The Power of the Stuck Exercise: Embodying and Transforming What Holds Us Back

Yesterday, my friend Teresa visited after her ukulele lesson with my husband, Uygar. We took a moment to catch up and reflect on the week since we had last seen each other over New Year’s Eve. As we chatted, I showed her the room we’re preparing for Creativity Lab, a space dedicated to nourishing well-being and creativity through sound, voice, movement, and arts. During our conversation, Teresa shared about a non-dual conflict resolution workshop she had recently attended, which sparked a deeper discussion. Inspired by this, I felt moved to share an exercise from Social Presencing Theater called "Stuck," one of my favorite practices for embodying and transforming challenging situations.

I explained the exercise briefly: “I won’t tell you what my stuck is. I’ll just let my body form itself into a shape that reflects how I have been holding this stuck internally.” In the practice, this initial form is called Sculpture 1. It is an embodied snapshot of how the body expresses a situation of tension or unresolved emotion. From there, I would allow my body to deliver its message to my mind, freeing it to move toward a state of balance and harmony.

I stepped into the space with my intention and let my body naturally form into a shape. My body twisted to the right, with tension in my chest and pain in my right hip. It was an unsustainable posture, and the sentence that arose from this form was clear and simple: “I cannot hold this any longer.” This moment of recognition was profound—the body spoke a truth I had been resisting.

As the body received this message, it began to relax, initiating a shift toward Sculpture 2, the harmonized state. Without conscious thought, my body untwisted, swayed gently back and forth, and took a few steps back, releasing the tension with a deep sigh. In this new form, the sentence that arose was “It’s okay.”

The most powerful part of the process was the witnessing. Teresa, as the observer, held space without judgment, analysis, or advice. She simply tuned into her senses and declared what she saw: “I saw you take a few steps back and just breathe.” Her observation felt deeply resonant. While I had been aware of my movements during the exercise, hearing them reflected back by someone else brought a profound clarity that I couldn’t have accessed alone.

What’s even more fascinating is how this process works in the shared morphic field, as theorized by Rupert Sheldrake. In the act of witnessing, the insights gained often ripple back to the witnesser in subtle yet meaningful ways. Reflecting on our exchange, I realized how closely my movements and the resolution they embodied mirrored a story Teresa had shared earlier in our conversation. This deepened my appreciation for how the practice works on multiple levels, offering wisdom not only to the person embodying the stuck but also to those witnessing it. Without revealing her story, it became clear that the process held a profound resonance for both of us, showing how the shared field of connection can be healing for everyone involved.
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Today, I woke up with a sense of clarity and compassion—for myself and for the situation that had created the feeling of being stuck. Instead of rushing to "fix" it, I allowed myself to step back, take a breath, and embrace the space this created.
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As I reflected, I recognized how my wounded child part often jumps to fix and contorts herself at the expense of my own discomfort, accompanied by uncomfortable feelings of guilt. In order not to feel this guilt, I twist, contort, and run to fix or rescue the situation. Sculpture 2, with its harmonious posture, and the act of witnessing held a wise, nurturing and healing space for me. They offered compassionate permission to “take a few steps back and just breathe.” This simple yet profound gesture felt like a salve for the part of me that had been twisted in resistance, providing a moment of release and restoration.

As we prepare to open the physical doors of Creativity Lab, I am so excited to share this profound practice alongside other offerings that guide well-being and creativity through sacred sound, embodied reflection, and ritual. It’s a privilege to create a space where we can witness and be witnessed, allowing our perceptions to expand and our hearts to open. Beyond stories, judgments, and past conditioning, we connect with the deeper wisdom of our bodies and the shared field of life.

If you’re curious to learn more about Creativity Lab’s workshops, one-on-one sessions, and group offerings, let's connect! This is just the beginning of a journey to help individuals and communities reconnect with their authentic voices and creative potential.
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What do you think? Would you like to try the Stuck exercise? Let me know your thoughts, and stay tuned for updates as we begin holding these sessions in Vienna!

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