Embodied Freedom

When you can trust yourself, your Belly-brain, your gut, the saying “Trust the Universe” does not seem so far-fetched. However, so many of us with complex trauma learned from an early age not to trust ourselves, to disembody from our core knowing. Surviving in this form of trauma response can make us more susceptible to being gaslit, people pleasing, and needing to reach out to a variety of numbing agents like alcohol, vaping, and doom scrolling to “cope” with interactions that stir up fear, depression, and shame spirals. It’s almost as if we can feel like it’s “the end of the world” in .01 seconds when stirred up.

Although we live in adult bodies, when we are activated or overwhelmed, we might unconsciously reach to another for help when our unfinished “baby stuff” is stirred. What are “ideally” power equal relationships such as siblings, friends, co-workers, or romantic partners can result in us reaching for them to be ‘The Mother’ (ideal parent that celebrates our big feelings) to meet our needs. Consequently, our relationships suffer from many types of imbalances, so much so we might only feel safe enough to be ourselves with our cherished pets.

Chi for Two® Embodiment Coaches offer symbolic infant/parent redos so that those reaches for ‘The Mother’ at our lovers or friends can be redirected toward the Embodiment Coach until we can practice the self-support that helps us to stay connected to our core. The Chi for Two Embodiment Coach practices of ‘Knowing No’ and ‘Saying No’ help us protect our physical and energetic boundaries first with our Embodiment Coach and then with others. Those others can include not only our relationships that are “ideally” power equal but also those with a “built-in” power differential such as parents, grandparents, and bosses.

We can develop deep awareness of what we need when we are stirred up and reach for what fills our cup, rather than what drains us. We can support ourselves and walk a path of trying new experiences that light us up rather than violate our boundaries. Ultimately, we can experience a sense of freedom when we trust in ourselves to say NO and stop an interaction when something does not seem okay.