Keep looking for the answer!

Sometimes things happen in a rather random manner that you will not be able to understand the purpose for it until you can look back and reflect. That is what happened to me 23 years ago.

Sit back, enjoy a cup of tea and come for a stroll through my memory for a minute…..or 5. I enjoy connecting the dots in my own life and sharing the story in case it helps others make sense or have hope in their own circumstances.

More than 2 decades ago, I was a massage student.  I  never planned on being a massage therapist and had a decent job in the mortgage industry.  But, I had a couple evenings a week on my hands and a small school in my little town would work with my schedule.  I found that I LOVED the work.  I loved learning.  I loved the interaction with my clients.  While still in school I happened upon a flier for the 2002 Anatriptic Arts Expo.  Basically, it was a gathering for all sorts of “hands-on” therapists.  It was in May and I made the mistake of thinking San Francisco would be warm and didn’t pack anything warmer than a windbreaker. The very first day, I set off to walk the mile or so wearing a long skirt, with sandals. Wrong choice!  By the time I got there I was frozen to the bone.  I wandered around the indoor area, not well focused on the booths and 100s of people because my brain was a block of ice.  I happened to pass the open doors to a dark auditorium and a waft of warm air drew me in.  I didn’t look to see what the topic of discussion was….all I wanted was that warm room to snuggle up in.  I chose a seat near the back and thought I would, most likely, doze off.  What happened for the next 90  minutes or so literally changed my life and has provided hope, relief and healing for MANY of my clients over the last 2 decades. 

The speaker in the warm, dark auditorium was John Barnes, PT.  He explained that he had created his own form of myofascial release treatment (MFR) and went on to demonstrate them.  I was riveted to put it mildly.  I like to think of myself as Midwest grounded and, believe it or not, conservative.  It takes first hand experience for me to accept that something works or is real.  Stop rolling your eyes and doubting that a Reiki Master, tree hugging herbalist needs proof.  At first glance, much of what I do may seem from the Land of Woo but I can provide honest to goodness scientific evidence of the efficacy of my work OR I can provide enough anecdotal testimony to demonstrate that what I do works.  So back to the reason for this tale.

After the expo, I sought out educational opportunities with John.  I have attended many of his training sessions and spent 10 days in Sedona doing an intensive dive into his version of MFR.  While there I had an impromptu session with one of his teachers which resolved (for months) a lower back issue I had had for years.  My youngest client to date was 2 days old.  The daughter of a client and born with torticollis, a twisting of the neck that, if left untreated, causes swallowing issues and may eventually impede speech.  My eldest client had the same issue at the age of 102!  Both of them responded well to the treatment. As for other problems it has helped my clients with? Migraines, plantar fasciitis, menstrual, respiratory, digestive, athletic injuries or restrictions and a host of other fascia restrictions have all responded well.

Fast forward to today and the reason I am writing this now.  I currently have a client with severe scoliosis. WIth her permission and leaving her name out, I wanted to share our experience in the hopes that it will encourage anyone that has become exhausted trying to find a solution to KEEP TRYING.  I understand that trying this and trying that and trying that other thing, often without great results, is not only disheartening, it is often financially troubling. Please, do not give up!  My client today has been to me 5 times.  While working on her the first time, I explained what MFR does and suggested she might give it a shot.  I also was completely upfront with my experience as a therapist.  If you haven’t been on my table you may not know, I am an open book when it comes to what I can offer.  When someone comes to me, they are in pain and they want an answer.  I could be a very wealthy person if I would sell them the BS that is often pushed.  I would not feel good about myself if I did that so I tell it like it is.  WIth MFR, I have discovered that the work builds on itself. My VERY strong recommendation is that a client needs to commit to coming to me for a minimum of 3 treatments, each a week apart.  At that time we discuss how they are doing and come up with a plan to move forward.  Some have made great progress but have a long way to go so we continue once a week. Others find improvement enough that they want to skip a week or two to see how things go. I cannot predict how your body will react nor control what you do between sessions so I will never tell someone, “You will need ______ number of treatments and you will be well.”  I had a former client with debilitating plantar fasciitis after years as a cop with a street beat.  He came to me for 4-5 weeks in a row and then was set for 6-8 months. I think I saw him for nearly 10 years before I moved away. I had a client with horrific migraines that had gone on for years.  She started with once a week then went to 2 times a week.  We did that for at least five weeks then went back to once a week.  I probably saw her for 9-10 months at that rate.  She was able to have a “normal life” (her words) and continued to see me once a month which is my recommendation for all my clients. 

So back to today’s client.  She is about my age (62) and the pain from this severe spinal contortion has impacted her daily life and ability to sleep for years.  One hip in particular just would not give her peace.  Her gate when walking required her to focus and pain in her feet required specific shoes to make walking even tolerable.  I won’t lie.  I often hold my breath when I ask a client, “So, how did you do after our last session?”  I dislike disappointing people but it is a fact of life that I may not be able to help everyone that comes to me.  But, in her case, from the very first treatment she has seen significant improvement.  She reports that the day after the treatments may be a bit rough with some achiness or headache BUT after that she feels marvelous!!! Today’s report was the best yet.  She told me her hip allowed her to sleep even though she had gone camping!  Her husband reports that he thinks the slope in her shoulders is not as pronounced.  And, at least to me, a fellow barefoot person, she was able to walk barefoot while camping!!! We made the decision to skip next week and see how she does.  She will be camping again which I think is a good test to see if the improvements hold.  

Scoliosis is a curve or twisting of the spine. It can be very mild or extremely pronounced. My client's spine is, most likely worse than this image.

Now, to be clear, I will never be able to help her spine straighten out.  The current structure cannot be manipulated to that degree and would cause other issues if it was pushed that far.  Our goal is to help her get to a point of being free of daily pain and allow good night’s rest going forward.  

So there you have it, my friends.  If you have had ongoing struggles of any form in your life,  DON'T GIVE UP HOPE

!  The answer may be just around the corner so keep looking for it.  If one answer isn’t “the answer” look for another.  I suggest trying just one new thing at a time.  If you grab on to several things at once you may not know which is actually helping, you may go bankrupt and not get the right “fix” and you may overwhelm yourself in the process.  And, give a treatment, a protocol, a program some time to settle in with you before you make a decision as to whether it is working.