BRINGING THE BODY INTO THE CONVERSATION

Language can either take us away from bodily experience, or bring us closer to it. What kind of language patterns work best in bodywork and coaching to help our clients bring the non-verbal intelligence of movement and ‘felt sense’ into the conversation? The language patterns of embodied disciplines like Somatic Experiencing, Craniosacral Therapy or Scaravelli Yoga, for example, all show a profound understanding of how words can reach, touch and influence the body. At the same time, various new forms of mindful, embodied dialogue have developed from foundations laid down by Focusing, neuro-linguistics and meditative traditions. Clean Language, developed by New Zealand therapist David Grove, draws on all three. This set of beautifully simple questions opens a space of clarity, emptiness, curiosity and presence, where mind and body meet as equals and language regains its healing powers of poetry, resonance and metaphor. The aims of this session are to:  Explore the principles of ‘body-friendly language’  Give you a taste of how Clean Language works  Look briefly at what Polyvagal theory and brain hemisphere science tell us about embodied communication  Experience how the language we use can make a big difference in helping our clients move on from a life of embodied trauma into post-traumatic growth.