I was working with a client once and she was going through a particularly difficult time. At one point there seemed to be an apex of sorts, and I asked her to come up with an intention for her weight so that despite everything she was going through, THAT INTENTION at least would be something to strive after. After she came up with something, I told her that I would HOLD THE SPACE for her.
She came back with:
You’ve said that before, but I’m not exactly sure what you mean by it. I must be missing something.
I did my best to explain in my own convoluted way what that meant. It’s a bit woo woo and it deals with quantum physics and such. I talked about things like the earth’s energy and human’s being an energy source and how it all related. Like I said, I did my best!
I read something recently that totally nails that whole process of what Holding the Space really means. Now if asked again in my coaching practice what Holding the Space means, I am much more equipped to provide a better answer.
When you hire a coach, it is never about them. It is always about you and your needs. A good coach will Hold the Space for whatever you need to work out. It’s a place where you can unpack your mind and get an objective viewpoint on anything that pertains to you.
You may have tried to do this with people that are around you, those that you know and love. The hard thing about this scenario is that these people are in your stuff, they can’t help but react to whatever it is your dealing with. They cannot be objective.
A good coach is the one person that can hear anything you say and not react to it. You should be able to air your negative emotions, thoughts and secrets to a coach, and they just Hold the Space, an unconditional space where these emotions, thoughts and secrets can be considered, unpacked and then understood.
The very cool thing about coaches that Hold the Space for you is that you can count on them to help you out of those difficult moments by truly seeing that it is only a moment, that it will pass. And once more, because they held that space of positive possibilities, it allows you to work through your difficult times and get better!
So I feel better about having a firm groundwork on how to explain Holding the Space. Works for me!
Thank you so much for sending me the link to this exactly when I needed to understand what it means.
🙂
That’s a perfect explination…I never knew what you meant for sure either. I like the sound of it. Sometimes I need to hold a space for myself. <3 it!
True that Becky! Holding a space for yourself, allowing yourself to take the time you need to get through a particular challenge is uber important! Thanks for stopping by!