Seasons of Life
While we tend to think of seasons in terms of weather, seasons are also a metaphor for the chapters of your life. You, too, move from Summer - a time when all is going well in your life - through Fall, Winter, and Spring up to a new level of Summer.
When the body is in balance, the transition from season to season is seamless, but when we are out of alignment in our bodies, it comes with struggle or pain. This month, we share a client's story of transition from what felt like the winter of her life to a new spring and eventual summer.
Client Success Story: Uncorking the Physical and Emotional
When Bethany first met Joseph at Boston Integrated Body, she was, as the saying goes, "doing all the things." At 36 years old, she was working as a VP of a publicly traded company and enrolled in an MBA program at Boston College. Happily married to a Harvard-trained physicist, she was also the mother of two small children. On the outside, she appeared to be living the picture of what many would consider a full life.
Yet, on the inside, Bethany was living in tremendous pain. "I couldn't sleep at night. Either my anxiety would wake me up, or nerve pain in my arm, neck, back, or shoulders would wake me up and keep me awake. The nerve pain got so bad that I couldn’t do any repetitive arm motions like coloring with my daughters or grip the handlebar of a bike long enough to ride with them. The pain would get so sharp and absolutely excruciating.”
Determined to find the root cause of her symptoms, Bethany had been in-and-out of physical therapy every few months and tried chiropractic care, each which provided minimal, temporary relief. She discovered she was hypermobile, but that alone did not explain the pattern of nerve pain and never getting long-term relief. Thinking there could be an energetic imbalance, she explored reiki, the Japanese form of energy healing through touch, again with minimal results.
Undeterred, Bethany continued to learn all she could to find healing. An avid reader and researcher, she began in earnest to learn about hypermobility, connective tissue, and eventually how our bodies' connective tissue, or fascia, holds trauma in response to stress. Her persistence led her to the work of Bessel Van der Kolk, a pioneer in trauma therapies, and author of The Body Keeps the Score and how the whole-body treatments of Rolfing and Structural Integration (SI) are highly effective in addressing physical trauma. Her curiosity piqued, Bethany turned to internet searching and a few clicks of her computer mouse later, found Joseph Welch at Boston Integrated Body.
Unearthing a Landmine
Joseph’s lineage as a practitioner is rooted in Anatomy Trains Structural Integration (ATSI). Based on the pioneering work of Dr. Ida P Rolf, Anatomy Trains Structural Integration (ATSI) was developed by author and bodyworker Thomas Myers. It is an evidence informed type of bodywork that focuses on the myo-fascial system to re-educate the body in efficient and energy-sustaining patterns.
In Bethany's case, Joseph identified a specific spot in her back that, when activated, "immediately flooded me with tears, opening a door to a buried truth that could no longer be ignored. A veritable landmine."
Joseph immediately recognized Bethany's response as one rooted in deep trauma, and with what Bethany described as "the utmost compassion and professionalism" helped her to form a collaborative care team; first with a referral to a counselor specializing in trauma, and later a referral for acupuncture with Polina Shneyderman at AcuBoston.
Managing the Rocky Terrain
Similarly to SI, acupuncture uses fascia to helps keep our bodies balanced with a complex neural net of signaling to the brain and spinal cord.Placing acupuncture needles in specific body areas activates the neural net and creates/restores balance and health.
In Bethany's case, acupuncture was the piece of the care puzzle that would address emotional and physiological symptoms beyond the scope of SI and therapy.
While SI sessions helped Bethany go from "feeling in a constant state of fight-or-flight" to experiencing a range of emotions and a heightened awareness of the connection of her body's response to her emotional state, ongoing regulation of her emotional responses still felt challenging. In addition, Bethany continued to suffer from gastrointestinal discomfort, which doctors had diagnosed generally as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), and an overall fatigue that SI hadn't quelled.
From the moment Bethany met Polina, she knew she was in good hands. "Just being in Polina's presence is healing and grounding." Polina identified a digestive weakness due to nutritional deficiencies and a blood deficiency akin to anemia and prescribed herbal remedies that address both.
As acupuncture treatment continued, Bethany reported sleeping better, having less intestinal discomfort and thirst, and feeling more "at home" in her own body. As she described, "While Joseph uprooted the physical manifestations in my body, Polina was able to calm the terrain."
The gifts of combined care
"Once you've unlocked this kind of trauma, you can't un-know it. I realized the only way out was through. Since working with Joseph and Polina, my life has become completely transformed. I no longer have debilitating physical pain that keeps me from sleeping or playing with my kids. I no longer worry that an episode of pain will completely incapacitate me. I gained a language and framework to explain what is happening physically and emotionally within me." --- Bethany
Bethany has transitioned into a state of maintaining the terrain and continues to see Joseph and Polina regularly for combined, complementary care. She considers them extraordinary practitioners who've given her many gifts along the way.
"For Joseph, his biggest gift was helping me find a completely new relationship with my body. I used to be someone who hated how I looked. Now I feel so much more connected and safer within my body. I've learned to love my body and am so grateful for my strength and self-healing abilities."
In Bethany's eyes, the second greatest gift Joseph gave her was referring her to Polina, whose spiritual mentorship and healing presence have helped her become more grounded. "Her mere touch is healing, and I have found Chinese medicine to be crucial for me to maintain my mental and physical health.”
Interested in an integrated approach to keeping your body in balance with the seasons? Schedule a free virtual visit with Polina by call or text for acupuncture or a complimentary consult with Joseph to discuss structural integration in greater depth.