EVERY body is welcome here
EVERY body is welcome here
It was the summer of 2012; one of the best summers of my life. London was alive with Olympic fever; the typical British cynicism squashed immediately at the opening event. We were ready, and we were incredible. London was transformed. The sun was still shining and strangers were even talking to one another.
At the company where I worked, we were allowed to have Olympic events playing on screens across the office, and it was electric. Riding high on the success of the Olympics, I wasn’t yet ready to come down. Sat at my desk, I excitedly turned over to all4 to catch day 1 of the Paralympic events, as always starting in the pool. I can remember it as if was yesterday. I was completely captivated. There was a swimmer without any arms and legs powering across the pool. With his own unique swimming style, he propelled himself forward in a show of power and grace. This, for me, is the beauty of the Paralympics. It’s a celebration of world class sporting performance for EVERY body. The rules, the environment and the conditions adapt for the disabled body, rather than the disabled body having to adapt to match reductive norms. Beginning this sporting spectacle in the water felt almost serendipitous, as if it was acting as a metaphor for inclusion; fluidly and effortlessly, welcoming all bodies.
Sadly, outside of this wonderful moment, outside of this glorious celebration of human capabilities, the world is not welcoming of EVERY body. In fact, the opposite is true. We live in an ableist society designed for one type of body; typically white, male, cis-gender and able. Anyone who does not fit this norm is often required to code switch, assimilate or hide aspects of themselves in order to survive. Ableism is prevalent almost everywhere.
What is ableism?
Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. It is rooted in the assumption that people with disabilities require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability. Like racism and sexism, ableism classifies entire groups of people as ‘less than’, and includes harmful stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalisations of people with disabilities. Unlike some of the other systemic biases in our society, ableism has yet to experience a big global movement. The law includes only limited protection focused on compliance rather than inclusivity which often requires minimal adjustments to accommodate non typical bodies e.g. alternative routes and separate experiences. This harmful perception of being ‘broken’ seemingly fuels a notion of diminished humanity and negates the urgency for change.
This MUST change. A person cannot be broken; we are flawed by design. In fact nearly 80% of humans will experience some form of disability in their lifetime[1]. How then can disability be the problem or the ‘other’? Instead we must reframe our rhetoric; a person is not disabled; it is only ever environments that are disabling.
Ableism and Somatic Coaching
The wellbeing industry is now a multi-billion dollar industry. Despite roots in ancient eastern cultures, today’s commercialisation creates a western interpretation which predominantly centres the white, cis-gendered, abled, male body as the norm and standard. One of the ways that ableism can manifest within wellbeing is through a focus on “fixing” or “healing” the body. This approach can reinforce the idea that disability is a problem or a deficiency that needs to be cured or overcome, rather than an inherent aspect of diversity and difference. This can lead to feelings of shame or inadequacy for individuals with disabilities, who may feel that they are not able to achieve the same level of physical or emotional wellness as their non-disabled peers.
Unfortunately, by association, somatic coaching may be guilty of perpetuating some of the same ills. Even within well-meaning spaces such as the coaching container, ableist notions can be unconsciously perpetuated. For example, a coach who is not familiar with the challenges, or social and cultural barriers faced by people with disabilities may assume that certain techniques or exercises are universally beneficial, without considering how they may need to be adapted for individuals with specific disabilities. Consider some of our more commonly used interventions. How might we include focusing for clients with paraplegia or limb differences? How might we need to adapt our experiments for neurodiverse clients? How might we respond in a client centric manner for all disabilities, many of which are invisible and we may never know? Have we trained only to support one type of body? I hope not, and yet I also know this answer is not enough and instead requires consideration of the practical application of working with disabilities. So let’s take my first example and explore what this could mean for focusing.
Case Study: Using focusing with paraplegia or limb differences
Focusing is an internally oriented psychotherapeutic process developed by Eugene Gendlin. It involves an open and non-judgemental awareness of the felt sense. In other words, an invitation to connect with the body to explore what is being experienced but may not be able to be put into words. It can be used to gain deep new, and sometimes surprising, insights on needs, wants and challenges.
For individuals who have forms of paralysis or have limited mobility, focusing may involve developing an awareness of the parts of their body that they can still feel or move. For example, they may be able to focus on the sensation of their breath, the movement of their eyes and use these areas as a way to anchor themselves in the present moment. Similarly, for individuals who have limb differences, focusing may involve developing an awareness of the sensations and emotions that arise in response to the residual limb or the prosthetic device.
Phantom pain is a common experience for individuals who have undergone amputation, where they feel pain or discomfort in the missing limb or body part. While phantom healing is not a recognised medical or scientific concept, some individuals with amputations have reported experiencing a feeling of wholeness including sensations of warmth, tingling, or even the feeling of a "phantom limb" returning or being healed. These experiences are subjective, yet can be meaningful and valuable to the individual who experiences them.
As such, somatic coaching, and even focusing specifically, can be a very useful approach for individuals with amputations who are seeking to reconnect with their body and develop greater awareness of their physical sensations and emotions leading to a greater sense of embodiment and presence.
In all cases, it is important to approach the practice of focusing with an attitude of curiosity and openness, and to be willing to adapt the practice as needed to meet the individual's specific needs and limitations. The somatic coach can work collaboratively with the client to explore different techniques and approaches that may be effective in developing bodily awareness and connecting with the felt sense.
It is also important to recognise that the practice of focusing may not be appropriate or accessible for all individuals with disabilities. In such cases, the somatic coach can work with the client to explore alternative practices or techniques that may be more suitable for their needs and abilities.
Fighting ableism with client centric coaching
As we’ve seen from the example above, somatic coaching can be particularly beneficial for people with disabilities in cases where there is a desire to develop greater bodily awareness, acceptance and love. It can also be effective in helping to manage pain and discomfort. In addition to physical benefits, somatic coaching can also help individuals to manage the emotional challenges that arise from living with a disability in our ableist society.
Therefore, it is our responsibility as coaches to ensure that we move towards inclusion rather than compliance. For some coaches this may mean asking about disabilities within the introductory coaching session to proactively explore adaptations for their client. For others it may simply be a process of signposting a client-led approach which can be flexibly adapted in the moment, based on the clients’ needs, recognising that as coaches we will never truly understand what is going on in our clients’ bodies, irrespective of disability. As coaches we must be willing to critically examine our own assumptions, biases and language, and be willing to engage in ongoing learning and education around disability issues. Together we can nurture specific needs and limitations in partnership with an attitude of abundance, to create safer, more inclusive coaching environments that recognise and celebrate the diversity of all bodies and abilities. Nike once said that if you have a body, you are an athlete. Likewise if you have a body, you are welcome to somatic coaching.
[1] Source: Mcnamara, Tay & Williamson, John. (2012). Is Age Discrimination Ever Acceptable?. Public Policy & Aging Report. 22. 9-13. 10.1093/ppar/22.3.9.
