Finding the Pulse - Page 6


As a talk therapist, one of the biggest shifts for me was to learn to trust this focus on time—to offer clients enough time to allow their inherent body-mind "blueprint for health" to do its work. To take time has required me to get out of the way; to discover that my presence is what counts, rather than any "pearls of wisdom" I feel compelled to share. The more I've sat with people and watched what happens when they have time just to be with themselves, the more I've learned to trust the value of getting out of the way.

In my consult groups, one of my real delights is to observe therapists discover how relaxed they feel when they realize they don't have to work so hard; that they can trust the client's inherent wisdom and the body's guidance. Throughout years of practicing body-based psychotherapy, I've been surprised to end most days feeling more refreshed than I'd ever have imagined. During sessions themselves, I'm relaxed and easy, even when the client is stuck or the session presents unexpected challenges. Now curiosity is my constant companion, along with the trust that the client's body will show us the way.

The two keys to opening a fuller dimension of experience in therapy are helping clients develop an acute awareness of what's happening in the present and making good use of the most powerful healing resource we have: time. By inviting clients to allow their awareness to absorb the rich sensations and feelings unfolding in the moment, we help them connect with an inherent body-mind wisdom, hardwired in each of us. Once they learn to notice more fully what their bodies are telling them, the therapy process can become less effortful and more rewarding for both clients and therapists.

Nancy Napier, L.M.F.T., teaches Somatic Experiencing for the Foundation for Human Enrichment. She's the author of Recreating Yourself, Getting Through the Day and Sacred Practices for Conscious Living and coauthor of Meditations and Rituals for Conscious Living. Contact: njnapier@aol.com. Letters to the Editor about this article may be e-mailed to letters@psychnetworker.org.

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