OR WHY OSTEOPATHY WORKS.
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In my last post called Recovering from Injury, I mentioned the dramatic jumps in my recovery after Osteopathy Treatments from my friend and Dr. Michelle Hemingway. She suggested I write about the experience of my treatments as a follow up.
Firstly, I have to make a disclaimer here. While I found these treatments extremely effective, I have to admit, I don’t really understand what happened. It was subtle and somewhat mysterious. I was simply asked to lie down on the massage table. Once there, Michelle placed her hands in several locations for extended periods of time—my sternum, back, feet and head. Without any explanation my body started to relax. My breathing, which was shallow because of the pain, began to deepen. By the end of the session I felt the trauma was leaving my body. Immediately after the session the pain was still restricting me, but I had much more range of motion.
The real release came the next day. I could feel the incremental changes hourly. It was like something slowly letting go, very gently but continually. It was (and still is) like the session kept my attention on the letting go and relaxation rather than the fear and tension from sharp unexpected pains.
I looked up the Principles of Osteopathy and found they made total sense, even though I am not medically trained. Here are some of these:
- The body is a unit.
- Structure and function are reciprocally inter-related.
- The body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms.
- The body has the inherent capacity to defend and repair itself.
- When the normal adaptability is disrupted, or when environmental changes overcome the body’s capacity for self maintenance, disease may ensue.
- The movement of body fluids is essential to the maintenance of health.
- The nerves play a crucial part in controlling the fluids of the body.
- There are somatic components to disease that are not only manifestations of disease, but also are factors that contribute to maintenance of the disease state.
The invaluable lesson Michelle has taught me through her work in Osteopathy is that we are designed to heal. This is a perspective based on strength, not weakness. In her work with me, Michelle activated my strongest points in order to catalyze healing. It works. It is counter to how medical practitioners traditionally approach healing—i.e., they generally believe there is a problem to fix, so let’s focus on what is wrong.
To my delight, I see that the principles of Osteopathy mirror my Life Coaching principles. Life Coaching avoids a therapeutic approach and believes in and supports the strength and integrity of the client. My approach to life coaching is based on the conviction that you are designed to succeed.
I hope you have found these blog posts to be of value.
In Strength and Vision,
Lawrence Carroll - Life Coach
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Thanks Lesley.
Great story and example