Getting to the Ember of Love

“Self-growth” is a misleading term: it implies that you need to become more than what you already are. I used to think that I needed to be kinder, more courageous, more patient, smarter, stronger... but what I finally saw was that I already have all those parts of me in perfect form. I know exactly how to be all those things, and when I do, I feel whole.

What gets in the way of us doing them all the time are all the delusions piled on top. It’s not that we need to learn how to be more kind; it’s a stripping away of the delusion to be defensive, the delusion that comes out as anger. It’s like we all have these perfectly burning embers of Love at the core of our being, but it’s caught underneath a web of delusions that cause us to suffer and cause suffering for others. Our evolution is less of a process of “self-growth” and more of a process of “self-untangling.”

“Soma” is the ancient Greek word for “body.” Somatic practice has become a popular therapeutic modality because it uses the wisdom of both the body and the mind, whereas Western Psychology has mainly only worked with the mind. That’s typically what comes up when you think of “therapy.”

However, imagine having a conversation with your thoughts AND your body through exploring physical sensations and movement. Traditions around the world have been using body intelligence as a form of healing for thousands of years.

Somatic Untangling uses the Buddhist concept of each person being inherently good, working to untangle the false narratives wired into our mind and nervous system by integrating a psychosomatic approach through mind/body awareness as well as dance and movement, to help make the experience of being human more enjoyable. Even if you do not resonate with Buddhist philosophy, this work is grounded in the science of how our brain and body absorb information and developmentally wire perceptions and reactions. Science and spirituality can peacefully coexist; in fact, when we see deeply into their inseparable nature, we realize the unity: we are both science and spirit.

We also tend to reject certain identities within ourselves that we don’t like: certain ages where we experienced trauma and shame. Or perhaps we have different interests and feel we need to present ourselves differently in different environments causing us internal confusion around authenticity.

By using Somatic Untangling, we are untangling the illusions of separation so we can integrate all aspects of ourselves and experience them as skillful depth and range. That's the true feeling of wholeness we're all seeking.