Deleuze and Guattari, in “A Thousand Plateaus” talk about the Rhizome reminding that nature has its own order and does not present itself as a pyramidal hierarchy.  Our body is organized; the word “organ” itself suggests organization rather than hierarchy: if a tiny part of our body, which we might not even know about, gets damaged and affects the central nervous system or the heart, we stop living.

Humans are not designed to function within such rigid hierarchies. We operate like a rhizome within endless connections. Similarly, working on an apparently unrelated aspect can lead to recovery, as we learn from osteopathy or acupuncture. Yet we continue to promote pyramid-like hierarchies within spaces outside our body

“We started reflecting on the microbiome and the fact that the intestine strongly influences us: it is our second brain” David said “The classical idea is that muscles are there to move limbs, and what makes them move? External stimuli to the brain. But new studies from the last decade show that muscles also influence brain activity. For example, I might have a clenched jaw because I’m angry, which is something my brain tells me—I’m angry, so my jaw clenches. But it also works the other way around. My posture, my exoskeleton, and the muscles that hold it up send signals to my brain, influencing how I should feel, for example it has long been known, from an experiential standpoint, that our posture can affect testosterone levels. We know now that the reverse is also true—muscle contractions in certain ways produce effects on my mood, this all happens below the level of consciousness, leading to concepts like ergonomics and their implications.”

We can talk about MUTUAL RELATIONS, how we influence each other. If I say “positive relations,” what spaces come to your mind? What should the space for positive relations look like? Have your patients ever mentioned spatial issues when reporting their need to change jobs or their discomfort at work? Could you illustrate this for us?

“Another fundamental emotion we are all sensitive to and contributes to our well-being – or at least lays the foundation for it- is RECOGNITION. It makes us feel seen, knowing that my boss sees me and others see me for who I am, not because they like me, but simply because they recognize my individuality.  When my individuality is acknowledged (acknowledgement is a building block of the PERMA model), I feel capable of controlling the things I do.  If I have control over what I do, I feel safe. And when I feel safe, I can invest energy in what I’m doing. Even physical environments can play this role. Speaking of spaces, in the working environment or team-building experiences, one thing that works well is the opportunity to engage in art. ENGAGING in art doesn’t necessarily mean painting a canvas but having a space where I can modify things, because that is also what art is about. If there’s a space with paints and canvases where I can go and spend fifteen minutes throwing paint on a canvas or moulding clay, it creates a significant sense of creativity and well-being. This isn’t art therapy, it is somehow a way to give a sense of control: we have control over our environment and can modify it. The ability to take a vase and place it here or there is significant. People argue over air conditioning for the same reason—turn it up, turn it down—because that’s something related to control. If we have a space that allows for modification, or even negotiation with others, like deciding where to place a vase, where to throw darts, or paint for a while, this generates positive energy. It needs to be organised as it can also lead to conflicts, but humans are naturally inclined to assert themselves over others. However, in a well-structured environment, the possibility to decide about our own things e.g. my working desk, gives a sense of EMPOWERMENT, it makes us feel in control of the environment, especially in situations where we often have no control over decisions, like whether the company is acquired by an investment fund and subsequently restructured, for most people, it doesn’t matter if they don’t have control at that level unless they’re power-hungry. What matters is having control over their immediate surroundings, over their space. Sometimes, control is as simple as deciding where to place a pencil holder. I’ve seen people and they’ve told me about fighting over where to place a pencil holder when desks face each other, feeling disturbed and fighting over it.”

How can we facilitate this? We negotiate our presence in the world with others and we also negotiate space with others. So we asked David: “Do you think it is better to define a space where you can act or encourage continuous negotiation by creating shared spaces?

“I would say that it depends on the business. It depends on how much time people spend in the same workstation and if they can work remotely – I have patients who are never in the same office on the same day, which is very different from working in the same environment from Monday to Friday. It needs to be tailored to the circumstances. In some situations, it may not matter at all, while in others, the fact that the office isn’t the same on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday could be interesting, just like having a Friday dress code.”