Hmmmmmm........? - 20 Massages in 2 Months, Massage #14

As this marathon progresses, I struggle to keep pace with my experience.

I received Massage #14 from Richard Oliver.  Based on events in this massage I predict that more changes are ahead, physically and otherwise. 

Lately, my legs have been doing strange things.  It’s uncomfortable to have any pressure applied to them, like the chair on the back of my legs when sitting!  They don’t look swollen but they feel it.  When I drag a finger along my thigh, I feel the same movement in my lower calf!  (I’m trying not to think too much about how weird this is as my naturopath can’t think of a medical reason that would cause it).  

In this massage Richard Oliver continued with the experimental use of cranial-sacral therapy on the feet. Cranial-sacral therapy works – at least in theory – with the cranial-sacral pulse, or the rhythm of the spinal fluid as it circulates the length of the spinal cord and within the cranium.  Richard explained, “In theory you can feel the cranial-pulse anywhere, not just in the cranium or sacrum.  So it can be used anywhere on the body.”

In truth because alignment in feet affects alignment in hips, and tightness in hips affects comfort and strength in lower back, the new focus on feet and ankles has morphed into a combined focus on everything from QL muscles down.  Or - for the non-anatomy experts among us - everything from the waist down.

I know that western science can’t make heads or tails of cranial-sacral therapy.  This confusion notwithstanding, I experience its power directly.  It appears to be the shamanism of benevolent angels.

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, energy and emotion moving in the lower part of the body has been harder to decipher as the images are more impressionistic and emotive, the connections being perhaps more deeply buried.  This has not prevented dramatic changes from emerging including a new ability to write right-handed & backward in addition to the usual left-handed & backward writing and right-handed & forward writing.

In Massage #14 the therapy brought out anger in the right ankle.  Within a visual impression of this anger, I wore metal braces on my legs.  I was confined to a wheelchair and could not stand without support.  I did not understand this as a past life memory but rather the emotional story of my ankle - much as my inner-attorney told the story of numbness in my right arm. 

As Richard worked my ankle, defenses rose to the surface. I discovered that I was angry not only with my disability but with the therapist willing to dig deeply enough to help.  The version of me in the wheelchair swung her crutches violently and shouted – silently and from inside of myself of course -“Leave me alone, we live in different worlds.  There are certain things I can’t have!” This is a side of myself I am not well acquainted with.

As mentioned in earlier posts, past life memories stored in the neck came to the surface readily in just over one session of focused neck work.  This is the seventh massage focusing on feet and ankles and no new past life memories have surfaced.

However, what happened next, when cranial-sacral was applied to the right ankle, suggests that there is more than one way for emotional patterns to impact physicality and even contribute to the structure of the body – past or alternate lives being one way.

In discussing cranial-sacral energy I have heard both Tasha and Richard refer to it as an energy that unwinds.  This is exactly how I would described my experience with massage #14. It felt as if the cranial-sacral work began unwinding from deep within my feet the emotional foundation of sore ankles, flat arches and bunions.

Richard held my right ankle and rotated it gently - as he said, in response to the cranial-sacral pulses. Accompanying the sensation of emotion being pulled from my flesh - like a thread from a hem - was a message, “You are letting go of a disability and its ability to keep you small.” 

Hmmmmmm………..?????? 

I do not know what else to say except for that as this marathon progresses, I struggle to keep pace with my experience. The consciousness driving these events proves its intelligence.  More and more the ability of my mind to decipher and describe the process is surpassed. I, a witness to my own transformation, am overtaken.

That, and my legs did feel much better afterward!

 

20 Massages in 2 months - Massage #1

Today was a good day for a massage. I’d been traveling since 7:00 am this morning, the straps of a suitcase, backpack and laptop case slung about my arms, shoulders and neck as I hustled from car to airplane to light rail to bus to another bus and finally to walk the last quarter mile home at about 3:00 pm. I had a great time visiting family and friends and making connections – a wonderful, magical time.  After 19 nights of sleeping odd hours - sometimes on other people’s couches - I am ready for the therapist to work his magic.

I arrived early for my massage scheduled for 4:15 pm. As I walked in the lobby of the Center for Well-Being in Monroe, Washington I was greeted by the soothing sounds of water falling in a tall stone fountain, the chords of Native American flute playing on a CD, and the calm friendly faces of staff. 

While I waited for my massage I thumbed through the scrapbook the founders had put together on the evolution of the business. In the scrapbook the Center’s mission was stated as: “working to make massage a viable medical option for our community.”

I received today’s massage from one of the Center’s founders, Richard Oliver. I asked him to say more about the Center’s mission. He emphasized the therapeutic aspects of massage and the ways it can improve quality of life including stress reduction, improved blood flow, decreased muscle tension, increased endorphins, all of which strengthen the immune system and also make you feel good. “We want to make a difference in your tissue. We want to help you make forward progress,” he said.

As we discussed what I wanted out of my massage I mentioned the tightness in my neck, shoulders, arms and shoulder blade area, including recurring numbness in my right arm. He pointed to a chart showing the muscle anatomy of the human body and explained the relationship between different sets of muscles that can hold tension and create discomfort. With respect to my nervousness about having people touch the front and sides of my neck he agreed that massage might help get to the bottom of this puzzle. I asked him if he could do a bit of cranial-sacral work during the massage. Cranial-sacral is a form of light manipulation which can be used alone or as a compliment to massage (or other therapies) and works with the cranial bones, sacrum and spinal fluid to balance energy in the body. “Cranial-sacral is non-invasive, even less invasive than massage. This means that there is less resistance in the body and this lack of resistance allows us to go deeper,” he said.  Richard is technically trained and also highly intuitive in his approach. This means that he can tailor his technique to needs of the client, even when those needs shift between massages.

This all sounds promising to me. I know from experience that balancing energy in the body is important given that emotional energy underlies physical ailments. Proper energetic flow moves emotions allowing for healing. Also, Richard’s intuitive approach means that I am likely to experience a massage that is not only custom made for me, if my needs change, he will follow suit and with each massage I will get more of what I need. This is the theory.

Our extensive discussion meant that my massage would be shorter than usual – something to keep in mind for all those massage goers out there! Richard stepped out of the room so that I could undress. I slipped between the sheets. The table was padded with what felt like miles of memory foam. The heating pad had been turned up to high – just like I like it - a wonderful feeling on this cold winter evening.  Even my toes felt comforted as they sunk into the warm foam.

(for more, see next post)