HEALTH AND WELLBEING.
Autonomy and Agency. Lying at the core of health and wellbeing, fulfilment and freedom, are the concepts of autonomy and agency.
Autonomy defines the capacity to be responsible for oneself. To feel an inner sense of self governance and self determination, to live a life that feels in accordance with us. At a fundamental level autonomy is synonymous with human dignity.
Agency- describes our capacity to observe and choose action based on our own internal needs.
“Agency starts with what scientists call interoception, our awareness of our subtle sensory, body-based feelings: the greater that awareness, the greater our potential to control our lives. Knowing what we feel is the first step to knowing why we feel that way. If we are aware of the constant changes in our inner and outer environment, we can mobilize to manage them.”- Bessel Van Der Kolk.
As Bessel Van Der Kolk elucidates agency and autonomy are built on knowing ourselves, beginning our inner worlds.
Further Reading and References.
Van Der Kolk Bessel, 2014, The body keeps the score. Mind, Brain and Body in the transformation of trauma. Penguin Books, UK.
Mate Gabor, 2003, When the body says no, the cost of hidden stress, Scribe Publications, Brunswick Australia.
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