We humans learn, grow, and change most effectively when we integrate the wisdom of our bodies, minds, hearts, and spirits through safe, connective, and embodied experiences.
Taking action is a vital part of the change process! Experiencing is not necessarily a mental process, but rather a series of felt (or embodied), in-the-moment responses and reactions to whatever is occurring or co-occurring around us. Experiences can be positive, negative, and everything in between.
The theory of experiential learning suggests that human beings learn, grow, and change naturally when they are able to engage in experiences fully and holistically. It is how we were built to learn. All animals, including early humans, relied upon their ability to accurately perceive incoming stimuli to keep themselves safe. Having felt experiences of the world and learning from these experiences separated those who survived from those who didn’t.
As we have become more disconnected from our bodies, our senses, and from the natural world, we have also become more detached from our experiences, moving from one moment to the next, one task to the next, one interpersonal encounter to the next, or even one phase of life to the next without giving ourselves the chance to fully engage in the present moment — to feel, sense, experience, and learn.
It is through active, embodied experiencing that we come to understand ourselves, others, and the natural world more fully and are able to make change happen!
