When a new energy, idea or offering is preparing to be birthed in the world, I’m learning that the only response is to open, listen and receive what is being revealed. This is how I am experiencing the gestation and birthing of Somatic FinanceTM. The ideas that Gayle has about this new way of being with money are to be held lightly. Yes. These ideas may be interesting, but more and more the essence of Somatic FinanceTM is being communicated in subtle and powerful ways.
For example, the other day my beloved, Rich, went to the chiropractor and returned home with a compelling story. Receiving regular adjustments and support for his body maintenance, his back has been bothering him lately so the doctor examined the area. He indicated that the soreness and misalignment was not a recent occurrence but in fact, looked familiar, very much like old trauma. All life experiences that are not fully lived in the moment exist in our body. When our body and mind are unable to fully process an experience in the moment, our body is a natural protector to hold the part of the experience we are unable to process. Most people experience some form of trauma and retain “unlived” experiences in the body. The doctor had seen many similar cases lately. Our bodies are naked with wisdom. Our bodies continuously reveal the truths of our Lives and the aspects which are opening for attention.
If we choose to follow that opening, without control, constriction, stories/labored emotion, the movement is easy and loving. If we resist the invitation, we either 1) harden, or 2) endure a difficult experience. Hardening is fairly straightforward. Some of us ignore invitations to grow and retreat to a contained shell of fear, closed knowledge and rigidity. If you are not changing, you are hardening. It is that basic.
“Enduring a difficult experience” means that you are willing to grow AND you are gripping the patterns that are ready to be released. As an example, we know that feeling our emotions is important and that memories are locked inside our bodies. Emotions are fluid and they easily flow, unless we grip to the emotion, attach a story and dig in, demanding answers and conclusions. We don’t need to know the story; we want to know the story. Fundamentally, we believe that by knowing the story we can control events and thus feel better.
Rich’s back is naked with wisdom, as is the body and back of all patients with this pattern. Rich has the choice to grow, allowing the trauma (or call it back pain) to move through him, even as feelings of anxiety and dread arise. Or, Rich can attach thoughts, more feelings and story to the feelings and make the process painful. The body, the soma, is naked with wisdom.
Somatic FinanceTM recognizes the naked wisdom of the body with appreciation, openness and non-judgment. A well-known author in the field of money psychology worked with a high powered financier on Wall Street and shared this experience. Through her program the executive came to realize the consequences of his lifelong financing deals. He became conscious that while his work had created monetary benefits, there were also detriments for others and for the planet caused by his decisions. As she worked with this person to expand his awareness and to develop a new muscle of generosity, she witnessed his body shaking profusely. It seemed that his nervous system, his body wisdom, was releasing the truth of his prior business matters.
Does the example seem farfetched? Do not read and believe, please experiment with your own money experience. Can you recall a time when you did something or were a part of a situation that was less than generous, perhaps even harmful? If you can’t recall an instance, become willing to remember one. Allow your mind to go on a journey. Allow your body to reveal its wisdom.