“Wer’s nicht im Kopf hat, muss es in den Beinen haben”
Since I became a dad, many of my father’s sayings come back to my mind. This latest one (which loosely translates to “Those who lack brain power gotta have strong legs”) was often simplified for us kids to:
“If you’ve not got it here [points to head], you’ve gotta have it here [points to body]!”
I usually heard this when I forgot something and had to walk back to get it, but as I was sitting in my dad’s arm chair on new year’s eve, having a profound embodied experience that may finally turn my health goals for 2024 from an idea into reality, a new realisation emerged:
You’ve got to have it here AND here!
I’ve known this for years having accompanied countless clients through various transformations, but for some reason it sunk in differently in that moment:
Meaningful, complex, and sustainable change occurs when we not only understand the context and desire, but when there’s a sensory experience to go with it. Without an embodied experience, the chances of staying motivated through the challenging stage of maintaining whatever change you’ve initiated, are relatively low.
So imagine my joy as I felt a wave of energy rolling through my body, and as I was vividly hearing a choir of voices (that both were and weren’t my own voice) hurling friendly but firm affirmations at me to get my shit together and start taking proper care of my body.
I can still tune into that energy bundled deep inside the core of my chest, and in fact I turn the voices on each morning to help me get out of bed and move my body.
I hope it stays with me until moving in the morning has become a habit and I don’t have to actively motivate myself so much anymore.
Reflecting on this moment in one of my supervision groups today, it also became clear why the work around integrative practice is so meaningful to me…
We gotta have it here AND here! Effective change work involves the body and the mind. And it transcends boundaries between coaching, therapy, mentoring, consulting, and teaching.
And let me add that I’m not knocking practitioners who choose to work within a specific range, framework or utilize a particular methodology, as long as there’s an understanding that it’ll be limited in its scope. While it might just be the missing piece of the puzzle for a particular client at a particular time, when it comes to complex changes, I’m convinced we need to address multiple angles. And how powerful it would be if we could go and see just one person to accompany us through such a process rather than a whole team of practitioners…
Here’s to the future of integrative practice! And that we may never stop learning new modalities!
With Love
Yannick
New content: Psychoanalytic perspectives on coaching – A conversation with Dr. Simon Western
I love talking to Simon about coaching. His analytic lens and critical perspective never fail to open my mind in some way. In episode #3 of Season 15 of Coaching Uncaged by Animas, we explore the breadth of psychoanalysis and how it influences his coaching work. In the process, Simon offers tangible examples that illuminate what a psychoanalytic lens can add to our awareness and impact. As always, you can listen to this episode or watch it on YouTube. Thank you Animas!
Hungry for more podcasts? Check this out.
Next event: Live Alcohol-free Coaching Demo with Andy Ramage, MAPPCP
Ever wondered what role (if any) coaching can play in supporting clients who want to stop drinking alcohol? I certainly did. And so I’ve invited “the godfather of the alcohol-free movement” to showcase his way of working in February’s Coaching Lab.
Andy has been a pioneer and major player in the alcohol-free movement for many years. We’ve just missed each other at MAPPCP but I’ve heard great things and have been curious (and somewhat critical) about what coaching can offer for people looking to stop drinking, so I can’t wait to see his approach in action with a client, and to take a look into the mind and coaching style of Andy Ramage in this edition of the Coaching Lab.
Grab a ticket or sign up as a member for a chance to catch the recording if you can’t make it: https://gocoachinglab.com/vault/next-lab/
