mind and body

In our Western world we all live very much in our heads. We give great importance to the ratio and powers of our brilliant minds. Feelings and emotions are seen as unreliable advisers and those who say “I can’t explain it, but that’s how it feels” are not taken seriously. As if feelings and related physical sensations are second-rank. However, our language is full of references to the intelligence of our body. We speak about a ‘gut feeling’, we get ‘sick’ of something, our ‘throat tightens’, something ‘gives us the shivers’, it ‘breaks our heart’, etc. It seems like in earlier times we did use the information coming from our bodies and our feelings, and we somehow lost this along the way.

In coaching we take this information seriously. It often yields unsuspected insights that you would never have reached through rational thinking. And sometimes your body knows before your mind, like the metaphors in our language suggest. As a coach I speak to the complete person, your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions, who you are personally and professionally, etc.

Nowadays there is a lot of scientific research that supports this. We have something called the heart brain, and around our digestive organs there is an elaborate nerve system that communicates continuously with our brain. Our gut brain sometimes even picks up signs quicker than our head brain does.

Present man has also become inert. When you literally start moving, so do your thoughts. That is why during a coaching session we do not always stay seated, but we stand up and move. Or I take you on a walking coaching session.

My garden also has a splendid space for contemplation in the midst of greenery, on beautiful days.

By learning to trust the information from your mind and your body, you will gain more bandwidth and scope when making choices and taking decisions. You learn to trust your complete self. Furthermore, changes only appear to be sustainable when they are anchored in your body cells, not only in your brain cells.