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Sidelying Somatics and Decompression Somatics. |
My Story...
I found somatic re-education methods during my search for massage techniques that were kind to the therapist's body.
I had been suffering with arm pain for years. My pain developed from massaging, but it was later that I recognized it was also from working as a waitress years earlier. This ended up being a key factor. The patterns I had developed from holding a tray with my left arm , surfaced very clearly once I began to use my arms more when massaging.
I began by taking Alexander Technique lessons to help understand what I was doing to create the pain. What was the source? I started to realize that I had tension patterns that were being overused and that I had no prior awareness of them. I do vividly remember driving my manual car home after a session, and being completely amazed at how smooth the stick was easing into each gear. Seems simple but I had never noticed the struggle with excess effort before until I felt the opposite possibility. My dance background had already laid a path to enjoy movement, but this took it to a whole new level for me. I was hooked.
I attended my first Trager Intro Workshop not really knowing what it was but when I left, I felt hopeful again! I was given permission to focus on myself that day. I had spent years focused on the person on the table only, developing more and more pain for myself. I pushed through the pain because that's what I thought my clients needed me to do in order for them to feel better! I was depleted, and I had nothing more to give. I didn't last very long doing things this way. I began looking for another career within 5 years of graduating massage school.
I did eventually find my way back to a healthy body and I thank God for finding Trager everyday. It helped me to notice many holding patterns that were creating the pain that I was experiencing. I may still have a sore muscle, an ache or a spasm, but it doesn't take over my life anymore. Through my awareness and gentle movement practice, I have the tools to move beyond it. I feel the best benefit is that when I focus on feeling good and leveraging my body properly, it feels so much better and much more effective for my clients. Its a win-win!
A happy body is a healthy body!
