Note: Somascience is an integrative framework that explores human adaptation and development by examining how we relate to discomfort in lived experience. This Applied Blog supports the application of Somascience in your life. These are posts that align with the Conceptual series - Five Principles of Somascience. For a deeper dive into the philosophical foundation, go here. These posts and the substack The thing is … by JamPac-Ed do not represent medical advice in any way whatsoever [see disclaimer here]. For further support applying or integrating these principles, contact Pam for 1:1 or group Somatic Literacy sessions.
Ever heard of somaplasticity? Probably not — it’s a new word that describes how change happens in the human experience. So, what on earth does it mean?
Well, when you break it down, it’s actually quite simple.
Do you remember “soma” from Principle #1 ? It means the wholeness of the body.
What about “plasticity”? We’re not plastic like Lego — fixed in one shape forever. Plasticity means adaptability — the capacity to change. Our system is more like kinetic sand: mouldable, responsive, reshaping itself with every lived experience.
What counts as “every lived experience”? Like ordinary moments of day-to-day life as well as big emotional events?
Yes. Exactly. Because every lived moment leaves a somatic imprint on the system.
Change in the lived experience
Let’s face it, the only thing in life that is constant is change!
As we go about our day to day lives, the capacity to adapt must operate in real time, responding not only to changing external conditions but to internal shifts as well.
We are continuously taking in and organising vast amounts of information— sights, sounds, movement, interactions and situations. At the same time, shifts are occurring inside us— hunger, emotional outbursts, pain —internal prompts that something needs our attention.
Change inherently introduces instability as the system rearranges and forms something new. The lived experience is where this change unfolds - not just physically and mentally, but somatically through the wholeness of our entire system.
It’s the interface between how we respond to what happens around us (our behaviour), what’s embedded within us (beliefs) and what happens inside us (biological signalling). These three facets of human experience adjust in real time.
Somaplasticity describes this process — how our behaviour, beliefs and biology are constantly changing in response to lived experience.
Somaplasticity in action
You could say somaplasticity is the living principle of how the system handles change. Real events and real interactions activate our internal switchboard of somasignals, providing feedback about what we are experiencing. Remember the way we relate to those FEELINGS is vital to the outcome of the situation.
Here’s an example to illustrate somaplasticity in action.
Mia lives in a share-house. One of her housemates has started partying late on weeknights, and is leaving the shared bathroom in a mess.
This is a lived experience. Mia’s home life is changing.
How are these changes impacting her? Internal FEELINGS have been activated and her system as a whole — her biology, beliefs and behaviour — are rearranging in response to the situation.
She feels disgusted and frustrated when she uses the bathroom, and the noise from the partying is interfering with her sleep and study.
This situation is having a range of cascading consequences on her system. And that’s not all…
Her other housemate has been late with rent for the past two months, and Mia has covered for him — he ‘keeps ‘forgetting’ to reimburse her. Mia is really upset about both of these situations but hates confrontation, so she stays silent.
Combined, these two dynamics overload her internal switchboard — her system has been destabilised and she shuts down in response. This means her real-time FEELINGS are being ignored. But by whom?
How we respond to our FEELINGS matters
It turns out… her FEELINGS aren’t being acknowledged by anyone.
Her flatmates are unaware because she has kept them hidden. And by dismissing her somasignals and not speaking up, she is invalidating her own FEELINGS. This choice to avoid confrontation in response to discomfort adds further internal stress to the instability she is already facing externally.
This is somaplasticity in action — her behaviour, beliefs and biology are re-arranging around her choice to dismiss her FEELINGS.
What keeps her ‘safe’ in the short term — she doesn’t have to have two tricky conversations — also reinforces her fear of speaking up and generates further instability on the inside.
In the following weeks, she struggles with concentration, falls behind in her studies and develops frequent headaches. Yet she reassures her friends and family that everything is fine.
The consequences of this ‘quick-fix’ choice are real. Her biology is signalling the cost of the disconnection from her FEELINGS. Her behaviour is compounding her stress. And her hidden frustration about the ongoing issues and sense of isolation are shaping her beliefs.
The hidden consequences of avoiding discomfort
When communication breaks down both inside us and/or outside of us, lived experiences become painful. Our behaviour, biology and beliefs start to reinforce each other, often without us even realising — especially when our FEELINGS haven’t been acknowledged.
In Mia’s case, when she silences her FEELINGS and chooses withdrawal, she loses stability in her system. The somatic symptoms and the belief that she can’t rely on anyone all begin to feed one another and increase internal pressure.
So, what supports us to respond differently?
Remember Principle #1. When we orient ourselves to our FEELINGS, we validate this important feedback — this is how we create stability in our system, by heeding its messages.
Back to Mia — and let’s change it up…
She’s scared about raising the issues — but recognises she needs to do something before things get worse. The next day, she reaches out for support from a somatic literacy expert. They help her make sense of what’s unfolding internally and externally in this lived experience.
She returns home with a plan. She is determined to use this lived experience to validate her FEELINGS, stand up for herself, and find a better way forward. She is ready to break her old pattern of compromising herself — even if it feels uncomfortable.
This is also somaplasticity in action — her behaviour, beliefs and biology are now forming around her choice to orient towards and respect her FEELINGS. Mia is navigating the instability and discomfort of change by anchoring herself in her somatic wisdom.
Notice the difference?
Here, Mia uses the lived experience to handle change via her somatic literacy skills. She notices her somasignals and takes action that respects them— talking to someone she trusts, creating options and implementing a plan.
The benefits are two fold: firstly, she finds a better way to resolve the issues with her housemates; and, more importantly, she’s changing her relationship with discomfort. By maintaining stability in her system while encountering external instability, Mia has now found a way to make navigating tricky conversations in real life situations more manageable.
Your turn:
Is there an example of a lived experience where your FEELINGS have been activated?
Is there a tricky conversation that you are not having?
Would you prefer to approach this situation in a different way that respects your FEELINGS?
Applied tip:
Being aware of how somaplasticity works is an empowering — and sustainable — way to live. Noticing how your behaviour, biology and beliefs shape your decisions strengthens your confidence and your ability to use the lived experience to navigate change better.
When you feel confused or lost, it’s your somasignals that offer you clues about what’s happening. By orienting to your FEELINGS you can re-establish internal stability and embodied safety(P#1) which helps you to handle the instability of change (P#2).
Further reading:
This Applied Blog links to the five posts in the Conceptual Series — the Five Principles of Somascience:
Here’s the other Applied Blogs:
Here’s the link to the introduction to the Conceptual series:
Support:
Pam is available to support you to apply this learning by upgrading your somatic literacy skills. See here for contact details.
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