if we're frauds. It's only natural. This SE stuff is a "different kind of thing" than most of our clients are prepared for. The worry that we don't know what we're doing is easily exacerbated by not having enough traction and felt success in our work. This episode takes a look at some of the pitfalls that can enhance the feeling of being a fraud along with some sincere practical solutions for the time while you're developing your own mastery of the craft we SEP's aspire too.

Play Episode 59 Here

Here's an easy going look at what comes of every session - closure. A truly non-exhaustive look at the end of sessions.

Fall is here and for many of us that means we'll be attending various workshops or trainings focused on our "improvement" (of Self, profession and so on). These are fabulous opportunities to move us along the change process to where we hope to go. We get inspired, feel the difference, except more from ourselves and others back home. Great! What an opportunity. At the same time, maybe we want to be careful after workshops to not sign any new contracts until we reintegrate with our daily lives. Here a quick, admittedly slightly brambled-up yet forgivingly short episode saying as much.

Play Episode 57 Here

I know I'm not alone! Some of us hate the beginning of sessions. If that includes you here's some commiseration, reality testing, suggestions and what I do to cultivate attunement with the aide of Tit for Tat style reciprocity. There's also a description of one of my favorite adapted improv games: Slow Motion Ninja Riot.

We're back after an unexpected - under-coupling induced - publishing pause! Here's a reflection on the value of people watching for gaining experience in "seeing where a person is" on the various different Somatic maps. Along with the back story on the under-coupling event.