An excerpt from one of my favourit blogs, www.fluentself.com. Havi, the author, works with her own sore arms. This sort of engaging with physical symptoms using dialog and logical reasoning was a breakthrough in modern psychotherapy and can yield dramatic results. Often found in the world of hypnotherapy.
The Fluent Self |
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Posted: 16 Apr 2009 08:55 AM PDT NOTE: If you’re one of the people who write in because you’re completely confused by the “what’s going on with Havi’s arms?!” question, so am I. Sorry. The short answer is that it’s some sort of stuckified chronic pain that was originally doing a pretty decent imitation of carpal tunnel or repetitive-stress-ish stuff, but isn’t. All I can tell you is that it involves my body talking to me about internal stuff going on. A lot. We’re making progress with it. I’m learning. It’s healing. My arms are going to be fine. Just give us time. Chasing the pain.The pain in my arms is moving. Migrating, really. It started in my hands and wrists and then spent several weeks inching up my arms until it found its winter hibernation home — and then it settled in for a bit. From about two inches (5 cm) above the wrist to two inches (5 cm) above the elbow. That’s where it wanted to do its agonizing thing. And that’s where I’ve been working on it. But lately the pain has been on the move again. I can’t tell if it’s running away or just chasing some confused dream of Manifest Destiny. Either way, it now starts about mid-tricep and goes up to the shoulder joint. And it’s talking. It has a lot to say. An astonishing piece of information.The scene: on the massage table. Chris (my wonderful massage therapist) is working on my arms, and I’m trying to relax. Me: Hey, arms? Is there anything you need from me while we’re getting this massage? Something I can do to help you relax? And then I had to stop and think for a bit, because I didn’t want to accidentally step on my arms’ toes — which makes no sense, I know. It’s just that I didn’t want the conversation to end by me saying something that would make my arms think that I’m not really listening and that I don’t really care. Because then they clam up and don’t talk at all. And at the same time, I was completely confused. Really? Relaxation is bad? All these years that I’ve been teaching yoga and meditation… and leading — wait for it — guided relaxation exercises… there has been a part of me that thinks that relaxation is bad? I mean, I freaking love relaxation. I have more (and better) tricks than anyone I know for magically calming down and for getting into a quiet, safe space. But if I’ve learned anything about anything, then it’s that if you want to find out what’s really going on, you have to be willing to drop all the things you think are true. Or, you know, at least some of them … So I just have to ask …Me: Okay. I’m willing to accept that relaxation could be a bad thing. I get that you have strong opinions on this, and I’m sure you have completely legitimate reasons for knowing what you know. Lightbulb.Me: Ohhhhhhhhhhh. Oh. You want to take care of me. You want to keep me from getting hurt. Read on at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FluentSelf/~3/YkxMXXvSMeI/ If this kinda seemed like your thing, you might like these too: |