December 6, 2009 in Emotional Healing, Massage Therapy, featured by empoweringwellness
Emotional Healing, Tissue Memory and Bodywork – What Happens and Why It is a Good Thing
Eastern medicine and thought have long ago made the connection between our body and our mind. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) takes this idea one step further with the view that we are all connected to the earth and the surrounding universe. Most Native and aboriginal cultures recognize the mind / body connection as well as the deeper connection to the universe. Somehow we in the West fell off that wagon, and it’s only now that we’re trying to get back on.
In his groundbreaking book, “Healing Ancient Wounds – A Renegade’s Wisdom,” author John Barnes describes how injuries and trauma encountered in life affect our minds as well as our bodies. He describes how during treatment of the body, all kinds of feelings and sensations can be released. These sensations may include shaking, pain, tremors, and emotions. Barnes says that feelings are released by triggering what he calls “tissue memory.”
Our body responds to triggers brought on by our five senses: sight, smell, taste, sound, and touch. These are called “proprioceptive triggers.” Powerful images of tragic events such as those that occurred on September 11th, can bring you back to that moment. You may vividly recall exactly where you were and what you were doing. Songs or music may also produce triggers. For me, the old Glenn Miller classic “Moonlight Serenade,” brings me back to my wedding day. All of the emotions, the excitement of that first dance with my wife come flooding back to me. More than 20 years later, the images, emotions and memories associated with that song are still as strong as they were on the day I was married. And all it takes is a song!
Similarly, when fascia (the densely woven connective tissue that surrounds every muscle, bone, nerve, artery and vein as well as all of our internal organs including the heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord) is released through touch, tissue memory can also be triggered. What is especially interesting about fascia is that it is not just a system of separate coverings. It is actually one structure that exists from head to foot without interruption. As such, each part of the body is connected to each other. This is one reason why pain may occur in other parts of the body, away from the area of the original trauma.
When an area injured during trauma (whether it is an accident, abuse, invasive surgery) is released, all of the feelings, emotions, and sensations that you experienced during the initial event may also be released. The same fear, the same pain, the same anxiety may resurface, just as intensely as when the original trauma occurred. At the subconscious level, this is what your body has been feeling all along. In order to fully heal, these sensations must be fully felt so that they can be released.
In her book, “A Patient’s Guide to Understanding John F. Barnes Myofascial Release,” physical therapist Cathy Covell writes:
Fully feeling these sensations is easy to say, but not always easy to do. Remember that the sensations can feel as intense as they did during the initial trauma itself. Many times these sensations that occurred during the trauma were overwhelming, which is why we didn’t release them in the first place. One of our self-defense mechanisms that automatically take over when we are overwhelmed with pain, fear, etc. is to leave our body. What I mean is that we can become completely numb and stuff the pain and emotions. It can seem just as overwhelming when the tissue memory is triggered again.
A sensitive therapist, within the therapeutic environment, can help a client fully connect mind and body, and help the client to safely release the sensations associated with the trauma. It is only through this kind of release that you can truly heal. Unless you completely let go, your body continues to experience the trauma at a subconscious level. If the body doesn’t release, restrictions can form in the fascia, creating chronic pain and making it worse over time. The added stress on your body may also compromise your body’s immune system, which can lead to other forms of illness.
Within the therapeutic environment, with a competent and sensitive therapist, you have the ability to release and clear the pain and trauma of the past. When we fully let go of the pain of our past, we can embrace life in the present, and experience the love and beauty of living in the moment.
7 Comments to “Emotional Healing, Tissue Memory and Bodywork – What Happens and Why It is a Good Thing”
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December 6, 2009 at 11:28 pm
What a fantastic, well-written article explaining the release of tissue memory. As a holistic life coach and hypnotherapist, I know the importance of releasing pain and past trauma on many different levels and through a variety of approaches and modalities, including bodywork. As a student of yoga, I also know first hand what it feels like to experience a release during a yin practice. Unlike some of the power yoga styles that build muscular strength, yin yoga gently stretches and rehabilitates the connective tissue in a manner very complementary to other techniques of myofascial release. The most important thing is to be able to let go and as you said, “embrace life in the present” rather than allowing our energy to be trapped by the past. The body-mind connection is an incredible tool for healing indeed.
December 6, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Dear Mary Ellen,
I thank so much for taking the time to comment. This is turning into my life’s work and very few people seem to understand it. I completely agree with you about Yin yoga, as I am familiar with the practice. It’s through the gentle release that the body can be healed. I will be posting an article soon on Balancing Yin and Yang and I welcome your comments. Thank you so very much.
Blessings, love and light to you.
Fred
April 16, 2010 at 8:51 am
Fred,
Once I had a massage and during that massage, my body started shaking. This went on for the rest of the massage at least 30 minutes or more. The lady who was doing the massage said she had only seen one other client do this and she didn’t understand why it happened.
I told her that I am an incest survivor and that my feeling was that she set off a body memory that was being released from my body by the means of the body shaking. I didn’t get any memories at the time. I have only had one other incident of this happen like that and that was immediately after the birth of my son. The doctor told me that women frequently start to shake after the experience of giving birth. That went on about 30 minutes to an hour before I finally quit shaking.
You are the first person that I have found that says the body shaking can be a way of releasing body memories. Thanks for sharing this article and for the work that you do with survivors of abuse.
One of my best friends (a lady) is a massage therapist and a Reiki Master. She is one of the few people that I trust enough to allow her to do massages on me. I asked her recently if she knew anything about doing body work and she doesn’t know of anyone in Hot Springs, AR that does this kind of work. How would I go about finding someone in my area that is qualified to do this?
April 20, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Dear Patricia,
The experience you describe is one that I see regularly in my practice. Some form of release — it could be crying, hyperventaliting, shortness-of-breath, shaking, can be triggered unwittingly during bodywork.
There are a couple of thoughts that I have if you wish to pursue bodywork. The first thought is to find a therapist who is trained in Trauma Touch Therapy. This is a very specific protocol that attempts to re-introduce safe touch back to the survivor. You can contact the Colorado School of Healing Arts, and see if they can assist you in finding a practitioner who is near to you.
The second thought is to find a practitioner who is trained in Somatic Experiencing, an innovative approach developed by Dr. Peter Levine. You can find a practitioner on their website.
And finally, I would be happy to help you. I encourage you to look for ways to bring nurturing, loving touch into your life. Touch is part of the sacred sensousness of life that we are all meant to enjoy.
Peace.
May 8, 2010 at 7:54 pm
I have been blessed by a husband that I do trust who has taught me how healing touch can be. I also have a friend that I told you about who is a massage therapist. She will do a massage any time that I ask. I just don’t ask very often. She is very good at what she does. She is also my Reiki teacher and is a Reiki Master of the Usui Shiki Ryoho school. She is also my best friend and traveling buddy on my trips to India. I will print out this page and do research on the abuse sources. Thank you.
June 29, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Fred, I just wrote an article on my blog called “Using Cranio-Sacral Chiropractic Adjustments and Emotional Freedom Techniques to Release Body Memories of Incest” at the following link:
http://patriciasingleton.blogspot.com/2010/06/using-cranio-sacral-chiropractic.html .
You are in part responsible for me trying these methods to release body memories. I asked around and there doesn’t seem to be anyone in my area who does what you do with massage therapy so a friend recommended my chiropractor who does Cranio-Sacral Adjustments. He actually teaches his procedures around the world. He recommended the EFT. We will see what happens with this. Anyway, my article is in part to say thank you to you for leading me in this new direction of healing.
July 1, 2010 at 10:02 am
Patricia,
I’m so happy to have played a small part in your transistion and healing. You continue to inspire me with your courage and tenacity.
Peace,
Fred