Shut up, bottle it up, get up and keep going. That's the message most of us receive from a young age in a capitalist society. We have the rise with the birds and burn the midnight oil to get somewhere in life. We do this until that time expires and we realize all the heartache probably wasn't worth every held in tear, every unexpressed need/want/desire, every missed nap.
Cowgirls don't cry... but they should.
According to John Barnes, PT and pioneer of myofascial release, "Studies have shown that during periods of trauma, people make indelible imprints of experience that have high levels of emotional content the body can hold information below the conscious level, as a protective mechanism, so that memories tend to become dissociated or a reversible amnesia. The memories are state- or position-dependent and can therefore be retrieved when the person is in a particular state or position. The information is not available in the normal conscious state, and the body’s protective mechanisms keep us away from the positions that our mind-body awareness construes as painful or traumatic."
Through myofascial release structural work and unwinding, clients have the opportunity to return to positions that bring up memories and express those emotions held below the conscious surface. This is when authentic healing occurs.
What comes into the body, must go out
We inhale, we exhale. We take food in and we elimate waste via digestion. When we experience trauma, we do one of three things: we fight, flee or freeze. When we freeze, we absorb what happens on an unconscious level. Ultimately, we have to dispel the energy that we absorb from the trauma. Emotional expression that organically arises during MFR treatment dispels that energy. For the record, MFR therapists do not force emotion to rise from our clients. We simply create a safe space for expression.
If you are experiencing pain and discomfort, you have have protective mechanisms in place that are no longer serving you. Please consider that healing can be multifaceted, but MFR therapy can prove helpful in your journey.