The Settling phase is the foundational stage of the transformation process. It involves establishing safety, stability, and a sense of calm both within oneself and in one’s environment. This phase is divided into two parts: settling the nervous system and investigating experience.
Settling the nervous system is about learning to regulate your responses to stress and trauma. This helps reduce the frequency and intensity of overwhelming emotional states. Crucial practices in this stage include finding a safe and supportive environment, practicing self-care, and using techniques like meditation, breathing exercises, massage, and exercise to recover a settled and rested state.
Investigating experience, the second part of this phase, involves self-inquiry and self-investigation to generate insights. This process is supported by mindfulness, meditation, and dialogues with parts of oneself.
Three critical practices that can support this phase include the Morning Card practice, the Buffer practice, and the Coming Home practice. The Morning Card practice helps you reconnect with your intention and purpose each morning. The Buffer practice involves dedicating a short, manageable period every morning to attend to the most important things. The Coming Home practice is a way of responding when you become aware that you are overwhelmed and outside your window of tolerance. It involves noticing the patterns and conditions that lead to overwhelm and discovering a way back to feeling safe and grounded.
The transition from the Settling phase to the Seeing phase is signaled by a combination of factors, including established self-care routines and practices, the ability to sit with discomfort, access to an inner “safe space,” life stability, and a demonstrated willingness and motivation to engage in personal growth work.
Overall, the Settling phase is a crucial preparatory phase in the journey of transformation, providing the necessary grounding and tools for the deeper work that lies ahead and establishing the clarity required for the Seeing phase, where the depth of self-investigation and insight cultivation is intensified.
It should be noted not everybody finds themselves in this phase during their journey of healing or wholing. Some folks are already settled when we begin working together. Some people fall back into the Settling phase during temporary stressful periods or setbacks. The main point is to shift into the grounding, “recovery mode” that Settling emphasizes to recover your inherent well-being and reclaim the clarity of seeing needed to heal and grow.
Resources for the Settling Phase
