pain

We can't force ourselves to let go of pain. Our bodies are really incredible.

We all absorb many injuries and trauma throughout our lives.. Our tissues remember everything, even when we consciously don't.  We keep going until we become depleted or reach saturation point. A difficult experience, however physical (an accident, for example) will inevitably have an emotional effect on us. Because our whole system reacts so efficiently, we will not let go of physical pain simply because a therapist is moving our tissues and persuading them to realign via massage and manipulation.

We will let go when we are ready, when we are comfortable. We are not just physical beings and our brains are in control of and will decide to hold on to or let go of our pain. Our body may well be hurting, but it is responding in this particular way for a reason. Pain is a signal something is wrong. A surprising amount of pain is often due to an emotional response. We know this...we use the phrases ‘gut reaction’, ‘heavy hearted’, ‘tongue tied’ ‘choked up’,’sick to the core’, ‘I jumped out of my skin’ to describe our physical reaction to an emotional state.

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Unless we are ready on every level to let go of pain (as well as physically), then a therapist spending time realigning us back to the correct anatomical position may not be right for us right there, right then. Often after realignment of, for example, our shoulder, we might start to get pain in our neck, spine, or our hip as our body needs to re adjust.
It can be very frustrating when our bodies are struggling with pain, but we need spend care and time on ourselves gaining confidence and feel comfortable enough to let go and release. This is why I will always ask you specific questions regarding your goal from your treatment.  Because your treatment is all about you. Kindness is always the key.