MIND BODY INTEGRATION – AN INITIAL SESSION – PART ONE
I start the first session with conversation in order to have the client
become more comfortable and at ease. I will then ask for personal
history and I will get information from:
1) what is spoken,
2) how it is spoken (choice of words and volume of voice),
3) comfort level with the question or topic,
4) body signals manifesting (examples are posture, movement of
extremities, tightening of the face, etc.),
5) how present the client is (are they distracted or very present), and
6) energy that the client manifests (are they afraid, angry,
disconnected from their body, or sad).
Then I inform the client of the basic approach that I use to facilitate
healing and then being able to access more joy in their life. This
approach entails having the client 1) understand the genesis and
impact of their childhood pain/trauma (creating a feeling of being
unlovable and therefore unworthy – low self-esteem) and 2) healing
that low self-esteem by creating a relationship between the wounded
child-self and adult-self (refer to Chapters).
Healing the wounded child’s pain is essential because of:
1) impact on self-esteem,
2) energy wasted repressing feelings,
3) continuation of the child-created life plans,
4) impact on health, and
5) the disconnect it creates between the body and the mind.
I believe that working with the mind and body is more effective and
efficient than just using the mind in healing these issues. The body is
more effective in accessing the wounded child’s pain for two
reasons. First, the body remembers pain more accurately (refer to
Chapter 9) and is present with the experience of that pain in a
different way than the mind. Second, the body will stay present with
the pain; the mind will try to get away from the pain by shutting down
the feelings by blanking out or distracting.
I explain how the body will somatically and energetically manifest
these issues/traumas and the behavior patterns that then get
established. When we feel emotional pain we experience that pain in
the body. For example, when I feel the pain that comes from grief it
hurts in my chest, not in my head. The body then reacts in an
automatic, protective way to the pain by immobilizing the area of
trauma both physically and energetically. The body does this to
minimize pain and to prevent further injury from movement. Even
after an injury has healed (physically) the energetic locking
mechanism is still in place that protects the affected area. This
energetic lock needs to be released because:
1) energetic holding/protecting can lead to compensatory injuries (an
example is adhesions in muscles from non-movement) and
2) energetic holding blocks the flow of chi (life energy) throughout the
body and can be damaging to overall health.
Interesting to note the correlation between breast cancer and grief,
intestinal problems and anger as examples of blocked energy.
TABLEWORK
The next step in the healing process is to have the client lie on the
table face up and have them feel the table and get comfortable. I
ask them to feel their surroundings and to voice any concerns that
they might have about safety or comfort. Generally, most people will
feel a little uncomfortable and vulnerable. Part of it is due to the
newness of the situation and not knowing what to expect, and
another part is due to being observed and exposed (face up).
Laying face down is a much safer position. I check their body
awareness and connection to their body by asking them to relax and
see how well they respond. I try to create as safe an environment
as possible and tell the client that they are in complete control and
that I will respond immediately to any input they might have – to stop,
answer questions, to go slower, etc. I then stand at different places
and distances from the client on the table to determine how my
proximity affects their sense of safety. People that have been
physically abused quite often feel less comfortable the closer that I
am to them. Certain areas of the body will also be more or less
comfortable. As an example, a person that has been sexually
abused will feel more comfortable with me closer to their head, while
a person that doesn’t feel secure and safe in the world will want me
in their vision and not above their head where they cannot see me. If
a client cannot feel their discomfort even though it is quite obvious to
me, I will ask them to close their eyes to turn off this primary
protection mechanism to see if this will help the client feel the
discomfort more. The client’s awareness of their discomfort gives
me insight to how connected they are to their bodies and any
emotions they might be repressing.
I will then ask permission to come closer to the table and to gently
touch them. I touch them to test my perceptions about where they
are protecting, holding and repressing their emotions. Repressed
areas will feel stiff, rigid and tight. I will ask them if they feel these
things and their response gives me insight to their body awareness
and how much they might be aware of their emotional holding. With
my hand on the tight, rigid area I will ask them to soften and let go.
When I touch an area I can also feel where their energy is flowing or
blocked. Most clients can feel the energy flow as it opens up. This
leads to an explanation of how the body does not understand spoken
language but relates via imagery. The body does not understand the
language of words. Words like “relax”, “let go” and “feel at ease” do
not make sense to the body. The language of the body is imagery
and the body responds more quickly and easily to images of
softness like cotton, billowy clouds, etc.
For optimum health it is important to have the body soft and open.
This allows the flow of energy to circulate freely. Blocked areas
create stagnant energy and can lead to tight muscles and disease.
Imagine a river that flows freely and cleanly versus a river with
obstructions and blocks that hinder flow and create pollution and
stagnation. I then show them where their energy is flowing and
where they are blocked. Areas in the body where energy is blocked
will be stiff and rigid. When I touch these tight area the stiffness and
rigidity become quickly apparent to the client. I then help the client to
release these blocked areas and as they do so the feeling of space,
lightness and flow of energy in the body is experienced. I explain
how this blocked condition creates an illusion of protection for the
client by muting feelings and keeping vulnerable feelings hidden
inside. This feeling of a need for protection can unconsciously create
resistance to transforming the condition.
People keep their pain locked up because it is too uncomfortable for
them to feel. They block and repress their pain just as they did as a
child. This protection mutes ALL emotional feelings and basically
disconnects them from their body. People that are “out of their
body” are avoiding painful feelings and live their lives in their head.
They will think their feelings rather than feel them in their body, which
is a very different experience.
END PART ONE
NEXT
I start the first session with conversation in order to have the client
become more comfortable and at ease. I will then ask for personal
history and I will get information from:
1) what is spoken,
2) how it is spoken (choice of words and volume of voice),
3) comfort level with the question or topic,
4) body signals manifesting (examples are posture, movement of
extremities, tightening of the face, etc.),
5) how present the client is (are they distracted or very present), and
6) energy that the client manifests (are they afraid, angry,
disconnected from their body, or sad).
Then I inform the client of the basic approach that I use to facilitate
healing and then being able to access more joy in their life. This
approach entails having the client 1) understand the genesis and
impact of their childhood pain/trauma (creating a feeling of being
unlovable and therefore unworthy – low self-esteem) and 2) healing
that low self-esteem by creating a relationship between the wounded
child-self and adult-self (refer to Chapters).
Healing the wounded child’s pain is essential because of:
1) impact on self-esteem,
2) energy wasted repressing feelings,
3) continuation of the child-created life plans,
4) impact on health, and
5) the disconnect it creates between the body and the mind.
I believe that working with the mind and body is more effective and
efficient than just using the mind in healing these issues. The body is
more effective in accessing the wounded child’s pain for two
reasons. First, the body remembers pain more accurately (refer to
Chapter 9) and is present with the experience of that pain in a
different way than the mind. Second, the body will stay present with
the pain; the mind will try to get away from the pain by shutting down
the feelings by blanking out or distracting.
I explain how the body will somatically and energetically manifest
these issues/traumas and the behavior patterns that then get
established. When we feel emotional pain we experience that pain in
the body. For example, when I feel the pain that comes from grief it
hurts in my chest, not in my head. The body then reacts in an
automatic, protective way to the pain by immobilizing the area of
trauma both physically and energetically. The body does this to
minimize pain and to prevent further injury from movement. Even
after an injury has healed (physically) the energetic locking
mechanism is still in place that protects the affected area. This
energetic lock needs to be released because:
1) energetic holding/protecting can lead to compensatory injuries (an
example is adhesions in muscles from non-movement) and
2) energetic holding blocks the flow of chi (life energy) throughout the
body and can be damaging to overall health.
Interesting to note the correlation between breast cancer and grief,
intestinal problems and anger as examples of blocked energy.
TABLEWORK
The next step in the healing process is to have the client lie on the
table face up and have them feel the table and get comfortable. I
ask them to feel their surroundings and to voice any concerns that
they might have about safety or comfort. Generally, most people will
feel a little uncomfortable and vulnerable. Part of it is due to the
newness of the situation and not knowing what to expect, and
another part is due to being observed and exposed (face up).
Laying face down is a much safer position. I check their body
awareness and connection to their body by asking them to relax and
see how well they respond. I try to create as safe an environment
as possible and tell the client that they are in complete control and
that I will respond immediately to any input they might have – to stop,
answer questions, to go slower, etc. I then stand at different places
and distances from the client on the table to determine how my
proximity affects their sense of safety. People that have been
physically abused quite often feel less comfortable the closer that I
am to them. Certain areas of the body will also be more or less
comfortable. As an example, a person that has been sexually
abused will feel more comfortable with me closer to their head, while
a person that doesn’t feel secure and safe in the world will want me
in their vision and not above their head where they cannot see me. If
a client cannot feel their discomfort even though it is quite obvious to
me, I will ask them to close their eyes to turn off this primary
protection mechanism to see if this will help the client feel the
discomfort more. The client’s awareness of their discomfort gives
me insight to how connected they are to their bodies and any
emotions they might be repressing.
I will then ask permission to come closer to the table and to gently
touch them. I touch them to test my perceptions about where they
are protecting, holding and repressing their emotions. Repressed
areas will feel stiff, rigid and tight. I will ask them if they feel these
things and their response gives me insight to their body awareness
and how much they might be aware of their emotional holding. With
my hand on the tight, rigid area I will ask them to soften and let go.
When I touch an area I can also feel where their energy is flowing or
blocked. Most clients can feel the energy flow as it opens up. This
leads to an explanation of how the body does not understand spoken
language but relates via imagery. The body does not understand the
language of words. Words like “relax”, “let go” and “feel at ease” do
not make sense to the body. The language of the body is imagery
and the body responds more quickly and easily to images of
softness like cotton, billowy clouds, etc.
For optimum health it is important to have the body soft and open.
This allows the flow of energy to circulate freely. Blocked areas
create stagnant energy and can lead to tight muscles and disease.
Imagine a river that flows freely and cleanly versus a river with
obstructions and blocks that hinder flow and create pollution and
stagnation. I then show them where their energy is flowing and
where they are blocked. Areas in the body where energy is blocked
will be stiff and rigid. When I touch these tight area the stiffness and
rigidity become quickly apparent to the client. I then help the client to
release these blocked areas and as they do so the feeling of space,
lightness and flow of energy in the body is experienced. I explain
how this blocked condition creates an illusion of protection for the
client by muting feelings and keeping vulnerable feelings hidden
inside. This feeling of a need for protection can unconsciously create
resistance to transforming the condition.
People keep their pain locked up because it is too uncomfortable for
them to feel. They block and repress their pain just as they did as a
child. This protection mutes ALL emotional feelings and basically
disconnects them from their body. People that are “out of their
body” are avoiding painful feelings and live their lives in their head.
They will think their feelings rather than feel them in their body, which
is a very different experience.
END PART ONE
NEXT
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