Body Sense

Spring 2013

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can be disrupted when a trauma cannot be "digested" or eliminated. The rhythm of our breath— inhalation and exhalation—is another of our most basic rhythms. Disordered breathing is a common symptom accompanying anxiety, asthma, panic, and chronic or acute pain. This is why methods like gentle massage of the diaphragm and yogic breathing, such as specialized rib expansion breathing, are so effective. The ancient yogis said, "If you control the breath, you control the mind." A Stanford scientist demonstrated the same connection that yogic science asserts, that the right and left brain rhythmically switch dominance every 90 minutes, correlating with which nostril allowed more breath through at any one time.1 The Power of Touch I have witnessed the benefits of all types of massage and bodywork therapies, ranging from the very light touch of reiki, to moderate-depth acupressure and Swedish massage, to deep-tissue massage, and all types in between. Touch is the primary language of bonding and attachment between infant and caregiver. A disruption of this essential developmental milestone can contribute to a lifetime of depression and anxiety, as well as the inability to balance or regulate emotions, so it makes sense that we never lose that psychobiological need for healing touch.  In addition to improving circulation and lymphatic flow, massage and bodywork lead to deep relaxation that is mediated by the autonomic nervous system. This state of consciousness is called parasympathetic dominance, and also results in improved digestion and sleep, plus a sense of well-being. As we do this more and more, we recondition the nervous system so that it is not as hyperreactive to stress stimuli. For clients who have experienced some sort of trauma, letting the body relax and regain its natural rhythm can be a powerful experience. While it is outside a bodyworker's scope of practice to venture into processing emotions, they can facilitate this type of release, bringing another layer of S benefit to your bodywork sessions. B Note 1.   avid Shannahoff-Khalsa, "The Ultradian D Rhythm of Alternating Cerebral Hemispheric Activity," International Journal of Neuroscience 70, no. 3–4 (1993): 285–98. Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH, NCB, RPE, has practiced massage and bodywork, specializing in polarity therapy for the treatment of chronic physical and mental illness, since 1977. She is the author of two books, Rhythms of Recovery: Trauma, Nature, and the Body (Routledge, 2012), and Preventing and Treating Diabetes Naturally, the Native Way (lulu.com, 2010). Body Sense 7

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