Letting Go – The Key to Healing With Myofascial Release (MFR)

The last several articles explored the many ways we can heal our chronic pain, disease and discomfort with fascia-based modalities like MFR.

Fascia is very densely woven covering, which interpenetrates every muscle, bone, nerve, artery and vein as well as all of our internal organs including the heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord. …  It is actually one structure that exists from head to foot without interruption. …  Fascia also plays an important role in the support of our bodies since it surrounds and attaches to all structures. These structures would not be able to provide the stability without the constant pull of the fascial system. …   [from John F. Barnes, P.T.]

As discussed previously, the only way to truly release the fascial restrictions causing our long-term, chronic pain, disease and discomfort is to allow the emotional component to free itself from our tissue.  This sounds simple and maybe even a little silly, but if you have experienced the difference of tissue release without emotions and tissue release with emotions, you understand completely.

When we experience a trauma in our lives, our bodies not only store the emotions present at the time of the trauma, but because we must “pull ourselves together” and continue on with our lives, any post-trauma based emotions are also stored in the tissue.  The trauma is not allowed to complete itself and will fester in our tissues until we are provided with a safe environment in which to “let go”.

Quite a number of us live our entire lives without the freedom of “letting go”.  Some people go to talk therapists or hypno-therapists to get to the root of emotional holding patterns, but that only works on one component of our healing.  Even so, have you ever noticed that when you actually cry about something that upset you, you feel so much better afterwards?  That’s a little taste of what “letting go” can fell like on a small scale, which is often enough to frighten us back into stoicism.

It is critical to our healing to give ourselves permission to visit this scary place and free up emotional holding patterns, because those holding patterns are the root of our pain, disease, and discomfort.

 When you visit a Myofasical Release therapist as a step in your healing, it’s always a good idea to start out hydrated and comfortable.  To allow for freedom of movement, it is best to undress only down to your underclothes or wear loose shorts (and sports bra for women).  This way, any unwinding or physical release isn’t hampered by modesty, no matter how “modern” you feel you are.

At this time, your therapist may start out with something simple like an arm or leg pull.  It is best to refrain from talking so you can focus your attention on what you feel happening in your body.  You may first only feel the therapist’s hands, but after a while, you may start to notice a sensation or sense of opening closer to your torso and maybe even in other parts of your body seemingly unrelated to the arm or leg pull.

Allow yourself to feel all the sensations happening in your body.  If you feel a vibration in your arm, allow the vibration to happen.  If you feel like your head needs to rock from side to side, allow it to happen.  If you feel like your other arm needs to move to the side, allow it to happen.

Now, here may come the scary part for a lot of people.  If you feel the sensation of an emotion, whether it be anger, fear, sadness, etc., welcome the emotion and allow it to come to the surface.  Your therapist is familiar with many forms of emotional release, from crying, to yelling, to screaming, to punching (we know how to step out of the way!).

Your therapist will hold the space safe and sacred for whatever emotions need to be released, for whatever length of time is needed.  Then, and only then, will you be able to begin to release the emotional holding patterns which are the basis for all our pain.

If you would like to find a Myofascial Release Therapist in the Los Angeles area, please visit my website listed below.  If you would like to find a Myofascial Release Therapist outside the Los Angeles area, please visit John F. Barnes, RPT ‘s website: www.myofascialrelease.com and go to “therapists”.  
 
Frances Nicolais, LMT
MFR Therapist and Instructor
www.kneadedexperience-la.com