—Image source: Flickr user AlicePopkorn
I am sitting on a beach in Vieques, Puerto Rico. The sand is white and soft- the water- lapping onto the shore in the most beautiful shades of aqua blue- glistening with the reflections of the sunshine. I cannot imagine a more serene place. And yet, even here, there are times when the storms are so fierce that they batter the shore or an erupting volcano from the nearby island of Monserrat covers the island in grey ash.
Rubenfeld Synergy has taught me the importance of the metaphor. It is based on a principle that our “body” awareness is a metaphor for our lives. And today, reflecting on this place on earth, I see that my awareness is a metaphor for our experience of ourselves.
Our bodyminds are our islands- they contain the most idyllic places that sometimes get battered by storms or covered by the remnants of an earthquake in our lives that has passed. Sometimes the effects of the storms or the earthquakes stay held in our body memory and we forget that the serene places are still there. The greatest blessing I get from my work with clients is helping them to find these beautiful places in themselves again and again until the route becomes a well-travelled one that they can find on their own.
I recently was asked by my Rubenfeld Synergy mentor to partake in an exercise involving a series of steps that allowed me to come home to the place in me that guides my work. I love the exercise and want to share it because it will let you know more about me as a Synergist and is also a great tool for any holistic practitioner to use to gain (or return to) clarity about their own unique philosophy that guides their work. Whenever I refer to this exercise, I receive clarity about how to move with clients in new ways. Here are the steps and my responses to each step:
Step One: In a few words, state the belief that captures why you do the work.
My Response: “Everyone deserves to know their own light, love and power.”
Step Two: Based on that belief, state three intentions that allow this belief to manifest itself in your work:
My Response: “1) Create a space for my clients to find the light, love and power in themselves; 2) Create opportunities for my clients to seek and remove blocks from their light, love and power; 3) Believe in my clients without wavering.”
Step Three: For each intention, identify several actions that support and allow you to fulfill your stated intentions.
My Response:
Intention # 1: Create a space for my clients to find the light, love and power in themselves.
Actions: 1) Guide clients to become aware of sensations, memories and feelings in their bodies that allow them to find the unique resources that reside within them; 2) Heighten awareness of the client’s breath both as a way to find new openings in themselves and as a key to inviting the relaxation response and reduce stress; 3) Use imagery to allow the bodymind to open to its full potential, sensory awareness and experience; 4) Educate clients to identify postures that assist them in grounding and centering.
Intention # 2: Create opportunities for my clients to seek and remove blocks from their light, love and power.
Actions: 1) Assist clients to identify the location and awareness of the blocks, held emotions, places where the body feels stiff, tense, or dark; 2) Explore with clients how and when the blocks might have started in their lives; 3) Invite movement, emotional expression and voice, sound, and/or postural changes that create more ease and fluidity in the body.
Intention # 3: Believe in my client without wavering.
Actions: 1) Communicate verbally and nonverbally my deep respect for my clients; 2) Demonstrate through consistency that I believe in them and that it is my truth that they possess unlimited love, light and power; 3) Give them regular, authentic feedback about their progress; 4) Create a safe environment of trust and acceptance; 4) Allow clients to move at their own pace and give them permission to take the time they need; 5) Continuously communicate my belief that the body tells the truth and contains an innate resilience and wisdom for healing.
I come back to this exercise to guide my work with each client and to stay true to my life’s unique purpose in doing this work. There is so much light, love and power in knowing that whenever the storm or ash blows our way, the beautiful places are still accessible and alive within each of us!
Written by:
Lori R. Schlosser, PhD, Certified Rubenfeld Synergist.
TouchTalkTransform.com.
