The first time I met him, I was impressed by the clarity and the precision he could explain complexe thing. In his eyes there was that shine, that people has, when are passionated about a subject and get more excited, by discovering new knowledge while talking. We began to talk, and when I asked him about a physical sensation he had in the arm, the arm began to shake. He got stressed, and breathed quickly. „You see, my arm does what he wants. I cannot control it, it just moves and when I eat I make a mess around and I m happy when I reach my mouth with the spoon.“ There was a mixture of stress, shame and self-ironie. „Ok. Just take a few deep breath.“ I told him and put a hand on his chest. He closed his eyes, paying attention to the chest and to the air […]
Aligned with fear, aligned with life and death
I work with midwives and social workers. So every week I have several clients coming to sessions paralyzed or in shock, because in their daily lives they have to deal with very difficult and sometimes life-threatening situations. Often, they are frozen in their bodies, with an expression of fear in their faces, not breathing well. I see two ways they have learned to deal with fear: either they get stuck in their initial reaction to fear and freeze, or they avoid feeling that they are intensely afraid. In both cases, their thinking, talking, moving and action is limited. Their profession, however, requires action; they need to be able to help the people who need it. My job is primarily to show them a new way of dealing with fear so they have all their abilities available for these critical moments that require it. Fear is an experience most of us […]