Massage and Emotions

I was working with a client today and afterwards we were talking about his experience on my table. He said that at one point he almost felt like crying. I replied that it is not an uncommon thing for emotions to come up during a massage/bodywork session, and all emotions are welcome here. When we deny or stuff emotions, we inhibit our capacity for healing and growth and truly be in the now and live and authentic life.  When we look at ourselves, our body, mind and spirit and how they all play together it is no surprise that emotions can surface in a session. The challenge for most men and women is allowing themselves to be present for whatever comes up. I will certainly not judge them and invite them not to judge themselves.

Our life story starts at the moment we are conceived. Everything that happens to us is stored in our bodies or should I say our cells. Some memories are good and invoke feeling of warmth and security, some are bad memories that make us contract and clench our bodies. As a trained somatic therapist it is part of my training to deal with emotions. Emotions can be anything from anger, sadness, grief, panic, anxiety, frustration and even laughter and joy.  It can be a simple sigh of relief or a deep breath. It can a few tears. Some emotions may just be a sense of heat or cold in an area of the body.   “When the massage therapy begins to disrupt the underlying physical patterns behind the pain, then emotional patterns related to the chronic physical pattern may surface.” Psychology of the Body-Elliot Green

Sexual, physical and emotional trauma at any age can leave it’s imprint on bodies and emotions and leave our nervous systems overwhelmed and stuck in a fight, flight or freeze. Even the lack of touch and not taking time for our own needs can create a great deal of tension in the body. Overtime when we ignore our needs and emotions and do not allow them to discharge or be met in some way we can develop body armor.  Armoring (self protecting) in the body is a natural result of trauma that has not been dealt with or allowed to be discharged in a safe environment.  The effects of Trauma can be summarized as: chronic patterns of involuntary tension in the body that dampen or block emotional expression, alter perception of both the outer and inner psychological world, diminish or eliminate body felt sense awareness and even inhibit our range of motion. The war vet will think that a loud noise is a gunshot and duck and cover for protection. The man that was abused sexually/physically may think a touch with good intention is meant to do harm.  People in car accidents that experience impact /whiplash may experience a stiff neck and chronic upper body tension, migraines and even tense up when driving a car.  All these effects when ignored in the long run diminish our well being and quality of life.

As a trained Somatic therapist it is essential to offer a safe, nurturing environment.  In a world with so much chaos and demands more and more people are living with overwhelmed nervous systems and trauma. The skill of being present with the client is essential. Being present is: holding space with open heart, free of judgment and hidden agendas of any kind. When this space is created it can open the door where you can totally allow the experience and be present for whatever shows up. To do this requires  not only skill but  that you have done and are doing  do your own personal emotional work as well. With all my training and life experience I have had shed my won tears, faced my demons and have learned to set boundaries.

An emotional release is never expected. The point is to educate clients that if emotions do come up it is perfectly natural and part of growth and healing. And at some point if the client is truly showing up, surrendering to the experience and being present with themselves some form of emotional release is inevitable.

What is Somatic Experiencing Therapy

What is Somatic Experiencing?

Traditional forms of therapy to deal with chronic problems are focused solely on the thought and emotions of the client. Changing habits of thoughts and action are treated with cognitive therapy with great success. Processing deeper misconceptions of thought or emotions are addressed with success in more psycho-analytic based treatments that work with unearthing and healing childhood and relational issues.

However these two forms do not readily address issues that are rooted more deeply in the biology of the body. When traumatic events or developmental stressors like neglectful parenting occur, very often cognitive and psychoanalytic therapies do not succeed. The reason for this is that the dysfunctions in the biology of the body and nervous system are not being addressed.

Somatic Experiencing, as developed by Dr. Peter Levine, works specifically within this arena. In studying wild animals, who typically do not suffer from stress disorders in the same way as humans do, he found that there is a natural mechanism in all mammals that self regulates and heals trauma from within.

Natural pulsations and rhythms within the organism, such as breath, heart rate, sleep/wake cycles, digestion, and many more, are part of a natural resilience and resonance that manifests as health, or conversely as disease in our systems. Trained to recognize these rhythms as they manifest in the body, mind, and heart of clients, Somatic Experiencing Practitioners support clients first by supporting the clients “felt sense: experience. The practitioner is also observing the clients nervous system signals, and occasionally gently “nudging” them so that they can move towards discharging stored stress and trauma, and restoring natural rhythms and resilience to the client.

How does Somatic Experiencing Work?

•Awareness Having a “felt sense” of the moment, or orientation to one’s surroundings is an essential first step to moving towards healing. Often this first step is overlooked, and in so doing, a frustration with a lack of progress occurs.
•Resource Most forms of therapy work by looking for where the “problem” is, or the difficulty, and then focusing on that in order to heal it. Somatic Experiencing typically works by supporting what feels or is good in the moment, inviting the experience of the cup being “half-full” or of feeling good and relatively safe.
•Titration: Working from a place of resource, with its inherent safety, moving towards challenging thoughts, feelings, or sensations arise naturally. Somatic Experiencing invites this natural movement to be gentle, and very small, named here titration after the term made famous by the science of chemistry, where only a tiny amount is added to a solution.
•Pendulation: After this arising of a small amount of challenging material, the practitioner will invite the client to redirect their focus back to resource again, allowing the client to maintain a sense of safety even in relation to the challenging material that is present. This then becomes a swinging back and forth between the two sides.
•Discharge:Often after some gentle attention to pendulation, the nervous system will discharge stored stress in various ways. Involuntary movements, skin flushing, nausea, discomfort are among common symptoms that arise, which then allows the body more resilience and less stress.
Benefits of Somatic Experiencing :
o Less pain, tension, and anxiety
o Reframes and transforms current or past negative, abusive, and overwhelming experiences.
o Become more present and engaged in life.
o Increase resiliency to future stressors.
o Greater sense of ease, optimism and hope.
o Greater confidence.
o Greater sense of self and wholeness.
o Stronger sense of clarity and purpose.
o Deeper spiritual connection
o Improved ability to focus and concentrate.
o Greater sense of peace, ease and calm (in body, mind, heart and life).

Celebrating the Body Erotic- with Body Electric. November 13-14 2010

As the local coordinator I wanted to invite you to attend the work of  BE. The next local workshop will be held November 13-14  2010 . For more information please visit the website BodyElectric and then give me a call.

A first step in your exploration into your erotic potential. CBE involves the mind, the body and the heart in a series of exercises that use breathing, stretching and touching. Many men are searching for a more meaningful connection to themselves and to others. When they take responsibility for their erotic education, they realize how much there is to learn about awakening the erotic energy that lies within all of us. They begin to realize the satisfaction that comes from learning how to both give and receive pleasure. The workshop focuses on the entire body and is conducted in a setting that is playful, safe and honoring. The benefits of this work are:

• The participant gains greater acceptance of himself as an erotic being,
  both physically and mentally.
• He discovers ways to develop a more satisfying erotic relationship with others.
• He becomes more aware of spiritual dimensions in his erotic explorations.

Celebrating the Body Erotic is a full two-day clothes-off workshop (9am-7pm) for those who are ready to vigorously explore new levels of feeling, both within themselves and within a community of men.

TMJ pain and Cranial Sacral Therapy

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY FOR THE MOUTH?

You or someone you know who has:

• TMJ pain and dysfunction
• Swallowing difficulties
• Grinding of teeth (bruxation)
• Breathing
difficulties
• Clenching
• Unsymmetrical face
• Cross bites or overbite
• Orthodontic braces
• Clicking in jaw
• Traumatic birth – forceps, breech deliver
• Speech impediments

HOW DOES IT WORK?

CranioSacral Therapy’s goal is to free up restrictions in the bones and membranes to allow the bones and cerebrospinal fluid to properly move and flow. The above situations can often be alleviated or reduced through intraoral CranioSacral Therapy. The intraoral (mouth) work is done after foundational CranioSacral Therapy work (2-3 sessions) to help specific conditions, as listed above.

WHAT HAPPENS IN AN INTRAORAL CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY SESSION?

Through the use of massage and CranioSacral techniques, intraoral CranioSacral Therapy is used to alleviate stress placed upon various parts of the mouth and jaw. The tissues and muscles of the jaw, upper and lower gum lines and underneath the tongue are gently massaged. The bones of the hard palate are evaluated for dysfunctional physiological motion and restrictions of the membranes in these bones are then released to allow proper motion of the hard palate. Tension and restrictions are released which then allows the body and jaw to heal. Other soft tissue therapies including Lymph Drainage are incorporated into a session to allow your body to be fully functional and be able to maintain a state of good health.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• Freedom from pain and discomfort
• Eliminate clicking and popping
• Release tension in neck and shoulders
• Move head and neck more easily
• Open and close jaw and mouth more completely
• Able to eat food trouble-free

Schedule a session today!