Integrative Coach Training Blog: Concepts

Your Brain on Metaphors

7/29/2019

Our wonderful instructor, Dr. Kristen Truman-Allen, conducted her dissertation on Metaphor in Coaching. Metaphor is a powerful tool to activate the brain, anchor in an insight and engage create solutions (especially for those with more linear thinking approaches to life).

Today's resource is an NPR podcast on how the brain process metaphor. Enjoy!

Coaching Resource of the WeeK:
How the Brain Processes Metaphor
with Dr. Vicki Lai

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Lesson from John & Yoko

7/22/2019

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photo-by-Iain-Macmillan-CREDIT

When John Lennon met Yoko Ono, she was an artist. You can say an experienced artist. When you attended one of her events she included you in the experience of her work.

My favorite love story is of John attending one of Yoko's art exhibits. At this event she displayed a tall ladder and you had to climb up to the ceiling where she had a piece of white paper waiting, with a single word written so small you had to use a magnifying glass, that she provided at the top, to read it.

The word on the paper was.... "yes."

In an interview he admitted that after reading that word, he knew he had to meet Yoko. Their love become a powerful force and "yes" was a central value they both held dearly in their union.

Yes. It is a powerful word. It is also what we listen for when hearing beneath our client's words. Can you hear the "yes" behind the "no"? Can you say to what is calling you? What can you gain from standing firmly in your "yes!"?

In Service to your Life Purpose,

Laurel Elders, PCC
Found of IICT

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Invictus

7/15/2019

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Today we are talking about taking charge in our life.

In one of our classes we examine the distinction between a Declaration and an Affirmation and why affirmations can fall flat.

Declaring is a powerful motivator. It is placing a flag in the ground and a statement of raw intent. Affirmations come in to support our declaration and help us stay out of the weeds as we move into what it is we are declaring.

When the will is strong enough, the way appears.

Today I'm sharing a poem that was shared with me by one of our faculty coaches, Tabitha. Thank you Tabitha!

I hope you enjoy.

In Service to your Life Purpose,

Laurel

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Assumptions Empowered

7/8/2019

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Imagine this. I’m waiting for class to start. It is 6th grade. I’ve been at this new school for over a year, yet, I’m so painfully shy that I have only one friend. There are two boys talking about me not too far away. They were talking about me being a snob because I didn’t talk to anyone.

My insides were yelling, “Snob!? If only you knew how much I wanted and ached to fit in here and have actual friends! Snob? All I do is care about people.”

Assumptions are one of the biggest pitfalls to human thinking.  Illusions being the first, and the basis for assumptive reasoning.  The good news is… different times, different things.

Earlier this year we explored how every asset can have a liability if it gets out of balance.  This is the heart of today’s teaching as well.

The positive side of our human capacity to hold an assumption is…. faith.

Imagine this. I was a single mom when I had my second a breakaway moment. I decided I was sick of living in fear over money and decided I was done. Either the universe had my back, or it didn’t. In a way, I needed to test it out.

I agreed to pay all the bills that effected my credit first and trust that the money to pay the utilities (that didn’t affect my credit) would be on its way.

My assumption, “I am always provided for. Things always work out. Always.”

Guess what happened? I got a few pink notices threatening to turn off water and electric. I said to myself, that is nice they are sending bills in color now and kept my assumption firmly intact, “I am always provided for. Things always work out. Always.”

To my surprise, and relief, the universe never failed to provide. My lights were never turned off and I had my candles ready, believe me. My income started rising and stabilizing. I learned we have a spiritual thermostat that we can adjust, when we adjust.

Looking back, it wasn't all fun and games. It started when I lept with faith. I then a few times wept, but with grace. But soon thereafter I began to survive and then eventually I learned to thrive.

I now am always one month ahead on my bills.  I reversed the very strong pattern of fear through the power of positive assumption.  The teachings of abundance, I learned are alive and well.

With faith, we do not have evidence that something is, or can be.

“Faith, derived from Latin “fides” and Old French “feid”, is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept.”  Oxford Living Dictionaries Retrieved March 1, 2019

The Course in Miracles teaches, “There is no problem in any situation that faith will not solve.” 17.VII.2:1

To experience truly remarkable outcomes requires solvency, resolve and requires faith.

In coaching your faith in your client invites them to cultivate a deeper faith in themselves. Faith therefore is the inception point of new potentials.

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3 Pleasant Surprises of Coaching

7/1/2019

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I feel deeply honored, inspired and grounded to be in this budding profession. Coaching is the most profound approach I’ve ever come across and trust me I’ve done a lot of searching in my days.

To sum up my personal experience:

Life without coaching = frustrating, confusing, stressful, anxiety ridden.

Life with coaching = amazing, wonderful, inspiring, spontaneous, abundant.

Becoming a trained coach is a pivot point for most people I’ve talked to. Coaching helps us become more masterful at communicating, not only with others, but also with ourselves.

Coaching approaches help us to not get sucked into a problem, but to start visualizing solutions we can bridge with.

Coaching helps us get to the heart of a matter instead of staying on the surface and spinning wheels.

Coaching is one skill-set that has the ability to positively impacts all areas of our life.

I’ve never heard the words, “I’m so disappointed I completed that coaching program, gosh darnit.” come out of anyone's mouth. Quite the contrary!

Coach training pivots lives, professionally of course, but in my opinion it is the personal pivots that are also so profound to witness.

In light of my love for coaching, I’ve compiled three things that pleasantly surprised me about coaching. My hope is that the pleasantly inspire you.

Anytime you need a brand-new start, all you need do, is shift into your heart.

Solutions are never found in the worry.  Anytime we are facing a problem and we remain in the problem, the solution is much harder to see, it is clouded.  When we are stuck in worry our values, insights and wisdom's are cloudy to us.  Einstein’s wisdom has meaning here. “No problem can be solved by the same level of consciousness that created it.”

The heart is the metaphor for the Highest Self within us all. It has our wisest answers, is our wisest counselor and knows what is aligned with our core values because it is the harbinger of our truth.  A masterful coach introduces people to the Highest aspects of themselves waiting within.

Anytime we need a solution, an answer, a piece of wisdom our heart is always ready, willing and waiting to provide. Clouds do not take away the sun. The heart is always ready to serve our highest aims.

2. What is in your heart is just the start!

What does it mean to find one’s self?  Once we find our heart, our true self, our Highest Self, we have found ourselves. It is like coming home.

Furthermore, once we find ourselves we then have the opportunity to create ourselves. We get to choose who we wish to be in the world and what we wish to accomplish. This is profound way to live life and where life starts to become truly miraculous!

Getting to the heart is just the start. In our heart we are most aligned, and therefore our answers more enlightened and therefore our outcomes more miraculous.

Home truly is where the heart is.

3. We do not create possibilities.

What!?  Yes, that is correct.  We do not create possibilities. Possibilities already exist.  What we do, think, and who we choose to be, either gives us access to possibilities or blocks us from them.  They don’t ever go away and we can gain access to them at any point.

This is why in coaching we get to experience a transformation being only one perspective shift away at all times and how a mustard seed moves a mountain.

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BLOG
Resources, Videos & Articles

Your Brain on Metaphors

Coaching Resource of the WeeK:
How the Brain Processes Metaphor
with Dr. Vicki Lai

Lesson from John & Yoko

Invictus

Assumptions Empowered

3 Pleasant Surprises of Coaching

By Laurel Elders, PCC

Archives

Categories

BLOGResources, Videos & Articles

Your Brain on Metaphors

Coaching Resource of the WeeK:How the Brain Processes Metaphorwith Dr. Vicki Lai

Lesson from John & Yoko

Invictus

Assumptions Empowered

3 Pleasant Surprises of Coaching

By Laurel Elders, PCC

Archives

Categories

BLOG
Resources, Videos & Articles

Coaching Resource of the WeeK:
How the Brain Processes Metaphor
with Dr. Vicki Lai