Body Presencing™ - Healing the Root of the Matter

  “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day”                                                                           - Henri Nouwen We began 2013 exploring the Power of Choice which led us to Acceptance, then Forgiveness, and then Authenticity.  The month of May is dedicated to Joy and Fun. When I began writing about the twelve Body Presencing™ Keys, I had no idea the journey it would take me on, how much work it would take, and how fun that work would become.  Finding the fun and joy in our lives, especially in the midst of things that can initially be challenging, is critical to our happiness and vitality. When I first began writing these blogs I asked a creative writing colleague to help coach me in finding an authentic style that clearly expressed in words what I usually express through my hands with clients when I am working on them in my office. Initially I resisted the writing pr

“ That inner voice has both gentleness and clarity. So to get to authenticity, you really keep going down to the bone, to the honesty, and to the inevitability of something.” -   Meredith Monk “Who am I?” is the question we ask ourselves beginning when we are little beings.  From the time we are born, and even before, we are being taught values, beliefs, and what it takes and who it takes to be part of the family we are born into.  This indoctrination, including the genetic component which is handed down over generations, infects us and entwines in our being.  We then live our lives so enmeshed and entwined in what we are taught and what is handed down that it is difficult to extricate ourselves, with compassion, and find out who our true selves are. Who is our authentic self? I am presently teaching a class which helps us to do exactly that: lovingly extract our true selves from our enmeshments so that we can appreciate who we are; separate from and yet co

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however                 frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”                                                                                        - May Sarton Imagine a friend asking you for some help when you really don’t have the time or inclination to help in the way they are asking.  Do you say yes and regret it or resent having to do it because you feel you should?  Imagine your child asking you a question about yourself, but the answer is something you don’t want them to know.  Do you tell them the truth or do you altar it?  While none of these things seem like a big deal in themselves, all of these situations are examples of partial truth telling which keeps us from living truly authentic lives. The other week a client came to see me.  She is married with children and she came in to see me with pain in her low back and great difficulty walking.  She told me that she doesn’t know what happened; s

“You will never start living until you’ve realized that your life is your own unique gift.” - Geraldine Vermaak Have you ever had a day or a period of time where everything you tried to control went awry?  We slog and try to push through it. When that doesn’t work we begin to force things into place.  Through sheer dint of will we attempt to fit things into predetermined slots.  We might think, through our pre-conscious thoughts, that by controlling what we do and how we do it we are being authentic to ourselves. However, authenticity is more about listening to our true selves and learning what our gifts and thoughts really are.  Authenticity is also learning what we are not good at and what we don’t want in our lives.  When we are able to do this, not only do we feel freer and happier and more vital, we also become more authentic. All too often we try to be or would like to be who we are not.  Maybe we would like to be taller, or have straight hair