A Personalized Profile

Stephen Williams

B.A. M.A. LMT GCFP

Honolulu, HI USA

and thanks Dad, for everything !

As a Somatic Educator and Practitioner, I use the term "Somaticist" (not to be confused with "Somatist") to best describe those who work in the field of Somatic Awareness. Having come full circle to the behavioral and cognitive aspects that first interested me, I often use the term Neuro-Somaticist. Regardless, it all begins with the sensing of movement, position, and feelings or emotions. Over the years, I've noticed the tendency to treat Somatics and Breathing separately. However, I see them as the same, and often present both within a session. For me, every aspect of breathing is somatic in nature, and every aspect of Somatics involves the breath. The two are inseparable.

My work with NeuroSomatics began obscurely when I returned to post-graduate study in Neuro-Psychology, and began to integrate it into my practice as a Shiatsu Therapist. Truthfully, most clients had no interest in the somatic content. They just wanted their sore back or stiff neck fixed while they slept. But the few who came aboard helped grow my interest and understanding of what was possible.

In early 2007, a bike accident changed everything! A painful limp ended my physical activities for 18 months. Applying my knowledge of functional somatics at the time, I began to walk using focused attention. I was shocked to discover that jogging was less painful than walking, and soon came to understand why. Thus, in August of 2008, I began running (sorry..." jogging"), something I hadn't done for 40 years. When I mentioned to several runners that it would be cool to "run Boston someday", they laughed at me! With strict qualifying times, the Boston Marathon often remains on one's "bucket list" for a lifetime. Their response burned in me all the way home, so that very night I registered for a December marathon that could qualify me for Boston. I achieved that goal, and I returned to Boston 5 more times, with a 2nd place finish in 2012, and gold in a big race later that year. I had entered each event to validate my work. Sadly, I never again saw the trio who had laughed at me.

As work demands grew, I chose shorter events. On a hot July morning in 2015, I won a 2nd National title in honor of my father. Fifty years earlier, our newspaper had shown him lifting me at the airport, having quarterbacked the 1960 Pop Warner World Champions in football. I had chatted with Walt Disney in his office as he lunched, and been kissed by teen heartthrob Annette Funicello. Does it get any better for a 12-year-old? Now it had all come full circle, gifting my father with a USA gold medal on his 100th birthday, to complement his black eye from a fall. It was good timing, as he died soon afterward. The following year, I happened upon a series of online posts from a woman in Berlin who was analyzing running form in major events. The observations and comments were strangely identical to my own. Eventually, I reached out to connect and realized I had seen her methodology, "Feldenkrais", profiled in an article years earlier but had brushed it off. Had I read further, I would have seen how closely it resembled what I was already doing, and how genius the creator was. He had literally been a pioneer in Neuro-Plasticity, as much so as Paul Bach-y-Rita had been, just differing in approach. So a shout-out to Jae Gruenke for having given me a reason to look again.

sdw

In 2017, I revisited the master's U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Baton Rouge, with the dream of winning two national titles and perhaps a medal in a third event. Over the course of four days, that dream was realized with two wins and a Bronze medal. The occasion had been the perfect "Field Test" for the work I was doing. In those few years, starting with 'unable to walk' and ending with a #3 World Ranking, I discovered what was possible simply by practicing what I was teaching, and the benefits went far beyond just physical. I began overhauling my entire practice, fully embracing neuro-somatic learning and breathing. It was clear what it had done for me, and I saw what it was doing for my clients. There were holdouts, and I respected that. Still, I'm sad to this day, seeing the condition some are presently in and knowing how they could have benefited ... "if only." Sports accolades had felt great, but no greater than hearing the gratitude expressed by those I had helped, seeing them improve in ways not seen before. In 2018, I chose to enter the Feldenkrais Professional Training, a 4-year certification program that became 6-years with the COVID-19 shutdown. I added an Advanced Breathing Instructor certification during that period. Given my age, travel, logistics, cost, and time away from home, it would've been difficult even without the pandemic. Many of us faced hardships during that time ... I chose to embrace the challenges as opportunities, and do so still. As for the work itself, the physical and physiological benefits became obvious. But it's the profound links to recent neuroscience discoveries that now fascinate me the most. The path that leads to functional somatic awareness (breath included) does not end there ... interpret that as you will. I hope I've provided a bit of insight regarding me and the site itself.

Thanks for visiting,