Embodied Conflict Resolution - A Somatic Approach to Processing Conflict
We recently caught up with Kai Cheng Thom MSc, Qualified Mediator, and professional somatic coach, to talk about her upcoming “Embodied Conflict Resolution 25-hr Certificate Program. Here’s a little of what she had to say…
Embodied conflict resolution is a practice that involves acknowledging the physical and emotional experience of conflicts that arise when trying to meet our social or basic needs in competition with others. While traditional conflict resolution methods in wellness and psychology often suggest following a conversational script, like practicing empathy and asking questions, embodied conflict resolution considers the impact of conflict on the body and nervous system.
The physical experiences of conflict are often overlooked but can be incredibly painful and stress-inducing. Working with the bodily responses that can come up during conflict allows us to access a deeper perspective around processing the conflict in a healthy way.
Beyond Conversation and Script: Experiencing Conflict in the Body
During conflict, our body can experience a range of physical sensations. We might feel like we’ve been punched in the stomach, are getting sick, shivering, or experiencing heightened levels of stress. Embodied conflict resolution pays attention to these responses to conflict and asks what are these responses telling us? What kind of valuable information can we gain from asking this question, and how can we move forward with that information?
Listening to Our Bodies for the Answers
The first skill of embodied conflict resolution is reading our own body cues, noticing our movements, behaviors, internal sensations, resourcing abilities, and present dissociative behaviors. This kind of reflection allows us to better understand what's happening for us. When we are in touch with ourselves, we can engage differently, and with that comes awareness of the other and what might be happening in their body as well.
Awareness & Understanding of Others
Awareness of what is happening in someone else’s body is a complex skill that requires us to remain aware of what's going on for us while remaining aware of what's going on for them. This way, we can have a sense of why someone might be reacting the way they are, and what needs to happen differently in order for us to connect more authentically.
Connecting Authentically with a Holistic Approach to Healing
We will inevitably come into conflict with others, making embodied conflict resolution one of the most important skills to have. We often suppress our own needs to avoid conflict, which can lead to implicit conflict that still affects us. It is incredibly important to look into these effects. Conflict overall is an integral part of the human experience, and by paying attention to it, we can better understand and manage its impact.
By paying attention to our bodies, we can utilize a holistic approach to conflict to engage differently and develop a deeper mode of being with conflict transformation. The Embodied Conflict Resolution Program is a great introduction to this concept, and will include the practice of trauma-sensitive, thematically-informed mediation, conflict resolution, and facilitation. While it’s not by itself a certification to mediate, it will provide you with the kind of informal meditation tools and skills you can use with family members, friends, and colleagues, especially in the context of embodied conflict resolution.
Learn more about anti-oppressive conflict management to facilitate transformation in community and organizational settings with our 25-hr Embodied Conflict Resolution Certificate.
