Organic Intelligence™ (OI)

Porter Witsell, OI™ Coach

I offer one-on-one therapy in person and online to adults, teens and couples.

While traditional therapeutic modalities focus on behavioral or cognitive change, I prioritize the signals and impulses coming from the nervous system while working with your whole being. In session we will practice redirecting habitual patterns of internal disorganization so that you can emerge from chronic stress, integrate adverse experience, and have more access to yourself.  

Common Questions about Organic Intelligence™

“What Is Organic Intelligence™?”

Organic Intelligence™ (OI) is a positive reinforcement clinical model and theoretical framework to promote human empowerment, resiliency, and compassion. OI integrates psychobiological science, positive psychology, complex systems theory, with mindfulness, image work, and somatic awareness to restore the felt-sense experience of safety, wellness and wholeness. It is a descendant of Somatic Experiencing and shares a prioritization of working from the nervous system up, but differs in its approach to resolving trauma. Organic Intelligence, developed by Steve Hoskinson, focuses on fostering resilience and coherence by observing and supporting the body’s naturally occurring self-organizing tendencies. 

“How is OI different from other modes of therapy?”

In talk therapy, the therapeutic emphasis is on the narrative that is being shared, and is often a battle to control symptoms.

In Organic Intelligence, we believe that healing is a natural human process and that with skillful support, we can catalyze the body’s natural capacity for self-organization and resilience. Our emphasis is on the underlying biology- how the nervous system reacts to what is being shared, its present environment, and our gentle shaping of its oscillation levels throughout the session. We believe that you don’t have to necessarily “heal it to feel it” or dredge up the past, but rather, with attuned accompaniment, we can reinforce our clients biology’s natural tendency toward coherence and shift negative patterns because our client is fully ready and it is easeful to do so.

"What happens during my first OI session?"

If the session is in-person, you arrive at my office at our session time and settle in. You can make yourself tea if that feels nice. In both in-person and online sessions I encourage you to do as your body wants. This means that if you feel like laying down, sitting on an exercise ball, squeezing a pillow, whatever it is, please do that. If the session is online, please have your camera on and positioned so that at least your face and torso are visible- please follow your body’s impulses, and, it is really helpful for me to see you.

Then we dive into whatever is alive for you on that day. The session largely happens within the framework of the free association conversation. I perceive and work with verbal and non-verbal information from the client including involuntary movements, micro-expressions, changes in breath and respiratory rate, and other cues to help you to navigate away from chaos/overwhelm and toward increased ease and self-aware enjoyment. There might be moments in which I invite you to pay attention to something that is coming up- a sensation, affect, or image that arose in conversation. I might ask you in various moments to be with a sensation, to look around the room, to revisit a gesture, or describe an image that you are seeing, all in a comfortable, non self-conscious way.  

"How long does OI coaching take to see results?

Nervous system work is subtle and profound. Instead of efforting to change a narrative or change ourselves, we gently and persistently reinforce the subtle shifts in our biology that tend towards ease and coherence. You will start feeling this as soon as you settle into the work. Often, clients report a feeling of increased ease and space after the first session. 

Organic Intelligence is beautiful work for post-trauma growth, chronic stress, internalized narratives that no longer serve us and the like. It is also great work when things are going well as it anchors and stabilizes the good, reinforcing the foundation and further accompanying that which is ready to grow when the system is well-resourced. 

"Can OI help with trauma/PTSD/anxiety?”

Yes, Organic Intelligence is a great modality for trauma, PTSD and anxiety because we work with the body’s inherent biological healing capacities. We use a non-directive, gentle, and biologically-grounded approach that resynchronizes the nervous system and restores well-being. 

We don’t think it is necessary to relive past traumas to heal them, and we know that healing can be joyful, profound, and give you more access to yourself and your life. 

“Can OI help with acute crises or those who are severely impacted by trauma and mental health challenges?”

Organic Intelligence is not suited for those who are in acute crisis or severely impacted by mental health struggles. In such cases, it is recommended to seek support with a licensed therapist or other qualified professionals. 

Where can I learn more?

The Organic Intelligence website has much more information: https://organicintelligence.org/