Changes
Updated location
{{Notability|date=February 2015}}
'''Strozzi Institute''' is an organization located in [[Oakland, California]] that offers [[coaching#Applications|coaching]] services and trainings in [[leadership]], [[organizational development]], and personal mastery. It uses a [[somatics|somatic]] approach to learning. Programs are offered primarily at the institute's [[Sonoma County, California|Sonoma]] training center.<ref name="dance" />
{{TOC right}}
==History==
Strozzi Institute was founded in 1985 by [[Richard Strozzi-Heckler]], Ph.D. as an application of his research into a "somatic philosophy of [[learning]]".
In the 1970s Strozzi-Heckler and Robert K. Hall, M.D. developed The Lomi School of [[body oriented psychotherapy]], influenced by the work of [[Fritz Perls]], [[Ida Pauline Rolf|Ida Rolf]], [[Randolph Stone]], and [[Charan Singh (guru)|Charan Singh]].<ref name="groundworks"/> In addition to the usual [[psychiatric]] and [[psychoanalytic theory|psychoanalytic]] methods, this program includes touch, group process, [[breathwork]], [[Vipassanā|attention training]], and movement to its approach,<ref name="groundworks">Johnson, D., ''Groundworks: Narratives of Embodiment''. North Atlantic (1997) {{ISBN|978-1-55643-235-4}} p. 116 https://books.google.com/books?id=pRnAGCOBxFEC</ref> to provide its framework for working with the mind unified with the physical body.<ref name="body">Davidson, A., Davis, V., ''Body Brilliance: Mastering Your Five Vital Intelligences'' Elite Books (2010) {{ISBN|978-1-60070-025-5}} p. 70, 220</ref>
In 1985 Strozzi-Heckler contributed to a [[pilot program]] for the [[U.S. Army Special Forces]] to evaluate [[Mind-body connection|mind-body]] approaches to [[Military education and training|military training]]. In addition to many of the measured outcomes related to increased [[endurance]], [[alertness]], capacity for [[stress management]], and [[Sports psychology#Team dynamics|team cohesion]], participants unexpectedly demonstrated significant increases in leadership characteristics. Reflecting on this, Strozzi-Heckler began exploring ways to adapt the program for leaders in business and government.<ref name="dance"/>In collaboration with [[Fernando Flores]] during the 1980s and 1990s, Flores's Ontology of Language research into [[speech act#In computer science|speech acts]] was integrated and applied to the somatic leadership domain. <ref> Wildflower, L., "The Hidden History of Coaching" McGraw-Hill Education (2013) {{ISBN|978-0335245406}} p.66 https://books.google.com/books?id=IKGSyKsY-hkC</ref>
In 2000, Strozzi Institute introduced a training program for [[coaching|coaches]] interested in their somatic approach.
==Strozzi Somatics==
The Strozzi Institute methodology, known as Strozzi Somatics, is used one-on-one and in groups of varying size.
The Strozzi Somatics [[methodology]] makes a distinction between ''soma'' - the living body in its entirety, and the mechanistic view of the physical body as an assemblage of anatomical parts. Using this first definition the body is regarded as the primary domain of feeling, action, language, and meaning.<ref name="jasp">Strean, W.B., Strozzi-Heckler, R., "(The) Body (of) Knowledge: Somatic Contributions to the Practice of Sport Psychology" ''Journal of Sports Psychology'', September 2009 p. 93</ref> From this perspective, coaches observe the ways people hold their bodies and how they respond to stress situations, such as verbal or physical surprises. The body’s overall organization in this way is referred to as a somatic shape.<ref name="keleman">Keleman, S., ''Emotional Anatomy''. Center Press (1985) {{ISBN|978-0-934320-07-8}} p.103</ref> Each person’s unique somatic shape is formed by responses to past experiences, positive and negative, which are established as deep, mostly unconscious patterns of muscular activity in the body. Over time these patterns produce conditioned tendencies of reaction to people, situations and environments.<ref name="fem">{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-harrow/reclaiming-feminine-value_b_409615.html |title=Susan Harrow: Reclaiming Feminine Values and Virtues in the Workplace and Home |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=2010-01-04 |accessdate=2012-06-04}}</ref>
Strozzi-Heckler has described the process in which, when an individual is exposed to a stressful stimulus, they revert to this conditioned tendency, limiting their available choices for action.<ref name="AofC">Strozzi-Heckler, R., ''Anatomy of Change: A Way to Move Through Life's Transitions''. North Atlantic Books (1997) {{ISBN|978-1-55643-147-0}} p. 25</ref> Withdrawal, fear, attempting to dominate, rigidity, and over-accommodation are examples of different conditioned tendency shapes.<ref name="dance"/> Because this is a [[Somatics|somatic]] event rather than an exclusively [[Cognition|cognitive]] one, new information or theoretical insight will not shift the response. As an illustration, he describes a team leader who has extensive education in management principles but, especially under stress, comports himself in a way that produces mistrust and resentment from the people he manages, eventually creating significant breakdowns within his team.<ref name="dojo">Strozzi-Heckler, R., ''The Leadership Dojo''. Frog Books (2007) {{ISBN|978-1-58394-201-7}} pp. 27-32</ref>
===Leadership ===
Strozzi Institute has stressed that leadership characteristics often considered innate are teachable, and can be improved with practice. These traits include: high [[self awareness#In psychology|self awareness]] and awareness of the environment, being open to possibilities rather than limited to past options, being motivated by a connection to what one cares about,
the ability to deal directly with matters that need attention,
directing attention outward in a way that enables listening and connection with others,
and the ability to coordinate with others and empathize with their concerns.
<ref name="voxam">Interview with Strozzi-Heckler http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/26740/the-body-of-leadership 6:50 - 11:48, 19:20 - 20:05</ref>
===Aikido Influence===
Many of the practices taught are adapted from [[aikido]] and different forms of [[meditation]].
Aikido movements are presented in a non-[[martial arts|martial]] context and principles of the art such as:
''centering'' oneself, ''facing'' an attack, ''extending'' outward into the environment, ''entering'' into shared space, and ''blending'' with the momentum of an incursion, are used as physical metaphors to guide the practice of embodying leadership characteristics.<ref name="dance"/>
An aikido [[dojo]], ''Two Rock Aikido'', is located on the Strozzi Institute site in Sonoma.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tworockaikido.com |title=Two Rock Aikido, Petaluma - California |publisher=Tworockaikido.com |date= |accessdate=2012-06-04}}</ref>
===Strozzi Bodywork===
Working from the premise that the body and the [[self]] are indistinguishable from one another, Strozzi Institute offers training in a style of [[bodywork (alternative medicine)|bodywork]] developed by Strozzi-Heckler and Hall to produce change in a person's core historical limitations. Strozzi Bodywork involves addressing deeply held muscular contractions (also known as [[character armor|armoring]]) maintained in the soma using touch, breath, and directed attention. Practitioners train to develop an [[empathy|empathetic]], compassionate presence that can build trust and enable them to work with others through a variety of [[emotion]]al states. Some somatic coaches use Strozzi Bodywork in their coaching sessions.
===Applications===
The Strozzi Somatics methodology has been applied to a broad range of organizations and with diverse populations. These include Fortune 50 companies, [[United States Navy SEALs|U.S. Navy SEALs]], [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marines]], [[Law enforcement agency|law enforcement agencies]], [[social justice]] groups, professional sports teams, as well as urban gang members, [[prisoner]]s, Olympic athletes,<ref name="dance"/> and survivors of sexual trauma.<ref name="heal">Haines, S., ''Healing Sex: A Mind-Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma'' Cleis (2007) {{ISBN|978-1-57344-293-0}}</ref>
Strozzi Institute has contributed to U.S. Military [[counter-insurgency]] training, integrating somatic practices to enhance soldiers' abilities to connect with others across cultures rather than rely predominantly on force. Strozzi-Heckler has said, "Working with the body gives you a way to do that because it transcends words and language. It takes us to that common core of being human."<ref name="dance">Helgesen, S. “The Dance of Power” ''Strategy+Business'', Winter 2007/Issue 49, http://www.strategy-business.com/article/07406?gko=c0c2d</ref>
==Further reading==
*Strozzi-Heckler, R., ''The Leadership Dojo'', Frog Books (2007) {{ISBN|978-1-58394-201-7}}
*Strozzi-Heckler, R., ''The Anatomy of Change'', North Atlantic Books (1997) {{ISBN|978-1-55643-147-0}}
*Haines, S., ''Healing Sex: A Mind-Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma'', Cleis (2007) {{ISBN|978-1-57344-293-0}}
*[[George Leonard|Leonard, G]]., ''Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment'', Penguin (1992) {{ISBN|978-0-452-26756-5}}
*Keleman, Stanley, ''Somatic Reality'', Center Press (1982) {{ISBN|978-0-934320-05-4}}
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
* [http://www.strozziinstitute.com/ Strozzi Institute website]
[[Category:Leadership studies]]
[[Category:Personal development]]
[[Category:Mind–body interventions]]
[[Category:Life coaches]]
[[Category:Educational psychology]]
[[Category:Petaluma, California]]
[[Category:Somatic psychology]]
'''Strozzi Institute''' is an organization located in [[Oakland, California]] that offers [[coaching#Applications|coaching]] services and trainings in [[leadership]], [[organizational development]], and personal mastery. It uses a [[somatics|somatic]] approach to learning. Programs are offered primarily at the institute's [[Sonoma County, California|Sonoma]] training center.<ref name="dance" />
{{TOC right}}
==History==
Strozzi Institute was founded in 1985 by [[Richard Strozzi-Heckler]], Ph.D. as an application of his research into a "somatic philosophy of [[learning]]".
In the 1970s Strozzi-Heckler and Robert K. Hall, M.D. developed The Lomi School of [[body oriented psychotherapy]], influenced by the work of [[Fritz Perls]], [[Ida Pauline Rolf|Ida Rolf]], [[Randolph Stone]], and [[Charan Singh (guru)|Charan Singh]].<ref name="groundworks"/> In addition to the usual [[psychiatric]] and [[psychoanalytic theory|psychoanalytic]] methods, this program includes touch, group process, [[breathwork]], [[Vipassanā|attention training]], and movement to its approach,<ref name="groundworks">Johnson, D., ''Groundworks: Narratives of Embodiment''. North Atlantic (1997) {{ISBN|978-1-55643-235-4}} p. 116 https://books.google.com/books?id=pRnAGCOBxFEC</ref> to provide its framework for working with the mind unified with the physical body.<ref name="body">Davidson, A., Davis, V., ''Body Brilliance: Mastering Your Five Vital Intelligences'' Elite Books (2010) {{ISBN|978-1-60070-025-5}} p. 70, 220</ref>
In 1985 Strozzi-Heckler contributed to a [[pilot program]] for the [[U.S. Army Special Forces]] to evaluate [[Mind-body connection|mind-body]] approaches to [[Military education and training|military training]]. In addition to many of the measured outcomes related to increased [[endurance]], [[alertness]], capacity for [[stress management]], and [[Sports psychology#Team dynamics|team cohesion]], participants unexpectedly demonstrated significant increases in leadership characteristics. Reflecting on this, Strozzi-Heckler began exploring ways to adapt the program for leaders in business and government.<ref name="dance"/>In collaboration with [[Fernando Flores]] during the 1980s and 1990s, Flores's Ontology of Language research into [[speech act#In computer science|speech acts]] was integrated and applied to the somatic leadership domain. <ref> Wildflower, L., "The Hidden History of Coaching" McGraw-Hill Education (2013) {{ISBN|978-0335245406}} p.66 https://books.google.com/books?id=IKGSyKsY-hkC</ref>
In 2000, Strozzi Institute introduced a training program for [[coaching|coaches]] interested in their somatic approach.
==Strozzi Somatics==
The Strozzi Institute methodology, known as Strozzi Somatics, is used one-on-one and in groups of varying size.
The Strozzi Somatics [[methodology]] makes a distinction between ''soma'' - the living body in its entirety, and the mechanistic view of the physical body as an assemblage of anatomical parts. Using this first definition the body is regarded as the primary domain of feeling, action, language, and meaning.<ref name="jasp">Strean, W.B., Strozzi-Heckler, R., "(The) Body (of) Knowledge: Somatic Contributions to the Practice of Sport Psychology" ''Journal of Sports Psychology'', September 2009 p. 93</ref> From this perspective, coaches observe the ways people hold their bodies and how they respond to stress situations, such as verbal or physical surprises. The body’s overall organization in this way is referred to as a somatic shape.<ref name="keleman">Keleman, S., ''Emotional Anatomy''. Center Press (1985) {{ISBN|978-0-934320-07-8}} p.103</ref> Each person’s unique somatic shape is formed by responses to past experiences, positive and negative, which are established as deep, mostly unconscious patterns of muscular activity in the body. Over time these patterns produce conditioned tendencies of reaction to people, situations and environments.<ref name="fem">{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-harrow/reclaiming-feminine-value_b_409615.html |title=Susan Harrow: Reclaiming Feminine Values and Virtues in the Workplace and Home |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=2010-01-04 |accessdate=2012-06-04}}</ref>
Strozzi-Heckler has described the process in which, when an individual is exposed to a stressful stimulus, they revert to this conditioned tendency, limiting their available choices for action.<ref name="AofC">Strozzi-Heckler, R., ''Anatomy of Change: A Way to Move Through Life's Transitions''. North Atlantic Books (1997) {{ISBN|978-1-55643-147-0}} p. 25</ref> Withdrawal, fear, attempting to dominate, rigidity, and over-accommodation are examples of different conditioned tendency shapes.<ref name="dance"/> Because this is a [[Somatics|somatic]] event rather than an exclusively [[Cognition|cognitive]] one, new information or theoretical insight will not shift the response. As an illustration, he describes a team leader who has extensive education in management principles but, especially under stress, comports himself in a way that produces mistrust and resentment from the people he manages, eventually creating significant breakdowns within his team.<ref name="dojo">Strozzi-Heckler, R., ''The Leadership Dojo''. Frog Books (2007) {{ISBN|978-1-58394-201-7}} pp. 27-32</ref>
===Leadership ===
Strozzi Institute has stressed that leadership characteristics often considered innate are teachable, and can be improved with practice. These traits include: high [[self awareness#In psychology|self awareness]] and awareness of the environment, being open to possibilities rather than limited to past options, being motivated by a connection to what one cares about,
the ability to deal directly with matters that need attention,
directing attention outward in a way that enables listening and connection with others,
and the ability to coordinate with others and empathize with their concerns.
<ref name="voxam">Interview with Strozzi-Heckler http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/26740/the-body-of-leadership 6:50 - 11:48, 19:20 - 20:05</ref>
===Aikido Influence===
Many of the practices taught are adapted from [[aikido]] and different forms of [[meditation]].
Aikido movements are presented in a non-[[martial arts|martial]] context and principles of the art such as:
''centering'' oneself, ''facing'' an attack, ''extending'' outward into the environment, ''entering'' into shared space, and ''blending'' with the momentum of an incursion, are used as physical metaphors to guide the practice of embodying leadership characteristics.<ref name="dance"/>
An aikido [[dojo]], ''Two Rock Aikido'', is located on the Strozzi Institute site in Sonoma.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tworockaikido.com |title=Two Rock Aikido, Petaluma - California |publisher=Tworockaikido.com |date= |accessdate=2012-06-04}}</ref>
===Strozzi Bodywork===
Working from the premise that the body and the [[self]] are indistinguishable from one another, Strozzi Institute offers training in a style of [[bodywork (alternative medicine)|bodywork]] developed by Strozzi-Heckler and Hall to produce change in a person's core historical limitations. Strozzi Bodywork involves addressing deeply held muscular contractions (also known as [[character armor|armoring]]) maintained in the soma using touch, breath, and directed attention. Practitioners train to develop an [[empathy|empathetic]], compassionate presence that can build trust and enable them to work with others through a variety of [[emotion]]al states. Some somatic coaches use Strozzi Bodywork in their coaching sessions.
===Applications===
The Strozzi Somatics methodology has been applied to a broad range of organizations and with diverse populations. These include Fortune 50 companies, [[United States Navy SEALs|U.S. Navy SEALs]], [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marines]], [[Law enforcement agency|law enforcement agencies]], [[social justice]] groups, professional sports teams, as well as urban gang members, [[prisoner]]s, Olympic athletes,<ref name="dance"/> and survivors of sexual trauma.<ref name="heal">Haines, S., ''Healing Sex: A Mind-Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma'' Cleis (2007) {{ISBN|978-1-57344-293-0}}</ref>
Strozzi Institute has contributed to U.S. Military [[counter-insurgency]] training, integrating somatic practices to enhance soldiers' abilities to connect with others across cultures rather than rely predominantly on force. Strozzi-Heckler has said, "Working with the body gives you a way to do that because it transcends words and language. It takes us to that common core of being human."<ref name="dance">Helgesen, S. “The Dance of Power” ''Strategy+Business'', Winter 2007/Issue 49, http://www.strategy-business.com/article/07406?gko=c0c2d</ref>
==Further reading==
*Strozzi-Heckler, R., ''The Leadership Dojo'', Frog Books (2007) {{ISBN|978-1-58394-201-7}}
*Strozzi-Heckler, R., ''The Anatomy of Change'', North Atlantic Books (1997) {{ISBN|978-1-55643-147-0}}
*Haines, S., ''Healing Sex: A Mind-Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma'', Cleis (2007) {{ISBN|978-1-57344-293-0}}
*[[George Leonard|Leonard, G]]., ''Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment'', Penguin (1992) {{ISBN|978-0-452-26756-5}}
*Keleman, Stanley, ''Somatic Reality'', Center Press (1982) {{ISBN|978-0-934320-05-4}}
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
* [http://www.strozziinstitute.com/ Strozzi Institute website]
[[Category:Leadership studies]]
[[Category:Personal development]]
[[Category:Mind–body interventions]]
[[Category:Life coaches]]
[[Category:Educational psychology]]
[[Category:Petaluma, California]]
[[Category:Somatic psychology]]
