The emphasis in this training program is to add a dimension to the ways in which you are already engaging your clients as they claim their strengths and values. Instead of analytically seeing these crucial assets solely as separate and distinct from each other, somatic intelligence perceives inter-related configurations of meaning and potential.
This certificate program will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of somatic theories and practices. You will learn and gain expertise in one of the foundational and innovative techniques used in The Personal Transformation and Courage courses – the “Personal Ideal” Energy Constellation. PTCI’s Energy Constellation formats have been developed by Mary Elizabeth Lynch, the primary course leader for The Personal Transformation and Courage Institute.
The Personal Ideal Energy Constellation is a cutting-edge somatic methodology that will help you guide your clients to connect with their innate somatic intelligence and unlock their inner wisdom.
Through this Energy Constellation format, you will learn how to guide your clients to a deeper and more profound level of knowing themselves and what truly inspires their life choices. They will be able to access their inner wisdom to make life-affirming decisions and commitments which are rooted in authenticity and intuitive insights.
Over the course of the training program, you will:
- Learn simple and effective mindfulness techniques that focus attention on the intelligence of the physical body,
- Explore the art and science of somatic intelligence,
- Perceive the deeper meaning of body energies and sensations,
- Engage in Personal Ideals Energy Constellation work – a somatic intelligence methodology,
- Develop professional skills as a somatic practitioner in a safe, supportive and collegial cohort environment,
- Receive supervised practice in guiding others through a Personal Ideal Energy Constellation format to connect with one’s strengths and values in a holistic way.
At the end of each three-day module, you will have gained a working knowledge of the core concepts and experiential exercises taught in that module. The third day of each module will be devoted to practicing the skills required to successfully lead the exercises and speak with authority about the concepts.
In addition to the three session modules of three days each, there will be a fourth make-up module of two days. This fourth module is open to all participants in the program but will primarily focus on the concepts and exercises that were missed by participants during the regularly scheduled class sessions.
NOTE: For those interested in becoming a certified Ideals Constellation facilitator and endorsed by PTCI, there is a step beyond the three-session certificate program in the autumn of 2020. That optional next phase is a Practicum in 2021 with individualized mentoring and supervision from Mary Elizabeth, ten actual practice client sessions, and a final demonstration of skills with Mary Elizabeth. This can lead to being certified by PTCI and included on the PTCI web site, announcing one’s availability to conduct Personal Ideal Energy Constellations. More details about the Practicum will be presented at the third session of the certificate program in the autumn.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THE COHORT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Module One: Laying the Groundwork
In Module One, you will:
- Learn the foundational theories from ancient wisdom traditions and contemporary research findings in neuroscience that articulate and support somatic intelligence. These theories, from both Eastern and Western traditions, underscore the importance of the body’s inherent intelligence and its ability to connect you and your clients with a personal values system.
- Experience a welcoming, open and encouraging learning environment. In this highly experiential educational environment, you will be invited to explore and experiment with the theories presented, applying them in your own life to test their validity and applicability.
- Consider and integrate both 1) conventional, left-brain assessment tools of personal values and strengths, and 2) intuitive, right-brain and somatic-based assessment approaches. The inclusion of both left and right brain approaches will assist you and your clients to identify, clarify and experience holistically an array of personal values, strengths and skills.
- Observe the complete process of leading a client through a Personal Ideals Energy Constellation format. This process engages all levels of your client’s innate wisdom, as it includes somatic and emotional intelligence, as well as one’s evaluative, analytical abilities.
Module Two: Facilitating an Ideals Constellation
In Module Two, you will:
- Learn the component parts and accompanying conceptual talks that are foundational in explaining to your client the somatic process known as the Personal Ideals Energy Constellation. You will begin to master information that constitutes the theoretical background of the Personal Ideals Energy Constellation format and become familiar with simple ways to explain and present this information to your clients.
- Practice and become skilled at explaining key concepts and a distinct sequence of experiential exercises, including inner explorations and reflections, designed to guide your client to an in-depth understanding of their values and strengths. This sequence of experiential exercises invites your client into a place of trust and appreciation of the wisdom of the body. It encourages your client to listen deeply to their body’s innate wisdom, to begin to understand its language, and to interpret its messages.
- Explore and learn to trust your own somatic intelligence as you lead your clients through the Personal Ideals Energy Constellation. You will learn to notice and appreciate your own intuition. And you will deepen your trust of your ability to sense the “knowing field” that is present as you lead your client through a somatic exercise that awakens in them the awareness of their most deeply held values and strengths.
Module Three: Connecting with Your Personal Facilitation Style
In Module Three, you will:
- Focus on specific facilitation skills that are needed in order to lead another person through the creation of an Ideals Constellation. You will explore various tips and recommendations for navigating someone through the process. And, you will be encouraged to experiment with role-playing exercises to start honing your own Personal Ideals Constellation facilitation skills.
- Develop greater awareness and sensitivity to how a client might experience being led through somatic intelligence exercises and the creation of an Ideals Constellation. In the practice role-play work during Module Three, you will have the opportunity to be the hypothetical client who is on the receiving end of Ideals Constellation facilitation. Much can be learned for your own skills-development from role-playing the client.
- Continue to deepen your own experience of somatic wisdom and how it connects you to your own Spiritual Ideal. Understanding one’s own Spiritual Ideal is an ongoing and unfolding process. And during Module Three, the meditations, sharing, and reflections will support your deepening awareness of the power of the Spiritual Ideal in your daily life.
- Learn about the PTCI certification process as an Ideals Constellation facilitator. Completion of the Fall 2020 certificate program in the Ideals Constellation work is the first step in a potential two-phase training that can lead to full certification by PTCI as one of its authorized facilitators (and inclusion of your biography and skills description on the PTCI web site). Phase two involves a mentored and supervised Practicum in which you complete 10 cases over the course of several months with different people from the community who want to experience the process of an Ideals Constellation.
General Information about the Certificate Program
Awakening to the Call of Somatic Intelligence
Course Dates TBD