The mission of generative somatics is to grow a transformative social and environmental justice movement: one that integrates personal and social transformation, creates compelling alternatives to the status quo and embodies the creativity, rigor and life affirming actions we need to forward systemic change.  We are committed to bringing transformation to the center of how we create lasting, systemic change through organizing and movement building.  We envision a movement guided by cultivated wisdom, trusting relationship and effective action. 

generative somatics holds a certain orientation to transformative leadership, organizing and movement building, and uses this to guide our work.

o   Path:  We see embodied transformation as Path.  What we mean is that transformation is not a one-time “ah-ha” moment (although those are great), nor is it just new ideas that seem right.  Rather, taking on transforming ourselves and our movements—to be more effective at how we create systemic change—is deep work.  Transformation means entering unknown spaces and being willing to be changed fundamentally.  Transformation means taking on practices that are unfamiliar but aligned with our vision.  It means we are fully engaging internally and externally.  Transformation asks us to change how we have embodied and enact the practices of oppression and disconnection, and purposefully move toward interdependence, trust, collective healing, responsible power and more. 

o   Quality:  We want to forward quality in transformation.  We are not interested in transformation being a passing movement “fad.”  As popularity of the word grows, many things will be called transformative. We are committed to upholding quality of transformative processes and practices…so that they work.  Transformation takes moving from old and habitual ways of being, through the unknown and unfamiliar to new practices and ways of being that show in our actions, ideas and relationships.   Transformation is ongoing, has depth, engages purposeful practice and shows practical results, as well as a much deeper sense of wholeness and well being.

o   “Somaticize”:  generative somatics forwards a politicized somatic change theory, processes and practices.  Somatics is a change theory that understands the need for embodied change, “re-training” our nervous systems, healing deeply from trauma and oppression and the purposeful change it takes to embody our visions in action.  We use the idea of “somaticizing” movement organizations, alliances, sectors…to mean understanding the need to develop from “old shape” (practices, ways of relating, thinking, etc.) to a “new shape” to grow into our visions for change.  This process of growth is ongoing and as we continue to change, this allows us to do it purposefully.  As an organization takes on transformative practices, sees itself as “embodying” limitations and strengths, and begins to purposefully change its collective “shape”, many things happen.  Somaticizing an organization increases overall awareness of default thinking and limitations, allows for collective practices to be designed that fit the vision mission, allows relationships and trust to deepen and conflict to be resolved more generatively.  This process also often begins to affect vision and strategy, because the collective capacity has deepened, and there is more experience with internal and external change. 

o   Interdependence:  we hold that personal, community and systemic transformation are interdependent.  When changing one we need to change the other.  Not all alliances or organizations will be set to do all three, nor need to.  But, we can orient toward understanding the change processes of each and consider the implications of this to our strategies.  Often personal and systemic change theories are either at odds, or missing so much understanding of the other that they are dangerously incomplete, and thus not as successful as we want them to be.  Committing to understanding this interdependence brings much more skill, better strategy and hope into our work.

Programming

o   Transformative organizing. Using somatic theory and practices to inform and forward a transformative community organizing theory and practice

o   Politicized healers.  Training and organizing politicized somatic healers to support movement folks, organizations, and impacted communities. We see politicized healers and access to healing as an essential aspect of ending legacies of trauma and oppression

o   Embodied leadership development and capacity building. Learning transforms us and what actions are possible

o   Community transformation. Supporting local practice collectives of people committed to personal, community and systemic transformation

o   Long term teacher development. We hold an ongoing commitment to develop facilitators and teachers who can hold deep, high quality, transformative spaces and capacity building for movements

o   To be a defining voice of politicized somatics as somatics is getting institutionalized into universities and the field of psychology