Bodywork Psychotherapy

As infants, we are taught to form a "self." This ego identity project, which continues throughout our lives, begins as we learn to differentiate between "me" and "not me."

We learn to repress pain by tightening our bodies and breathing haltingly and shallowly. We soon find ourselves locked in a prison of tight muscles and shallow beliefs, (the square box) having repressed much about ourselves; having repressed much of our passion in the process.

This process happens as we are socialized into the rules and roles of our culture, society and the groups to which we belong. Such groups work to "promote" those aspects of our full skill set that "fit in," to their pre-conceived mind set, while systematically forcing us to repress what doesn't "fit."

Thus, the tightness of our personal "square box" is to some extent determined by those around us, and how much of us, when we were children, we were taught to suppress. The main physical mechanism of this suppression is through muscular tightness. This tightness is then made implicit in our tightness emotionally (limited emotions, some emotions judged as good, others judged bad and hence avoided).

Emotional tightness is exhibited in a resistance to fully feeling the range of our emotions. Suffice it to say that we tend, in general, to encourage "good" emotions and deny, suppress or bury "bad" emotions. This is one issue that Bodywork addresses.

Bodywork is about reversing the blockages to feeling the free flow of chi by loosening the tightness of the body, breathing fully, and finding in the rhythm of the body the lost passion and the lost aspects of our selves.

In order to grasp the power of Bodywork, we have to begin with the idea of energy blockage caused by muscular tension. Imagine that the body, far from being rigidly divided into Body, Mind and Spirit, is actually an indivisible unity of the three. We could then say that what seems to affect one part actually is acting on the BodyMindSpirit. So, we could expect that an emotional trauma, for example, might also show up as a physical symptom in the body. The most obvious is the direct connection between excessive stress and ulcers.

The Phoenix Centre'sapproach
is to push this connection to the limit. 

For example, could vertigo (dizziness) be, beyond an inner ear condition, a reflection of something else in the body being "out of balance?" Could the body's energy, or chi, be imbalanced? Could the person's view of themselves be out of balance? Is it enough to simply look at the semi-circular canal as the culprit? Or is there something to be looked at at the level of the totality of the person?

• Why does this person have migraines, that person fibromyalgia, another a heart condition?
• Why is this person depressed, angry, feeling lost and alone?
• What is the mind saying, the body saying -- and what does the Spirit want?
• How is work played out?
• Where is the person's sense of vocation and meaning in an increasingly complex and meaningless world?

Bodywork provides one level of the answer. Combined, as we do, with psychotherapy, it's an unbeatable combination.

Bodywork Theory

Bodywork theory states that our bodies hold within their structure the story of our unresolved issues and past traumas, physical and psychological. (For more on this, keep reading this section.) The body, when injured, tightens up and clamps down, then releases pain-killing drugs. In the case of muscles that are contracted, soon the contraction is seen as normal. In this tightening process, mobility and fluidity is lost - and is replaced by a state of rigidity. And that rigidity spreads to thinking and sense of purpose.

What happens during a Bodywork session depends on the issues and the client, but almost always involves teaching clients to breathe properly (a great way to get people "into their bodies") and deep, hard pressure into the blocked points. This frees the client to release the pent up emotion, often through yelling and crying, followed by a muscular shaking and release, which comes to completion by a sense of well being.

Bodywork involves deep pressure on specific sticking points in the body. It is no coincidence that each of the points is also an acupuncture point. Acupuncture theory tells us that blocked meridians cause chi to back up, and to flow in a restricted way to the area beyond the block. Stimulation of the acupuncture point frees the block and releases the chi. Using conversation, exercises and application of pressure to blocked areas, the trapped issues can be let go of. Fluidity and movement returns, at all levels.

  So, what does Bodywork feel like?

Like nothing you have ever experienced. You'll feel physical pain at the points of pressure that are stuck for you. You will be instructed to keep breathing into the pain, and soon, the blocked feeling, be it sadness, grief, anger, rage, and even deep laughter, will begin to flow and be expressed. With each breath, the feeling will move and release. And then we move on, to the next area, and the next.

Combined with pressure is a focus, by the practitioner, on the quality of the chi. The client may need a boost of chi, and that is accomplished through holding and manipulating complementary acupuncture points, or by using an electronic acupuncture tool.

The Bodywork process involves deep pressure on specific points on the body, including the jaw, neck, shoulders, back, lower back and tailbone, legs, chest, stomach and pelvis. Often, by half way through a session, there is a general release of the muscular tension at a level appropriate for that session, and a feeling of the freer flow of energy. Most people have never experienced the flow of energy in their body. You may experience a shaking, warm, tingly sensation that can be felt everywhere in the body. We continue to move this energy through chakra and acupuncture pressure work and breath work. A goal is an overall shaking of the body, and a continuing release of emotion, which again runs the gamut from tears to laughter to deep ecstatic pleasure. Most people are slow to leave the table and report a feeling of contentment and passion for life that lasts many hours.

We take time to explain, in advance, what will happen, how to deal with emotions and the associated pain and most of all how important this work is for your well being on the level of BodyMindSpirit. This work, because of the depth of the emotions released, should be done with a person who is, first and foremost, a highly competent psychotherapist with additional training in Breath and Bodywork.

Session Descriptions, Costs and Other Details

We take our time with this work. Sessions of 2 hours (1 hour for psychotherapy, 1 hour  for Bodywork and to debrief the experience) are not uncommon. Our fee for a Bodywork session is the same as for a therapy session - at present (2007) $95 dollars per session. The process can take some time to complete, as most of us have years of accumulated debris to sift through. It is the kind of work that you can also start, stop and resume.

Last of all, let's mention what to wear for Bodywork. Bodywork is about the release of blocked emotions, chi (energy) and potential. The work is normally done through loose clothing, (although clothing is not required.) We ask that you wear comfortable clothes, and strongly suggest jogging pants or exercise clothes, tee shirts, sweat shirts and the like. Tights and leggings are also appropriate, and in the summer, shorts. Avoid jeans and slacks, heavy material and belts. Tee shirts give access to the bare shoulders and arms, and occasionally the feet need to be "sockless" for acupuncture work. Lastly, women will be the most comfortable wearing a sports bra or braless.

After a few sessions, we increase the depth and focus of the work to target specific resistances. At this point, we prefer to begin using specific oils on the entire body to deepen and intensify the Bodywork. This is always discussed in advance.

Give us a call, and let’s get started.