Themes for July 26th to August 22nd

A few years ago, the movie Shrek gave me all I’ll ever need to explain somatics to anyone in a few words. In case you missed the exchange between Shrek and Donkey in that movie, here’s the whole thing once more with feeling…

Shrek: For your information, there's a lot more to ogres than people think.
Donkey: Example?
Shrek: Example? Okay, er... ogres... are... like onions.
Donkey: [sniffs onion] They stink?
Shrek: Yes...NO!
Donkey: Or they make you cry.
Shrek: No!
Donkey: Oh, you leave them out in the sun and they turn brown and start sprountin' little white hairs.
Shrek: NO! LAYERS! Onions have layers. OGRES have layers. Onions have layers... you get it. We both have layers.
Donkey: Oh, you both have layers. [pause] You know, not everybody likes onions. [pause] CAKES! Everybody loves cakes! Cakes have layers!
Shrek: [restraining temper] I don't care what everyone likes. Ogres are not like cakes!
Donkey: You know what people really like? Parfaits! I mean I could easily say, "Ogres are like parfaits. I likes Shrek the ogre 'cause he's my friend, and come on, who ain't don't like no parfaits? Parfaits is delicious!" Shrek: NOOO!!! YOU DENSE, IRRITATING, MINIATURE BEAST OF BURDEN! OGRES ARE LIKE ONIONS! END OF STORY! BYE BYE! [whispers] See you later!
[pause]
Donkey: Parfaits may probably be the most delicious thing on the whole damn planet!
Shrek: You know... I think I prefered you humming...

In somatics this metaphor is made lucidly real when you consider the interconnectedness of all living systems and the integration we pursue as individuals. When you look at it side by side, the impact is driven home…

Scenario #1: Somatic Indifference
* Biological Incoherence

(a split in attention between you and the world)
* Physiological Dissolution

(a socially-triggered, systemic stress response)
* Psychological Dissonance

(fosters a self-limiting belief system)
* Anti-Social Disengagement

(promotes an affect of prejudice and avoidance)

Scenario #2: Somatic Integration
* Biological Coherence

(a unified attention between you and the world)
* Positive Physiology

(a biologically-regulated self-organization)
* Positive Psychology

(fosters resilience and a self-transcending belief system)
* Full Social Engagement

(promotes better pair bonding and dyadic resonance)

The issue is that in this culture we work from the social layer to the biological one and end up with ‘one size fits all’ solutions to the challenges we face. With the Soma Made Simpler protocol, we’re reversing all that. By using the common ground of the shifting biological rhythms as the one true ‘one size fits all’ point of origin, we’re demonstrating that although we all differ slightly as individuals if we get down to our DNA, we still share the experience of these daily, weekly and monthly rhythms. Conditioning ourselves to be aware of them holds deep payoffs.

We discussed the six somatic interfaces in the last post. We also went over how they intertwine with the longer cycles we experience of the ~180 day and yearly lunar cycles. Within each monthly rhythm, there’s a psychomotor ‘wind’ that we can align with to biologically refresh ourselves. Of course this is fractally present at smaller scales within the daily and hourly regulatory rhythms as well. What we’ll be doing now that the client base has had a little time to get used to doing the SIMPLES in the Soma Made Simpler protocol is to make these six ‘upgrades’ part of each private session’s theme and the focus on what we’re now calling “Coherence Coaching”. You’ll here more about that exciting service in early AUG.

Here’s the way the world is patterning us within that ‘web that has no weaver’…

1st Lunar Cycle – Summer

emphasis is on improving your breathing patterns
2nd Lunar Cycle – Summer

emphasis is on improving your movement patterns
3rd Lunar Cycle – Summer

emphasis is on centering your tactile/thermal patterns
1st Lunar Cycle – Fall

emphasis is on improving your reflex response patterns
2nd Lunar Cycle – Fall

emphasis is on improving the body’s many pulse patterns

3rd Lunar Cycle – Fall
emphasis is on improving your vocal patterns of speaking

This makes all of somatics a cyclical process of opening this chain of being…

* We are born with an inherent bias for self-preservation (or we would not survive)
* That bias filters us to develop specific patterns of adaptation (The 4 Domains!)
* Those become our habits that we quickly internalize and take for granted
* Over time, we collapse this whole constellation into our identity (core beliefs)
* That identity is then used to guide and regulate our behavioral choices in life
* Breaking this chain triggers symptoms similar to trying to break an addiction

The end result is that we face near impossible odds of making lasting positive changes in our lives in the all important, but much-neglected 2nd half of it….

You want odds? Here are the odds, the scientifically studied odds: nine to one. That's nine to one against you. How do you like those odds?” Change or Die! -- Fast Company May 2005

Look at some the ‘new’ facts of living…

80% of the health-care budget is consumed by five behavioral issues.
too much smoking, drinking, eating, and stress, and not enough exercise

600,000 people have bypasses every year in the United States

1.3 million heart patients have angioplasties - total cost of ~ $30 billion.
two years after these procedures, 90% of have not changed their lifestyle

People who live to 85 have a 50-50 chance of being senile
the issue for everyone besides heart patients is "change or lose your mind"

So when you’re sitting at your desk rolling your eyes through another Quick Fix or talking yourself through a Cross-Crawl as you commute, realize you are ‘bioneers’ that are part of the first wave of self-exploring somas that willing to get weird before they get too old inside to desire the benefits of peeling back all those layers.

Next post here will be over the weekend of AUG 12th and 13th after the full moon.

Til then, be your own onion, MRF 07.29

Further reading…
http://www.energyschool.com/writings/triune_autonomic_article.PDF http://www.energyschool.com/writings/polyvagal.pdf
http://www.energyschool.com/writings/triunewww.PDF