what exactly is resourcing?

Resourcing is a common term used in the therapy world - but what exactly is it?

To start, when we consider the word "resource", generally what comes to mind for most of us is a reference to something of value. We gain value by connecting with or receiving a resource - usually it supports our life in some way.

Thus, when we use this term in therapy in an active context, we call it resourcing.

Basically what we're doing is looking for the things in your life which support you!

A resource is anything which contributes to a felt-sense of ease, safety, support or comfort in the body.

why is it important to explore resources?

It's important to consider and find your unique resources so they can be referred back to and consciously accessible when facing difficulty in life or in a session.

This concept is central in somatic work because the somatic approach to psychotherapy is very much centered around increasing the individual's capacity to hold dysregulating (aka challenging or destabilizing) experiences, emotions, energies, stories etc.

In somatics, we foster an increased capacity or resilience with bodily presence (strengthened by resourcing and present-time awareness) that is bigger and stronger than the dysregulating thing.

a few contextual examples

Say your challenges in life are represented by a liter of water.

If the container you have for holding that water is too small or has holes, you're likely to have the water overflow and cause flooding (or overwhelm) of the container (your system). The fullness of the water can't be fully held or tolerated because the container isn't suitable.

However, if that same container is made to be larger than 1 liter, maybe even two times the size and strong, it's going to hold the water just fine.

It's the same thing with emotions and life struggles.

We want to make sure your capacity (or your "container") is larger than the challenges themselves.

Here's another example. If you've had a traumatic experience in your life, say - childhood abuse. If this trauma has unresolved elements and you haven't gotten to work through it in some way, it might come up and cause overwhelm (being triggered) when you see something which reminds you of it.

Just like the liter of water, you might have a hard time holding that trigger without your system becoming flooded. Flooding could appear as emotional overwhelm, anxiety, shut down or panic attacks, etcetera.

With the somatic approach, we aim to strengthen your capacity and container. We aim to support you in "being resourced" and having the strength and connection with your body first, which is then followed by taking small bites of that thing that causes the trigger (aka titration).

Over time, your ability to hold, look at, and feel that topic gets stronger. Your triggers become less powerful because you've established strength and resources to lean on. Your container or your capacity becomes larger than the trigger itself.

In the context of that abuse example - over time, you might notice that thinking or even speaking about the topic which previously really triggered you becomes less intense. It becomes more manageable because you've got all this support around it.

the different types of resources

There's different types! We have...

• inner resources

• outer resources

• somatic resources

Examples of inner resources:

• self love and compassionate self-talk

• meditation

• humour

Examples of outer resources:

• acts of self care (journaling, taking a bath, being in nature, self-massage)

• a safe and comfortable space, a comforting object or a pet

• a blanket to be wrapped in

Examples of somatic resources:

• bringing awareness to areas of the body that feel at ease

• feeling your feet on the floor

• connecting with your breath

how to figure out your resources

Try reflecting on the following questions...

• What in my life makes me light up?

• What makes my heart sing?

• What helps me to feel at ease in stressful moments?

• What do I find comforting?

  
  

By reflecting on what in your life is comforting, you bring more awareness to the supports around you and within you. Then, in moments of stress or overwhelm, you can practice reaching for the resources in order to come back to balance.

It's important to note that being dysregulated is not something to avoid. It's an important, and unavoidable part of life. We are guaranteed to face challenges which cause us to lose our balance every once in a while, and trying to avoid that isn't healthy!

However at the same time, we don't want to live there.

We want to make sure we can go into dysregulation and stress and come back out into balance. In somatic therapy we explore your capacity to do this - and strengthen that capacity through resourcing.

Over all, knowing what helps us to come back into regulation and then applying it is what resourcing is. It is a beautiful way to support oneself in meeting life with resilience.

With care,

Alley