Lindsay
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I loved learning about Gestalt, and after reading the assigned article, I was excited to realize my instincts and impulses during coaching have been quite Gestalt-like thus far in my coaching. I especially resonate with the “experimental” aspect of Gestalt, taking what arises in the very here and now moments and improvising to address them in a creative, experimental way.
Here is an example: My client, Anna, is an acupuncturist, dancer, and nature enthusiast. She is continuously maintaining and running her own practice, and some of the “busy” work involves website planning, newsletter writing, and staying connected with current and potential clients. Her goal is to reinvigorate her acupuncture business post covid challenges. One of her tasks is to write an updated newsletter and send it to her clients. She doesn’t mind writing/tech work, but she is not particularly enthusiastic about it and has a hard time getting started. She was frustrated at the time, feeling she couldn’t pull out of her mode of procrastination.
After answering my questions pertaining to exactly what she needed to write in the here and now atmosphere of her practice, (which seemed highly doable to start and complete within a short amount of time – specifically she needed to compose an updated bio and call to clients to return), we paused… I had her tune into her senses and what she was enjoying about being on her deck in that moment, where her outdoor tent is set up for practice with clients. She admired her large tree at the edge of her deck that we had worked with before in meditative ways. It is a tree that she feels especially connected to, and brings her peace and connection to nature.
I suggested to Anna an experiment. I knew she had her laptop with her since we were on a zoom call. I said, “Do you want to try something that requires action during this hour?” She said “yes”. I said, “How about spending some minutes (she chose 7 minutes) being with your tree in stillness and connection, and then opening up your laptop to write the beginning of your updated bio?” She said, “Sure, why not?” And gave it a try. We set a total of 35 minutes to do this experiment/exercise and to just “see what happens”. We paused our zoom session.
When she returned 35 minutes later, she was beaming. She reported that after her tree meditation, which brought her peace and present moment awareness, she had opened up her laptop and the words “just flowed out”. And what’s more, she enjoyed it! She stated that she had an “aha moment”- she had never realized that she could tune into her peaceful energetic connection with nature, and that that could actually support and collaborate with the business side of her life. The part of her life she saw as necessary tedium blended with her love of nature to create a mutually supportive experience. She stated that the spirit of nature actually crossed over into the business tech area of her life/mind in a magical way she had never experienced before. She observed that she had mostly compartmentalized her life enjoyments (in this case nature connection) separately from her business tasks prior to that experience.
Anna had insight to a new way she could operate in the future. She decided that before business tasks she would be with her tree and the surrounding nature on her property right before taking on “busy work.” She was excited to approach her business in a new way. Had it not been for the in the moment nature experiment, she may never have connected these two areas of her life in such a way. Within a few days she had completed the newsletter she wanted to write and had sent it out to her mailing list.
Gestalt will certainly continue to enhance my coaching style. My natural improvisational approach to life goes hand in hand with “in the moment” ideas and experiments. Interacting with nature, body/thought awareness, mixed with creativity and spontaneous ideas about how to explore the present moments more thoroughly will definitely be a part of my coaching milieu!
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Summary/takeaway:
Wow, I am impressed with everyone’s contemplation on ideal clients and proposed ways of working with them. I am looking forward to discovering who my ideal clients will be. I have coached a variety of folks over the past couple months, and have come to realize this is an ongoing learning experience. I’ve found that the type of attitudes my clients come in with is important to me. For example, I’m not sure if I have it in me to convince skeptics about the nature-connected component of the coaching, but I am up for the challenge. I’m also finding it interesting that my co-hort members all seem to choose ideal clients I imagine they feel they can relate to the most, including myself. It is a testament to the fact that we can take our individual life experiences, both challenging and rewarding, and apply our knowledge and insight to others we feel we could support. Clients who are similar to us in life status, life experience, ages we relate to, groups we have worked with previously, folks who have struggled with the same things we have; these factors seem to influence who we feel we want to work with. I am inspired by the deep empathy we are individually tapping, from our closest source of understanding others.
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My takeaway is the thrill that the concept of a threshold experience in/with Nature is integral in our training. I have been having my own personal threshold experiences in Nature for years and didn’t know how to label them, thinking they might be a bit strange, silly, or just a part of my active imagination. I am giddy that it is named, described, revered, and seen as a vital practice for our clients’ soul journeys. I am excited to develop my skills as a coach so I can guide my clients into these powerful experiences that can lead to mind shift, deeper trust in the natural world and the expansive universe that is always accessible. Threshold experiences can comfort, envelop and expand a person’s perception and trust in themselves and their inner wilderness. I am deeply determined to help clients access these deeply healing and revelatory experiences.
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In Conclusion/Summary:
My biggest takeaway at this moment upon reading the other summary posts, and particularly John’s which made a strong impression, is that human beings need Nature. They need connection to realize they are part of it, not separate and controlling of it. What humans do IS “natural” since they are creatures of the Earth. There is no separation in science. But humans MINDS are in the way of realizing this special cosmic relationship and inclusiveness. Our spirits are damaged and insecure sometimes. We as coaches and guides can inspire, connect, and teach a deeper connection to our world, we can reveal to our clients a deeper connection to our souls, and become more in sync with the earth than separate from it or against it (and each other!). Through our skills as intuitive, nature-connected guides, using thoughtful, insightful questions and support to our clients, and then through the Ceremony/Ritual of Severance, Threshold, and Incorporation we can hopefully start to spread a greater awareness in general that supports the health of our earthlings and Earth itself.
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When you think about coaching and/or guiding others, who comes to mind? What is the population that most excites you, and why?
I am leaning more and more towards the desire to work with individuals who are in mid-life transitions, who have a fair amount of life experience and who may be confronting issues related to family fracture, mother/fatherhood, and life path shift of focus, whether that be career change, dream fulfilment or attitude shift. I am also interested in people who are hoping to make healthy lifestyle shifts, such as quitting substance use and staying empowered in that decision, or adopting a more physical healing lifestyle through body awareness/movement practice. Working with people who are open to exploring creative modes of threshold experiences interests me as well overall. Additionally, I have found my practice sessions with local clients much more rewarding if they come into the process being particularly curious about the nature-connected aspect.
How do you imagine working with them? What would be the common categories of goals that you foresee them working towards?
I imagine that in tandem with discussion, reflection, and insight/clarity around a topic/goal, I will regularly incorporate nature-based creative exercises, movement explorations in nature, and possibly art materials. I have one client who spontaneously adds her desire to sing during her nature wanders or meditations. So I am open to any creative healing modes of coaching, and with the ultimate goal of those experiences be immersed in and with nature. I aim to always have some sort of “activity” or action or “experiment” within the coaching sessions I have had so far.
I imagine some common categories of goals to work towards would be: to cultivate a deep love and trust of oneself in the challenging transitions some folks may be going through, to gain confidence in listening to and fine tuning one’s intuition, and to generate enthusiasm and energy to move forward in helping goals be realized.
How would you like to collaborate with nature to support their awareness and success?
I would like to definitely incorporate awareness practices in nature and inspiration from nature, by being in nature during sessions (ideally), and interacting within, practicing with, and being aware of nature’s messages/symbols/influence actively with all senses engaged. I will invite my clients to imagine their own ideas of how to do this, and, if asked for suggestions, introduce the concept of wandering and exercises that guide the client through guided sensory awareness explorations/observations.
Included web search and discussion of examples of individuals or organizations who work with similar populations.
There are organizations like AA that support folks to get sober/ stay sober and reach sobriety goals and undergo lifestyle changes. There are also specific life-coaching recovery services such as http://www.riahealth.com. The framework of making goals and supporting folks in reaching them through working with the 12 steps, and also through tools such as meditation techniques and peer coach/sober companion coaching seem to be the general descriptions of these programs, either online or in person. I would like to expand the healing to include nature (preferably in person), the broader universe, and the natural supportive energy sources that are surrounding us wherever we are. I hope that an added component of the immediate environment as another supportive force would come through strongly in my coaching, so a client learns they can access support, clarity, or motivation no matter where they are or who they are with. They can learn to access their trust in and experience with the natural world, oftentimes right out their own door.
At http://www.Hellodivorce.com I found information on how to work with a life coach when going through divorce. As most life-coaching descriptions go, they emphasize the identification of goals, setting smart goals, and implementing action. Again, I would add the nature experiences and looking to nature to support within the process. Again, talking and processing issues to lead to change and self-empowerment are well-intentioned and successful, but I believe the added dimension of nature work and tapping a client’s creative and meditative parts will be an additional support and inspiration to stick to goals and take solid actions to achieve them. I believe including nature in the process will help develop and maintain hope, optimism, and encouragement.
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The threshold was the lesson and the gift at the end of my session. I went on a wander with an open mind, heart, and heightened sensory awareness. I surrendered to the present moment and patiently waited for something to be revealed to me. I let the threshold experience support my intention of knowing the answers and having the confidence in myself to confront the circumstances in my life head on. And, as always, nature revealed so much to me, like magic! The experience was reassuring and supportive, and boosted my belief and faith in the coach/client/nature relationship as collaborators, and nature-connected coaching in general.
My threshold experience informs me by showing me it works! Because I have had my own revelations in threshold experiences time and time again, I feel more confident as a coach, and that I will be able to guide my clients in the right direction. Because I firmly believe in the process, I can authentically inspire and motivate my clients to trust it and me as a guide.
Nature was a revealer and a giver of messages, through metaphor and peaceful presence, comfort, and support. Nature helped me embrace personal confidence and enthusiasm to transmute challenging issues into energizing optimistic ideas, emotions, and possible actions. Trees, breeze, direction, creatures, and plants all played various symbolic parts in the wisdom communicated. This tells me coaching others in a natural setting will enhance, enrich, and support the coaching process. I imagine it will inspire clients in profound ways, help them see their situations more clearly and support them in embracing positive mindsets and emotions such as confidence, peace, and clarity. Having a very deliberate experience interacting with nature and its immediate results/insights will hopefully inspire actions taken in other ways in my clients’ lives.
Some of the competencies I feel are essential to me feeling confident in that “place” as coach are embodying a coaching mindset, cultivating trust and safety, evoking awareness, and always under the umbrella of listening actively.
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Summary post. My takeaway from Foundations 1:
The foundations 1 learning module (and true introduction to the NCC course!) validated me, sparked giddiness and excitement in me, and gave me confidence to continue living on the path to fulfilling my evolving Vision. From being on the land – practicing with it, meditating within it, and learning from it – to having the great pleasure and honor of sharing the experience with other people who share my passion and curiosity, was truly a gift. It inspired confidence in my journey, and a stronger personal empowerment resulted from the shared interpersonal connectedness with my teachers, mentors, and fellow students.
I have gained a clearer understanding of what a coach/client relationship can look like in a collaboration with Nature. I have learned that my role is to guide, to empower, and to assist in my client’s own ability to cultivate growth and positive actions and feelings/beliefs moving forward. I realize how important it is that I believe in my client’s innate strength and intelligence to help themselves.
I am taking away the pointed message and guidance about joining my dreams and my Vision together. I am more inspired by my “calling”, and the “pull” of my purpose. I will trust it more moving forward, and take action steps to further solidify the experience. I deeply appreciate the advice to let my Vision unfold, to be patient with it, and to take these first three months of the program to trust the wander through my own “inner wilderness.” I am patiently planting seeds now as I navigate through other areas of my life simultaneously that require a lot of my energy, such as my family/children. But now this course is always there, and the container is holding me and helping me stay on the moving water. I’m being carried, effortlessly, with all the support and wisdom this program provides.
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Where do Ecopsychology and Coaching come together? How does this blend add foundation to your interests as a Nature-Connected Coach? How might it fall short? What skills are needed?
Nature connected coaching is collaborating with Nature. This is where eco psychology and coaching coming together. They are interweaved together to ensure and strive for the best result for the client. Because we are co-collaborating with Nature to provide our clients with a comprehensive transformational process, the earth, it’s creatures, its life and terrain are a direct part of the experience. I am confident that “the possibility that humans possess a capacity called ‘biophilia,’ as defined as ‘the innately emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms’,” (Where Psyche Meets Gaia) is an accurate and therefore hopeful component to the core purpose of our nature connected coaching.
The Indicators of awareness as described in the Coyote Guide, combined with such practices as becoming in tune to baseline, learning from metaphor in nature, and moving at the speed of nature, are all bringing nature into our bodies and our minds, to experience a comprehensive healing, both inside the depths of our psyche and outside ourselves, striving for action that’s healthy and creatively interactive with our natural world. By our interaction with the land, holding sessions outside and then engaging in practices with the land, we are bringing together ecopsychology and coaching. By looking for metaphors in nature to understand our own lives and the lives of our clients, we are taking direct listenings and learnings from Nature itself. Nature is partially the coach. The coach is the vehicle of interpretation, supporting with language, insight, and assistance in helping the client to find their why, understand their situation better, and help them discover the paths to success.
In combining coaching with ecopsychology, which is “the study of the psychological processes that tie us to the world or separate us from it” (Psyche and Nature in a Circle of Healing), we are coaching within the framework that “ecotherapy represents a new form of psychotherapy that acknowledges the vital role of nature and addresses the human-nature relationship” with the added hopeful component that ecotherapy involves “healing and growth nurtured by healthy interaction with the earth.” (Psyche and Nature in a Circle of Healing).
Where this blend falls short is that I imagine it will be challenging to find the right fit of clients who are open to this progressive melding of ideas. Since so many people in this industrialized capitalistic society are driven by the value of accumulating manmade things (materialism), there is an operating disconnect from and unawareness of Nature in general, and most certainly its potential to support and be integrated into growth and problem-solving structures.
As a coach hoping to inspire clients to look at coaching through this progressive lens, I will need to be skilled in presenting the knowledge and experience I have intelligently and confidently. I will need to be on the land with clients, providing keen insight, asking pertinent introspective questions and providing guidance that promotes trust in Nature’s lessons alongside my coaching and support.
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I so appreciate the parallel you drew between Gestalt’s Cycle of Experience and Ceremony, that was so ingrained in us in Foundations. Also to the Sacred Questions! They are so Gestalt! Your summary and thorough understanding of what we learned in this toolbox is impressive, John. Thank you for the amazing recap in your words!
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Hi Joy. I love your trust and surrender into the coaching moments of such active listening and awareness that you were not thinking ahead to the next question you wanted to ask. I experiment with that myself in sessions and it is amazing how it flows when I just trust that the present moment will present itself with where to go next.
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I love your “trifecta” vision. Starting with subconscious, to energy work, to in nature goal working. This sounds like a wonderful progression. And the client who “wants more freedom” really resonates as individuals I can see you working with. Moving through life with expansive curiosity and also with focussed intention is such a nice balance.. “I would like to use both aimless wandering and wandering with a purpose…”, -Love this!!
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Wow Sara, you are inspiring. You see big picture, little picture, adults, children, animals, teachers, parents, kids, institutions, social justice reachings, writing, etc; And all with a nice analytical balance considering practicality, financial means, etc. I love your desire to “dream” into your vision. …I can relate to your desiring work with women. I too am in that place currently. …Thank you for the websites! You have reinvigorated me this morning to get back to work! ;). I have no doubt you are on your path to finding “ideal” clients for you.
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Hi Sara,
Yes, I suppose I’m pondering this part of NCC because I’m finding myself in a group that I would like to “pitch” my services and interests to. They are a wonderful group of people, but I am wary they would be interested in what I would offer. I imagine that relating compelling personal experiences to capture their interest is important, and also leading by example. I too am not so interested in working with folks who might be drawn to the work, but instead to others who could potentially discover our work and benefit greatly, and be ones who “spread the word”, so to speak. I feel I am constantly balancing how much of my “woo” that I share with others, because some do not take me seriously, and NCC feels to be in this category sometimes. The way we present what we do and conduct our sessions with clients, with utmost professionalism and intelligence is extremely important to me, and I imagine will be an ongoing personal challenge.
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I will always capitalize Sun after reading this. Beautiful. Thank you. …I too hope, as a guide, to rekindle my client’s inherent nature connection they may have lost or never realized. And to open their minds and hearts to all the wisdom and support that can result from connecting with and listening to Nature.
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I love “Nature provides everything. It is limitless.” I love the comfort you express with nature as a side kick, and that the trustworthy trio of client, guide, and nature are the perfect team! I feel that too so strongly! Thank you for verbalizing!