My last newsletter was in May last year so I wanted to give you an update to keep in touch.
I hope that this message finds you well and that you are managing OK amongst all we are living through. I hope you are finding things that resource you, that take some pressure off and can connect with the things that you appreciate about life.
all the best,
Paul
- Supervision – Reduced Rate available whilst working online.
- Working Outside – The benefits of the landscape.
- Teaching: Diploma Programme, Foundations of Movement in Devon – Outdoor Workshop and Year-long training; Online Intro Workshops.
- Client Work.
My client and supervision work has been able to mostly continue as I’ve adapted to the pandemic restrictions over this last year. I’ve moved between studio-based work, to working outside and online. Not being able to meet in person hasn’t been right for some people, but for others the depth of work and continuity has been very rewarding.
Supervision
Currently online (reduced rate), and will be available outside or in the studio when restrictions allow. For anyone working with others in therapeutic, educational or managerial capacities. Sessions enable new perspectives and understanding from situations we find challenging or need more support to respond to. Open to all who are interested to work creatively, drawing on the resources of what’s held in our bodies. We get to discover the layers of our work with others, unconsciously present but not fully utilised. Feel free to get in touch to discuss what sessions have to offer or see here for further details.
Working Outside.
When restrictions have allowed, I’ve very much enjoyed working outside, with supervisees, clients (both adults and young people) as well as with my own supervisor.
The calming affect of taking in the green, the rejuvenation of fresh air and the accompaniment of the changing of the seasons. Returning to one small patch of meadow, week by week, each visit had a different flush of grasses and flowers. New growth, blooms emerging, seed heads forming and then fading. Only to be replaced by a further wave of other plants, as they grew, bloomed and faded too. The grassland, in its quiet simplicity reflected the process of change that clients especially were going through.
The benefits of being outside have long been felt and documented, and many practitioners have developed a body of experience in this area. For many of us, time outside automatically brings us into our bodies. We take deeper breaths. We feel our skin more, our feet on the ground. We move to take in the view, to respond to sounds around us. Being outside is inherently somatic. It supports our felt-sense experience as we develop the skill to be able to notice more of how we are in our bodies, how we feel and what calls our attention. As we simply walk, our proprioceptive (our body sense) system helps us to know ourselves. As we lie on the grass, finding what it’s like to rest and trust the world will hold us. As we take in a wider horizon, we can find balance of a new perspective.
Working outside also offers an unpredictability, that brings us into the here and now, whether that’s a rain shower or dog coming to visit. We get to notice our responses. We also get to work creatively as we adapt, or find meaning in what unfolds in the work.
The privacy and containment of the studio is wonderful and absolutely offers what is needed at times, but the outdoor environment brings a freshness and aliveness that can be so rejuvenating.
Over the coming months I’m looking forward to develop this way of working. If this is of interest to you you can read more here, and you’re welcome to get in touch. You may also be interested in the outdoor workshop I’m running in July, see below.
Teaching: Diploma Programme & Foundations of Movement in Devon.
I’ve been teaching online through lockdown, the Somatic Psychology Module of the diploma programme offered by the Institute for Integrative Bodywork & Movement Therapy (IBMT). The students have shown such dedication and perseverance managing their study in their domestic spaces. There have been challenges and also work of great depth and connection. We focus on a range of models that offer an understanding of our psychological development from infant to adult. We ground these perspectives in what we also know about the body – our anatomy and movement development.
I am now building up to beginning a major piece of teaching in Autumn 2021 in Devon. For the second time, I’ll be teaching the Infant Movement Development module for IBMT. This year long course is part of their diploma programme, and takes place over 6 long weekends. I’m running a couple of online single day intro workshops (in Feb & April 2021) and a 2-day Outdoor workshop in July (see Earth, Body & Sky below).
Infant Movement Development explores the movement we all go through in our early months and years. Studying this territory provides us with a whole-body experience from stillness and rest, through core spinal movement and on to integrated, adult movement patterns. The exploration offer a chance to know more of ourselves and the framework gives us a way to understand and name movement we see in others.
Colleagues will also be running the Authentic Movement & Therapeutic Presence module in Devon from October 2021. This supports practitioners developing the skills to be with others effectively. We learn to create clear communication as we hold a client’s process, grounding our experience in the body. Details can be found here.
Earth, Body & Sky.
I’m particularly looking forward to the outdoor, introductory infant movement workshop: Moving with Earth, Body and Sky – 17 & 18 July 2021.
Having the chance to be outside and on the land adds a huge amount to the experience of exploring early movement patterns. Big skies and open space can bring support and inspiration to embody our fuller selves. The texture of grass beneath us, the fall of a slope of land, all offer stimulation and resources we embark on discovering how the human body responds to gravity.
Book before 5th June for the Early Bird Rate. Details here
Client Work.
My 1:1 work continues online, but hopefully it won’t be too long before face to face work can begin again. Probably initially outside, but I imagine studio work will be possible again. My work with adopted children and young people is ongoing, and with funding allowing, is set to continue over the next year.
Thanks for taking the time to read my news. Feel free to join my mailing list or pass this on to others who might find it useful.
Wishing you all the best for all we’ll move through in the seasons ahead.
Paul