Learning to Be a Sensitive Professional: A Life-Enhancing Process Grounded in the Experience of the Body

Abstract

This article focuses on the bodily engagement of professionals in the context of formative adult education. It examines how the body can be lived and sensed from different angles, based on two experiential studies: one with student-teachers, in somatic education, and one with physicians, based on Awakening the Sensible Being. The research results are compared to demonstrate how participants engage in their relationships with themselves and with others and how this enriches their coherence. The research suggests that teaching body perception can be as beneficial for teachers and physicians as it is for their students and patients. In our findings, it seems that body awareness and consciousness allow professionals to process information that is not available through other channels, enabling them to offer services that respond more humanely to the demands and needs. With body awareness, they can move toward a more grounded and coherent professional practice.