Systemic Coaches consider human beings as being in many ways richly multifaceted in a world itself
richly multifaceted, where everything somehow interacts with everything. Human beings will therefore
always be considered in their context.
On one hand, every human is part of many "systems" like his or her romantic relationship, family,
workplace, recreation or sports clubs, a judicial system, a society, a town or city, humanity. When a
human being changes, it affects all systems in which she or he takes part, and vice-versa - like touching a
part of a mobile. When a system triggers changes within a person that cause unease or pain, that person
may change the system, if that is possible, or leave the system. But there are mor alternatives: the
person may also make sense to develop the strength to endure the discomfort of what cannot be
changed, at least not within a short timespan. And perhaps this person will learn to transfigure these
difficulties into resources, e.g. by developing an acceptance and managing to distil the teachings and
experiences contained within the current situation and thus receiving what life actually wants to teach or
tell through it, which might well be outside the comfort zone. Or he or she might realise that, albeit not
being able to change the whole system, there still is an operating area of personal influence within the
system where the individual has very much latitude to act efficiently and change things instead of
cultivating a self-corroding sense of powerlessness. Indeed, even the "great and powerful" have their
servitudes, and even their range of influence and action meets many limitations.
On the other hand, a human being is not all of a piece, but made of many moving parts. Often it is the
context that activates this part rather than that one. When we talk to two different people, we are
ourself two different people - does that feeling sound familiar? Some of these parts have the full
maturity of the person itself, sometimes even beyond, whilst others may well have remained at an
earlier maturity stage. Or it may be that some given contexts (e.g., certain types of relationship) make
them freeze into old patterns and automated behaviours. When that happens, the resources held by
these parts usually slip out of reach and are unavailable for a while. But nothing is definitive.
The following realisation alone may suffice to trigger a beginning liberation from old patterns and a
return to a self-reliant life in full awareness: "I am not this or that, I only acknowdlede that in the present
moment, in this present context, a part of me becomes like this or that." We are so much more than that
single part that is active in this moment.
Then, parts of ourselves might refuse to cooperate with each other or even impede each other or enter
outright conflict or a stall in a
polarised state. Such a state often
stubbornly blocks any change,
produces nothing, yet uses up lots
of available energy. We may then
feel a state of "inner disruption"
oder "inner conflict" or a
"blockade". When we work with
these suffering parts, bring them
into light, and let them express
their deep motivations and
intentions and possibly find
appeasement, it might be that
much of the energy formerly
captured by that inner conflict is becoming available again for conducting a more fulfilling life.
The next time you feel something that you would want to express with metaphors like "a part of me sees
/ feels / thinks this, and another part sees / feels / thinks that", do not hesitate to consider this partition
seriously, even literally instead of metaphorically. Each of us is many parts - and that assumption is where
many models and techniques of Systemic Coaching start.
As these parts find their real place within the individual and the harmony of the total increases, we
acquire more flexibility and awareness and even virtosity in conducting our life.
Perhaps you feel that the polarisations and opposites that you see in the world rouse diffuse
polarisations and opposites in yourself and that this is no pleasant sensation. Working with a systemic
coach tends to make inner parts visible, name them, and try to make them communicate and reconcile
and reunite again. In case of success, you may experience that those outside conflicts and the general
"state of the world" affect and upset you less because they do not activate some inner conflicts anymore.
There are many tools and methods we can use to work together. Among these, there are those listed
below. Please be aware that some of theses models are originally therapies, but that we do no not use
them for therapy but only extract the tools that are actually useful in coaching.
•
Conversation techniques, immobile and in
movement
•
Mindfulness techniques
•
Framework and tools from ACT - Acceptance &
Commitment Therapy
•
Introvision (an add-on to ACT)
•
Systemic Constellations
•
Developing the autonomous Directing Self and
reintegrating frozen or conflicting parts
•
Integral Approach - the 9 maturity stages of
individuals an organisations
•
Imaginary journeys in light trance (hypnosis)
•
Age recessions and timeline travelling from a
meta position
•
Core-Transformation
•
Working with the Inner Child(ren)
•
Clarifying and developing life goals, e.g. with
the Disney method or the "burner plate"
method
•
Identifying deep individual values and
separating them from roles, to empower a life
committed to your truest values instead of
roles and outer expectations
•
Models for teams and organisations
Alexander Hohmann
Systemic Coach in Freiburg (Black Forest)