fit body


T e Body’s Pain Language When the “fi ght-or-fl ight” stress response is activated in the presence of danger or emotional distress, the body has one objec- tive: get us to safety. Yet, many times, the amygdala—the part of the brain that plays a key role in this process—becomes hyper alert and falsely perceives danger when there is none. Trauma becomes hardwired into the nervous system. Pain syndromes and tension are common symptoms. No matter what the pattern for handling


Bodywork for Trauma and Grief


WHEN EMOTIONS ARE PHYSICAL


M


assage is oſt en associated with spa-like pampering, yet it is also an eff ective therapy for reducing


by Marlaina Donato On the emotional level, massage ther-


physical and emotional pain. Bodywork can lower blood pressure and reduce stress hor- mones, which in turn helps to balance blood sugar and boost immunity. A surge of the feel-good neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine is also a natural perk of rubdowns.


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30 Greater Oklahoma/OKC Edition NaturalAwakeningsOKC.com


apy can off er profound benefi ts for anyone experiencing acute grief or the eff ects of a traumatic past. A Swedish study published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing shows that bereaved individuals that received 25-min- ute hand and/or foot massages once a week for eight weeks felt greater comfort and were more capable of coping with stress.


trauma, it takes a lot of work for the body to repress emotions, and it will create tension in the form of “armoring” to defend against unwanted feelings. “Trauma is a physiological experience. Body tension that results from unresolved trauma will not respond to only releasing muscle tension,” explains Lissa Wheeler, author of Engaging Resilience: Heal the Physical Impact of Emotional Trauma: A Guide for Bodywork Practitioners. Wheeler’s Medford, Massachusetts,


practice focuses on releasing emotional patterns locked in tissue memory. “When the nervous system is frozen in a state of threat long aſt er the actual threat is gone, all of the body’s activities of healthy regula- tion are challenged. T is aff ects not only skeletal muscles, but also smooth muscle such as what’s found in the gastrointestinal tract. Sleep problems and teeth grinding can also result.”


Cellular Memory and Cra- nioSacral T erapy Swedish massage, T ai massage and shiatsu are all ideal treatments for chronic pain, grief and emotional imprints locked within the body’s cellular consciousness. CranioSacral T erapy (CST) off ers a gentler alternative. “CranioSacral T erapy can unravel cellular stories and assist in free- ing repressed or preverbal emotions from childhood,” says Seattle-based CST thera- pist Barbara Coon. “Experiences are held in the body. Stress and muscular tension activate the vagus nerve, and CST focuses on calming [it].” T e vagus nerve facilitates commu-


nication between the brain and the heart, lungs and gut. Coon attests to the modal- ity’s body-centered support for reduc- ing anxiety, depression, panic attacks,


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