Social anxiety and Personal Space

It is estimated that around 15 million Americans suffer from social anxiety. A simple interaction can lead to feelings of dis-ease and “not belonging”; at worst, a person becomes stricken with panic and dread, even during the most routine of activities. Oftentimes people who suffer social anxiety feel like “everyone is looking at me” or cannot handle pauses in conversation. Others “feel invisible” or as though “the world is closing in” around them. It can be said that these individuals “do not feel comfortable in their own skin”.

Spacial Dynamics® is based on the theory that you have a physical body-- a space that you inhabit for a time-- and also a spacial, or “life-force”, body that is not contained or limited by the boundaries of the physical body. The life-force body gives form and support to our physical structure when in continuum with our manifest selves . Through exploration and experiments of movement, one can learn to perceive the life-force body and improve one’s physical and emotional well-being with spacial movement. In regards to social anxiety, the life-force body is most identifiable as the “personal space”. We are certainly aware when someone enters into our personal space uninvited, just as we also know the feeling of trusting another enough to invite them in. It is with the investigation of personal space that Spacial Dynamics® works to alleviate the phenomenon of social anxiety. The edge of the personal space can be likened to a garden gate, a place where we can meet the world outside of ourselves. Some people leave their gate open to the wind, allowing any critter to enter and do their will. This can be seen in the gestures of those who feel too much of the “pain of the world”. Others build a fortress wall that “keeps the world at a distance” but does not allow for meaningful interactions with others. Some build the gate much too close to the house (the physical body) and “feel the world closing in on them”. Through simple games and slow movement, one can learn to develop a stronger sense of one’s personal space and to recognize that the way one manages this space affects one’s emotional and thought life. We cannot always choose what comes at us in life, but we can choose where we meet it and how we react to it. In principle and practice, the mastery of one’s personal space is an invaluable tool for overcoming social anxiety. Spacial Dynamics® offers these tools in a fun and safe atmosphere. Please feel invited to take the next step.

ref: 15 Million Americans Suffer From Social Anxiety Disorder