Somatic & Physical Literacy™: Origin, Posture, Scope, and Framework

Somatic & Physical Literacy™ (SPL) arises from the careful descriptive study of bodily experience prior to interpretation. It is informed by phenomenology, fascia research, interoceptive attention, micro-timing, and the ethics of remaining with what appears. SPL is not a modality, technique, or therapeutic intervention. It is a discipline of attention grounded in accuracy, restraint, and structural humility.

SPL emerged from extended descriptive practice, manuscript development, cohort pedagogy, and the lived constraints of RC Posture™. It draws across the author’s manuscripts (RetroCausal, Refusal to Intervene, Recto/Verso, and Somatic & Physical Literacy) and is reinforced by quiet-body research (The Quiet Body Gap™), somatic timing materials, and associated workshops and cohort sequences.

SPL studies the structures of lived bodily experience before they are organized into explanation or technique. Core emphases include:

• Appearance – what the body gives prior to meaning or story.
• Timing – micro-rhythms, shifts, latencies, and intervals.
• Boundary – attentional limits and somatic edges.
• Texture – surfaces, densities, directions, and gradients.
• Withdrawal – refusal of inference, diagnosis, or interpretation.
• Ethical Humility – recognizing the limits of what can be said or done with another’s experience.

• Non-interpretive, non-therapeutic language and posture.
• Descriptive precedence over inference or explanation.
• Attention to the Quiet Body Gap™—the interval between sensation and reaction.
• Timing literacy: noticing flicker, onset, settling, and micro-shifts.
• Fascial literacy: gravity-informed unwinding and somatic constraint without correction.
• Ethical restraint: no promises of healing, optimization, or resolution.
• Structural clarity about the limits of practitioner authority.

SPL may be applied in:

• Educational and academic contexts.
• Research framing and phenomenological inquiry.
• Somatic literacy cohorts and workshops.
• Institutional training and professional development.
• Bodywork-informed but non-therapeutic orientation.
• Reflective writing and fragment practice.

SPL is not: therapy, coaching, bodywork, a modality, a trauma method, or a technique that promises outcomes. It does not interpret, diagnose, or prescribe. SPL does not replace medical, psychological, or therapeutic care and is not a certification in any clinical field.

• RC Posture™ – the non-interpretive somatic stance at the heart of SPL.
• Recto/Verso Method™ – a dual-page format for phenomenological (recto) and cognitive (verso) expression.
• Gravity-Informed Fascial Unwinding™ – appearance-based, non-corrective fascial attention.
• The Quiet Body Gap™ – the interval between sensation and reaction or response.
• Demandingness Spiral™ – a structural analysis of cognitive and ethical overload.
• Descriptive Timing Grammar – SPL’s timing framework for micro-intervals.

Institutions may reference SPL as a discipline. Instruction, training, curriculum integration, or derivative use of SPL frameworks requires a written license from the author. Licensing terms and institutional agreements are handled directly with the author.

Somatic & Physical Literacy™ Method & Posture Definition

The SPL Method is a structured sequence of descriptive steps applied to lived bodily experience:

• Descriptive Attention – naming sensory appearance without explanation.
• Temporal Differentiation – noticing micro-intervals, onset, duration, and settling.
• Boundary Identification – discerning the edge between sensation and projection.
• Structural Withdrawal – stepping back from interpretation or story-making.
• Ethical Restraint – declining to assign meaning or therapeutic promise.
• Somatic Neutrality – allowing experiences to remain unresolved and uninterpreted.

RC Posture™ is the core stance of SPL. It governs all cohorts, workshops, and written materials. RC Posture includes:

• Descriptive neutrality without inner-state speculation.
• Refusal of therapeutic projection or corrective framing.
• Withdrawal of technical authority over another’s experience.
• Fidelity to appearance over explanation.
• Attention to timing, intervals, and gaps.
• Somatic humility: not knowing what another’s body “means.”

Within SPL, facilitators and participants work under explicit constraints:

• No somatic interpretation (no “this means…” or “your body is saying…”).
• No inner-state claims, trauma narratives, or symbolic mapping.
• No technique assignment or therapeutic advice.
• No diagnostic language or promise of outcomes.
• No blending SPL with treatment, coaching, or spiritual authority.

Practitioners trained in SPL are expected to:

• Maintain descriptive language rooted in what appears.
• Avoid coaching, advising, or interpreting for others.
• Honor RC Posture™ as a non-negotiable ethical boundary.
• Respect timing limits and somatic edges.
• Hold space without directing, fixing, or resolving.

Practitioners may not present SPL as a therapeutic modality, mental health treatment, medical advice, or a substitute for professional care. SPL does not certify clinical competence in any field. Any misuse or misrepresentation of SPL falls outside authorized practice.

Somatic & Physical Literacy™ Discipline Tree

Somatic & Physical Literacy™ (SPL) is the root discipline: a structured practice of describing bodily appearance, timing, and boundaries with ethical restraint and RC Posture™.

• Descriptive Practice
  • Phenomenological noticing of somatic appearance.
  • Recto/Verso Method™ spreads (phenomenological recto, cognitive verso).
  • RC Posture™ as stance.
  • Fragment practice and somatic description.
• Timing Literacy
  • Micro-rhythms, flicker, and onset.
  • Latency, saturation, and settling.
  • The Quiet Body Gap™ between sensation and reaction.
  • Descriptive timing grammar for SPL cohorts.
• Fascial Literacy
  • Gravity-Informed Fascial Unwinding™.
  • Tension, slack, and relational load.
  • Non-corrective, non-optimization-based fascia attention.
• Somatic Ethics & Boundaries
  • Refusal to Intervene: the ethics of not helping.
  • Demandingness Spiral™ as structural overload analysis.
  • Non-hierarchical stance toward others’ bodies and stories.
• Pedagogical Pillars
  • SPL cohorts (multi-level sequence).
  • SPL workshops (thematic sequences).
  • Facilitator and participant manuals.
  • Licensing agreements and institutional pathways.
• Applied SPL
  • Research framing and phenomenological inquiry.
  • Clinical orientation (non-therapeutic, descriptive literacy).
  • Writing and fragment practices informed by SPL.
  • Institutional literacy training and professional development.

Somatic & Physical Literacy™ Authorial Claim Statement

Somatic & Physical Literacy™ (SPL) is an original discipline and intellectual framework created by Chloe Felder. All associated terminology, posture definitions, descriptive practices, timing frameworks, sequencing materials, cohort architectures, workshop structures, conceptual terms (including RC Posture™, Recto/Verso Method™, The Quiet Body Gap™, Gravity-Informed Fascial Unwinding™, and Demandingness Spiral™), manuals, pedagogical materials, and published texts arise from the author’s independent development.

No derivative use, instruction, certification, training, or institutional adoption is permitted without explicit written license from the author. SPL is not in the public domain and is not an open-source modality. Referencing SPL as a discipline is allowed; formal use of SPL-branded frameworks in curricula, programs, or offerings requires a licensing agreement.

This statement functions as a public, timestamped assertion of authorship and scope. It does not replace legal counsel or formal contracts, but it documents the origin and boundaries of SPL as a field.

Somatic & Physical Literacy™ – Institutional Summary

Somatic & Physical Literacy™ (SPL) is a discipline of attention that trains participants to describe bodily experience with clarity, restraint, and ethical humility. It is grounded in phenomenology, fascia research, and somatic timing, with an explicit refusal to interpret, diagnose, or promise therapeutic outcomes.

SPL is suitable for institutions interested in:

• Phenomenological and somatic literacy training.
• Ethics of non-intervention in care and helping professions.
• Descriptive practices for research, reflection, or observation.
• Curriculum modules on embodiment, attention, and interoception.

Institutions may:

• Reference SPL in syllabi, research, and internal discussions.
• Invite the author for lectures, workshops, or consultations.

Institutions must obtain a license to:

• Integrate SPL frameworks into courses, programs, or trainings.
• Offer SPL-branded cohorts, workshops, or certificates.
• Distribute SPL manuals, worksheets, or adapted materials.

SPL is not therapy, treatment, or clinical intervention, and is not a substitute for professional care. It does not certify competence in healthcare, counseling, or bodywork. Institutions are responsible for ensuring that SPL is used in alignment with its descriptive, non-interpretive posture and within appropriate professional boundaries.

Institutions and practitioners interested in licensing, collaboration, or consultation may write to the author using the contact information provided on this site’s Licensing and Usage page.