THE APPROACH
Most coaching works on what you do. We work on who's doing it.
Habits and goals matter. But beneath them sits the person doing the perceiving, feeling, and choosing. When that shifts, everything shifts with it.
THE APPROACH
The heart of the Ontological tradition
COMING SOON
Inside the Methodology
The observer shapes
the world it sees
The Newfield tradition draws upon many models that together form the signature transformative power of this work. Each model adds a unique dimension to the methodology. In our programs, these models are introduced and then discovered directly through practice and collective exploration. Below you will be introduced to the model that forms the foundation of the Newfield methodology.
THE FOUNDATION
The OAR Model
At the heart of the ontological tradition is the OAR model: Observer, (Inter)Action, Reality. When we feel stuck in our current sense of reality, we often focus on changing our actions. While this can create short-term shifts, old patterns frequently return, leaving us caught in a world we no longer want to live in.
The OAR model invites us to go deeper than action, to the observer: the lenses through which we make meaning, and what shapes how we act in the world. When change occurs at the level of the observer, a profound shift takes place in the deep structure of our being — changing how we engage with life, and ultimately the reality we help bring forth.
Ontological coaching values the power of changing how we act in the world — and it also works to transform the deeper place from which our actions arise.
WHERE MEANING IS SHAPED
The Dynamic Coherency Model
If deep change requires a shift at the level of the observer, the next question is: what constitutes the observer? In the Newfield methodology, the answer is the Dynamic Coherency — a multidimensional landscape of human meaning-making.
Every action we take and every experience we have is shaped by our soma, emotions, language, cognition, culture, inner and outer systems, developmental perspectives, history, and wholeness. What looks on the surface like a person making simple choices is quietly informed by all of these. This is why changing actions is not enough: the deeper factors that shape how we move through the world go untouched, and old habits easily return. A Newfield-trained coach learns to invite awareness and change within these deeper domains — and that makes all the difference.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
The OAR & DC
When we place the Dynamic Coherency within the OAR model, we find a nuanced map of the human being — the foundational framework from which to enact meaningful change, both interiorly and in the world.
Newfield’s programs explore different aspects of this map. CPPM takes a deep dive into soma, language, emotions, moods, history, and culture, with an introduction to our inner ecology and developmental perspectives. Our specialized programs go further into particular domains — the Applied Somatic Coaching Certification (ASCC) into the soma, the Lumina Process into inner ecology and shadow work, and the Evolutionary Gestures program (coming soon) into developmental perspectives.
THE LINEAGE
Deep roots, living practice
Where this work comes from
"What Newfield offers today feels more important than ever. The program expands our understanding of what it means to be a human being — to live with more presence, meaning, and connection, even in uncertain times. Over the years, I have watched the program continue to evolve in ways that are relevant, relatable, and deeply responsive to the changing times we live in."
Barb Eisele, PCC
Owner and Chief Inspiration Officer at Life Transformations, Now
Newfield Mentor Coach / CPPM Graduate 200
An inside look
What's the experience of an Ontological Coaching Session?
Want to get a feel for what an ontological coaching session is like? What follows is a look at the highlights of a session facilitated by a Newfield-trained coach. It shows how a shift in the observer changes the client's entire orientation to the challenge they came in with.
In one session, a client arrives feeling scattered after returning from time away. On the surface, the issue appears practical: they want a better system for transitioning back into work, staying organized, and feeling more prepared. The session follows that concern, but listens beneath it — toward the way of being that gives the concern its shape.
The client wants support with healthier transitions
The client wants a smoother way to return to work after vacation. Instead of jumping straight to productivity tools, the coach helps them slow down and look beneath the visible pattern. The question becomes less about how to force a better routine and more about what happens in the client’s observer during transition: What feels unsettled? What is being protected? What kind of relationship to discomfort would allow something new to emerge?
The conversation moves from the problem to the person
As the client explores the issue, they discover an inner tension between the aspect of their observer that wants order and another that wants to fully rest. One part of them wants everything planned, contained, and ready; another part wants to unplug, relax, and not carry work into time away. What first appeared to be a scheduling challenge becomes a deeper inquiry into harmony, control, shame, freedom, and the longing to live with more spaciousness.
A new observer begins to emerge
By the end of the session, the original question has changed. The client no longer sees the issue only as “How do I manage transitions better?” Something deeper has begun to reorganize. Energy that had been bound up in control starts to loosen and flow more freely. The client begins to sense a new paradigm: one that can include order and disorder, rest and responsibility, harmony and conflict. Instead of needing life to move perfectly in order to feel at peace, they discover a peace large enough to include the imperfect, the unfinished, and the unexpected.
From Insight to New Action
Ontological coaching can sound abstract until you see how it lives inside a real conversation. This work does not ignore practical concerns, but it does not stop at quick advice or surface-level strategy. A session may begin with a conflict or a pattern that keeps repeating, but the deeper work is to discover and transform the observer beneath it. From there, new actions do not have to be forced. They arise from a genuine shift in perspective and being.
THE NEXT STEP
If our approach resonates with you, the next step is exploring whether our coach training program is the right fit for where you are now.
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