Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/494122
F r e e S O A P n o t e s w i t h M a s s a g e B o o k f o r A B M P m e m b e r s : a b m p . u s / M a s s a g e b o o k 83 THE EMOTIONAL APPROACH IN PRACTICE The Frozen Shoulder "Leona" was in her 40s and sat at a desk all day. She came into my office with a frozen shoulder. Lifting her arm above 90 degrees, moving it sideways, or lifting more than a few pounds was extremely painful. She had tried acupuncture, massage, and physical therapy; everything had helped briefly but didn't last. In our first session, I gently held her shoulder between my hands, and this triggered a memory. She went back to a time when she was a young child walking hand in hand with her father. Suddenly, he yanked her backward, painfully. Her father had been a gentle parent, and she felt angry and betrayed remembering the incident. As I held her shoulder, she was able to remember more about it and she verbally shared different emotions as they emerged: first confusion, then fear and anger. She went over the incident several times, both verbally and within her body, and she resolved to talk with him about it. (Luckily, he was available for discussion. If he had not been, the process probably would have gone differently and taken longer.) At the end of the session, her shoulder was a little better and she felt "clearer and more energetic." Leona arrived for her next CST session very excited. Her father had remembered the incident quite clearly. He explained that they had been walking along holding hands when Leona saw a balloon in the street and started to run after it. In that split second, her father saw a car coming and felt her trying to pull away from him. Afraid for her safety, he instinctively pulled hard. With my hands gently ask, "Is it possible that the client's liver was unhappy with the election results or a spat with a loved one?" assuring me and encouraging me to check with the other organs as well. As I gained confidence over the years, I began to speak more boldly and honestly about my perceptions. Like any convert, I enthusiastically shared my discoveries. (I apologize if you were ever stuck in an elevator with me.) But my joy wilted as I realized that many practitioners, especially newer practitioners, were reluctant to explore or discuss their interactions with the client's emotional plane. The general public's and often the profession's lack of support, ranging from cynicism to hostility, can cause allied practitioners to doubt their instincts and wisdom. Fearing ridicule, we suppress and invalidate our perceptions instead of developing our skills. Furthermore, most of the books and articles about CST either describe physical processes and procedures or work to explain CST scientifically. Protocol and science are important, but there's more to this picture. The essential principles of CST are to respect the body's inner wisdom, listen to the client's body, and trust the client's inherent knowledge to direct the therapeutic process. While we as practitioners have the best of intentions, it gets tricky when we try to understand and interpret the body. Sometimes I find the best path to the core issue is via the emotions: I understand the knee is holding tension and wants to release—but why is it holding tension? Is it sad? Lonely? Frustrated? By expanding our intention and questions to include the emotional plane, the client may travel down a different, and possibly truer, path. Here are three cases that demonstrate the value of exploring the emotional component of a problem. Sometimes I find the best path to the core issue is via the emotions: I understand the knee is holding tension and wants to release — but why is it holding tension? holding her shoulder, she discussed her conflicted feelings—glad her father protected her, betrayed that he hurt her, and angry for the pain. Her body went through the motions of when he pulled her back, repeating it several times. As she discussed her feelings and as her body went through the motions, I focused on actively listening (audibly and through my hands) and respecting all the information she chose to share. Then she became quiet, and I could feel her relax. Afterward, her shoulder was much less stiff and painful. With two more sessions, she regained full, pain-free mobility. THE EMOTIONAL SIDE OF CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY