 Awareness: A Transformation Catalyst in Gestalt Soul Care
Awareness is the lifeblood of Gestalt Soul Care (GSC). It is a foundation and a catalyst for personal growth, relational healing, and spiritual transformation. In the GSC approach, we believe that when you cultivate awareness, you can access the innate wisdom of your body and soul and create a space for profound change. Let’s explore the dimensions of awareness in the Gestalt Soul Care world—what it is, how it contrasts with mindfulness, its zones, and how it equips us to become more aware of our current environment, and how to move forward into meaningful transformation. 1. What is Awareness in Gestalt Soul Care? Awareness is the Mantra of Gestalt, and in Gestalt Soul Care we believe the saying: “Awareness is half the battle.” This means that becoming aware of what is happening in your body, mind, and spirit at any given moment can create (bring provide) the conditions for meaningful change. Without awareness, we operate on autopilot, sometimes repeating patterns that no longer serve us and keep us stuck in cycles that aren’t working. In GSC awareness is intellectual understanding and includes holistic knowing—an embodied, relational, emotional, and spiritual awakening to what is. Awareness illuminates the path forward, encouraging us to trust the process being led by your Holy One—and thereby discovering the creative potential for change, healing, and growth while inviting us to pause and be in the present moment. Viktor Frankl invites us to notice the space between stimulus and response, and in this pause, transformation can begin. 2. Awareness and Mindfulness: Overlaps and Contrasts Awareness and Mindfulness share some common elements such as the being in the here-and-now, and a philosophy of whole-person integration. I believe they serve two different functions. Many of us walk through most of our lives in a state of “blindfulness,” not noticing what we are doing or thinking, or our physical state. Mindfulness is an opportunity to stop, be still, and observe calmly all the thoughts and sensations without responding actively. I believe that in GSC Awareness implies a more active state, even if it is just a lively curiosity about being still, and noticing and welcoming what might be arising, whereas mindfulness has more of a passive approach of being present without attachment. GSC is uniquely holistic, focusing on what is emerging, investigating the quality of it, and opening to the path to integration. Awareness includes mindfulness—then has freedom to move into the fertile void for deeper understanding. 3. The Zones of Awareness In Gestalt Soul Care, Awareness can be thought of as unfolding in three primary zones, offering a map for exploring the present moment-It involves getting curious and tuning in to:: • Inner Zone - What is happening within your body This area is where we tune into internal phenomena such as muscular tension or relaxation, breathing, heartbeat, and bodily sensations. • Middle Zone - What you imagine In this zone, there’s a movement away from sensory experience and what is happening in the here-and-now, instead moving into more thinking processes such as memories, fantasies, conjectures, belief systems, reasons, defenses, and thoughts about the future and the past. • Outer Zone - What you see and sense in the here-and-now, all around you This data comes to you through your five bodily senses, and informs how you make contact with the world outside yourself. True transformation can occur when we are willing to notice, engage, and derive data in all three zones of awareness, allowing us to see the full picture of our lived experience. Having the support of a trusted GSC Practitioner in the experience enhances this process! 4. Becoming Aware of What Is Needed to Move Forward Awareness, while powerful, is only the beginning. Once we see what is, we can discern what is needed to move forward. This requires courage, curiosity, and a willingness to explore the unknown. One of GSC’s unique tools is discerning data from the body. We say “The Body is always talking and the Body never lies,” or “The issues are in the tissues.” In GSC, we use many ways to support the opening of awareness, including “experiments” that are gentle and respectful, which also honor a person’s “No” as a source of rich information. We use experiments for discerning and noticing where the body feels energy, to hear what those parts have to say, and noticing the words chosen to express sensations, etc. The GSC Practitioner (GSCP) takes their cues from their Care Companion (CC), which can suggest an infinite number of possible experiments, limited only by the imagination of the GSCP. By staying attuned to the physical reality of the CC, the GSCP has a door into realms that just “talking about” doesn’t often reach. Using the cues from the CC allows them to enter the world the CC has created with a totally individual approach which acknowledges and honors the uniqueness of the CC. The Role of Support in Moving Forward Change is rarely a solo journey. In GSC, we emphasize the importance of support and integration—GSC is holistic and integrative, aiming to support persons in their journey to wholeness and freedom. Since every person is unique, and has created their own system of surviving and living, it is a privilege to be invited into their world. Sometimes, moving forward requires adjusting the external landscape to align with your soul’s needs. The GSCP “takes off their shoes” when being invited and entering another’s world, using respect, wisdom, curiosity, compassion and a non-anxious Presence. The GSCP detects where the movement towards change is occurring and yields to that impetus, not forcing their direction ideas on the CC, trusting that with attunement to the CC and the Holy One, within the CC lies the inherent wisdom of what needs most attention, and therefore needs to be the focus of the work. Part of the goal is establishing healthy contact with self, others, the outside world, and their understanding of their Holy One. Awareness as Sacred Practice Awareness is not just a tool; it is a sacred practice—of being open and facing into the moment: even if afraid, you are willing to trust that courage is the best path, and you can take that step forward holding the hand of your Holy One. Each moment of awareness is an invitation to meet yourself, others, and the divine with courage, honesty, and grace—our opportunity for action and aliveness is in the here and now. As you cultivate this practice, you become attuned to the rhythms in your being and empowered to step into the life you were created to live. In the Gestalt Soul Care world, awareness is present both for the beginning and for the ongoing journey. It is the bridge between who you are (which includes your entire embodied history) and who you are becoming, between where you are and where you long to go. The flow of moments is where the possibility lies for our choices and decisions—it’s the space where we can make a difference in our trajectory. May you consider walking in awareness with courage and curiosity, for the deep assurance that transformation is possible—one moment, one breath, one step at a time. 11/12/2024 Gratitude: Nourishment for your Soul An attitude of Gratitude helps us be our best selves! In the physics of flight it is well known that “attitude determines altitude”. The flaps on the bottom of the plane’s wings are controlled by the pilot and they aim the plane up or down.
From the internet: “That underlying principle is wrapped up in what is called “attitude flying.” Attitude flying is simply establishing a positive control of the aircraft's flight path. The basic premise is this: Pitch (attitude) + power = performance.” Cultivating gratitude in our lives can be a powerful source of energy and uplift for us in these times that are so challenging for all of us. Gratitude can help us maintain our “soft front, and strong back” as Brene Brown puts it–which then gives us the optimal orientation for good relationships in our lives. Get curious about how much good is actually present in your life, perhaps starting with the free gift of air for life! Lately we have been hearing about “exercise snacks” promoting 5 minutes of movement for every hour or so sitting for optimal health. Why not apply this principle to cultivate and grow your gratitude? To keep your gratitude growing, you could experiment with giving yourself little “gratitude snacks”…five minutes here and there of meditation, connection with a good friend, a time of breathing outdoors, prayer, easy movement…and remembering three things you’re grateful for, then sending out your positive energy. Our bodies are electrical organisms and are sensitive receptors to all kinds of outside energy. We can surround ourselves with people who speak peace, hope, truth into our lives. As we find and experience their energy and respond this becomes a part of the internal process of loving ourselves with a deep, true and fruitful love. Our bodies love that energy! So go ahead, nurture yourself with some loving “gratitude snacks” , a quick hug, a little space, a little grace, be gentle with yourself, and you can then be gentle with others. You will be feeding your soul with some of the energy it needs to heal and grow, and to launch into the path of your unique flourishing Let me know how you are doing; and remember to sign up for your free intro session of Gestalt Soul Care, and get a jump start on your journey to wholeness! 8/5/2024 Honoring Spiritual Caregivers “ The Spiritual Caregivers serve their communities sometimes at the expense of their own self care. “ I have had the honor this summer of working with a group of dedicated and faithful Chaplains and Spiritual Care givers, and they are some of the people on the front line in this world. Working with those very ill, dying, young, old, and the sometimes dysfunctional family dynamics on a daily basis is a very tall order. Maintaining a non-anxious presence, staying calm as the floodgates of people’s lives open in drama and trauma can be an excruciating and draining work.
I stand in awe that these generous and steadfast servant-hearted people stay open and respectful of almost all the spiritual facets and ideas they encounter, holding their own ideas in abeyance in order to leave room for those they serve. This is a selfless act in a world that pushes the balance between individual rights and community rights towards “every person for themselves”. Their quiet humility fosters curiosity and assent to Einstein’s notion of a “Benevolent Universe”, and their mission is to facilitate discovery and care processes as they support individuals. Aristotle spoke of each of us having rights and responsibilities as individuals, and as members of society. The ethics rub emerges when those two realities come into conflict with one another, and an individual or community must decide in a complex context. The Spiritual Caregivers serve their communities sometimes at the expense of their own self care. I am cheering Chaplains on as they continuously serve, and hopefully are seeking their own support and resources to stand fast in the face of so much transition and trauma. They are constantly doing the hard work of balancing spiritual concepts with practical actions to best serve those in their care. In order to be able to manage all this, these caregivers need several kinds of support;
It could be said that Chaplains, Clergy and Spiritual Care givers function as a sort of holistic healers, combining spiritual guidance with therapeutic techniques. They need a broad skill set and robust support system to effectively carry out this mission of nurturing souls and facilitating personal growth and healing, and I invite them to explore the unique and powerful approach of Gestalt Soul Care. 6/20/2024 Somatic Awareness
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