“it’s more than just a thought, it is felt deep within, it’s somatic”
Deep down within each of us is the belief that we have the capacity to be different, to grow, to develop, to be better, to become more than we are right now. It seems that this belief is more than just a whim, more than just a hope, it is a knowing. I have become more aware of this knowing as I have worked over the years with people from all walks of life and especially recently, as we talked with attendees of our Frailty Prevention events and my recent therapy work with clients suffering with mental health concerns. In the toughest of circumstances, this notion, that things can be better, allied to the thought, “I can be more”, drives us to reach out for information, guidance and support.
This belief, this knowing, it’s more than just a thought or cognition, it is felt deep within, it’s somatic, it is part of the very fabric of being human.
Deep down within each of us is the belief that we have the capacity to be different, to grow, to develop, to be better, to become more than we are right now. It seems that this belief is more than just a whim, more than just a hope, it is a knowing. I have become more aware of this knowing as I have worked over the years with people from all walks of life and especially recently, as we talked with attendees of our Frailty Prevention events and my recent therapy work with clients suffering with mental health concerns. In the toughest of circumstances, this notion, that things can be better, allied to the thought, “I can be more”, drives us to reach out for information, guidance and support.
This belief, this knowing, it’s more than just a thought or cognition, it is felt deep within, it’s somatic, it is part of the very fabric of being human.
I love observing it in babies and toddlers who persevere and push and fight to expand their ability to move, reach, crawl, climb and walk. We have close friends with a 15 month-old who has gone from only being able to lie and roll over to, at the weekend, climb up onto a garden chair. The climb, a serious endeavour for a toddler, took him a number of tries as I closely watched over him. His tenacious spirit was a joy to behold. He twisted his body this way and that to somehow gain some purchase with his little toes on the chair leg and wrestle his body upwards as he tightly gripped the seat of the chair. The satisfied smile on his face once he was sitting upon what appeared to be his newly conquered throne made me chuckle and it lifted me.
That same spirit can be found in all of us and when we unselfishly observe others wrestle and struggle and fight to achieve something new, we can’t help but be stirred. I am yet to meet a person in whom this knowing is absent completely. There can be times when circumstances overwhelm us and for brief moments we might despair, “How did it get to this point where I feel this bad?”, or “I don’t know if I can cope with this” but thankfully, they are generally fleeting, leaving us to get back to our climb.
For too many, however, these moments last and that fighting spirit can be crushed. In those moments, we seek love and support, maybe unconsciously recognising that even amidst the storms without and the storms within, a caring person often holds a hope-filled perspective on us and our troubles that we might be able to absorb until we are ready to regain our own hope. Even in our darkest moments, we reach out for help, demonstrating again that deep within there is a knowing that we can grow.
In many ways, the role of the therapist, whether it be a psychotherapist, counsellor, physiotherapist, reflexologist, coach, etc. is to hold a vision, a hope-filled perspective for their client and to nurture the knowing in their client in order that they can heal, become more, and live with vitality.
It is also our personal responsibility to curiously reflect and enquire where our sense of knowing is guiding us. What/Who are you yearning to become?
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Wellbeing… it means different things to different people but one thing is for certain, it means a lot to everyone. We all want to be well, healthy, full of vitality and joy. But life is sometimes tough and there is no such thing as a pain-free life.
Learning to live well, despite the tough times, is key to being happy and fulfilled. This is what this blog is all about.
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