I wholeheartedly trust that the most healing, restorative processes are those that encourage you to step into your own power and agency, those that connect you to the wisdom of your own body, and those that guide you to a feeling of wholeness.
I have an allergic reaction to systems and processes that ask me to surrender my own power or that take me further away from my own body. This has long been my point of contention with the world of Western healthcare. Throughout my time as both a practitioner and patient in our healthcare systems, I have witnessed and experienced the way that we are encouraged to hand over our power, numb our brains and bodies, and have blind faith in the guidance of others.
Separation
Western healthcare is often separated, compartmentalized, and “specialized”. We see one specialist for our shoulder, and a second one for our back. And if we feel anxious in the process, we bring in a third person to help fix that. And so on.
While there are times when this may be needed, this form of healthcare leaves us with a fragmented vision of our bodies. A collection of parts to be separately treated, fixed, and repaired. As if we are a machine that can have a faulty part removed and replaced without consequence. Yet the systems and components of our body work in symphony and harmony – each part infinitely and intimately connected to the rest. To address one part of the body is to address the whole.
Passive Care
Most Western treatment modalities happen to you. You show up, lay on a table, and someone else performs a treatment on you. Often you do not fully understand the scope or impact of the treatment. Without the practitioner, the treatment would be impossible. You leave and go back to your daily life. This process creates an external locus of control for our health.
We see our own wellness as something someone else must provide and maintain for us. A commodity that someone else must grant us. As though health and vitality are limited resources rationed out by healthcare providers.
When we are unwell we are taught to first think, “Who can fix this?” rather than “How might I care for myself?” This is by no means the fault of the individual. Unfortunately, it is by design. We live in a world that profits from your submission and outsourcing.
Taking Back Your Power
I am on a mission to guide my clients to take control of their own health, to take an active role in their healing, and to learn from their bodies.
I practice and teach the art of caring for yourself. My hope is that more people may experience the joy of maintaining your own health, of caring for the vehicle that will carry you through the rest of your years.
Yet I am not here to fix you or heal you. I’m here to put the ball back in your court. To teach you what you need to know to be self-sustaining and self-healing.
I empower my clients through education so they may take an active role in their own recovery. I educate and guide the way with the goal of inspiring positive action and self-respect. In practice, this means we focus on education and understanding, we design systems that facilitate behaviour change, and we work together to create lasting change, whole-body wellness and freedom of movement.
If this resonates, I’d love our worlds to collide. I am currently accepting new 1:1 clients and teaching a group course for movement professionals.
Whether you are looking to connect with and heal your own body or you’re a practitioner looking to embody this ethic of care, let’s move together.
Much love,
Zoe
SOMA Therapeutics 