Witnessing is a practice that involves a conscious commitment to another. Janet Adler, a pioneer of Authentic Movement, says, “ the witness learns to cultivate their capacity to attend to the inner experience as they are stirred by what they see and feel.”
The witness simply accepts the experience of the other and notices what thoughts or sensations it creates in them. Without judgment, they can notice these and let them go so they can remain fully present with compassion towards the experience and the individual. This practice of witnessing not only cultivates personal awareness of ones own thought processes but it activates a potent dynamic in being mirror to someone else. Bearing witness delves into sharing our experiences with others. This relationship is a valuable way to process an experience, to experience empathy and support, to lighten our emotional load and to develop awareness.
As human beings our social exchanges and felt sense of where we exist on the ladder of things greatly impacts us. When we allow ourselves to be witnessed by another we open to vulnerability, trust and the potential to learn who we are in new ways. Ways that are outside the social constructs for even a brief time.
I have seen and experienced the transformative abilities of the witness/witnessing relationship. I have continuously discovered great wisdom and healing power in working with this tool/dynamic.