“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me.” No one believes that. Hurt that comes from being taunted, and jokes and miscommunications at any age, are compounded when left unresolved.
Feelings are designed to be felt and then let go. Stored life events lead to a kind of tissue memory that may affect body functioning. Tissue memory describes a cell’s ability to hold a memory of a biological response.1 And a biological response describes any number of sympathetic system reactions, including elevated heart rate, temperature, and increased gastric secretions. Thus, memories can become embedded in tissue if they are partnered with intense emotion or biological response that occurred at the time, and embedded memories can lie dormant because nothing in subsequent life events evokes their release. It is also important to note that tissue memory releases may involve events that happened to the person or even events that happened in their surroundings, and that tissue memory does not have to be accurate. The memory is imprinted or implanted based on the person’s subjective experience, so truth and accuracy are really not relevant.2 We hold our story in the tissue of our body and any symptoms we may subsequently manifest can reflect that story held within. So, when asked by our clients, “What did you find?” there is a different answer for each person even if each person has the same symptoms!
Case Example:
A young girl with an otherwise unremarkable medical history complains of frequent headaches. She has been taking over-the-counter painkillers two to three times per week as recommended by her pediatrician. With no positive results, her mother sought our approach as an alternative, non-pharmaceutical solution for these chronic headaches. Our evaluation included Hara Diagnosis3, cranio-sacral assessment and energy dialogue techniques to identify energy imbalances in the organs, muscles, and other systems of the young girl’s body. Our methods of non-verbal energy dialogue allowed us to identify patterns of thought, behavior, and historical patterns or events embedded in tissue. A “bottle neck” situation of the many energy fields that flow through the neck indicated a restriction of flow that translated into pain. The assessment of this situation identified areas of fear held in the kidney meridian that flows through the neck. Locating this restriction of flow, as well as dating the origin of these energy lesions, revealed difficult times in her life. Generational patterns seemed to be involved as well. From the Hara diagnosis physical exam, she had reflex pain in the navel area as well as the bottom of her foot. This confirmed involvement of the immune system and kidney energy fields. Treatment included cranio-sacral releases to the cranial bones and reflex release to kidney points located near her jaw. This provided her with immediate relief of pain and required only a short support period of treatment.
We can’t find the sticks and stones that broke the bones, but we can address the negative energy that plays out in people, weakening them and making them more vulnerable to physical and emotional symptoms.
1 “Making Cellular Memories,” Devin R. Burrill and Pamela A. Silver, Cell, Volume 140, Issue 1, p13–18, 8 January 2010
2 http://satyamag.com/live/?s=Releasing+Muscle-Bound+Memories%2C+David+Drier%2C+
3 Kiiko Matsumoto and David Euler. Kiiko Matsumoto Clinical Strategies in the Spirit of Master Nagano, Kiiko Matsumoto International (2005) Natick, MA.
Phyllis Krug is a physical therapist with a private practice in Teaneck, NJ and Monsey, NY. Her practice integrates many mind/body and energy therapies. She is available for private consultation, lectures, and classes and can be reached at 973-704-9062. Phyllis Gordon is an occupational therapist practicing in Tenafly, NJ using traditional OT as well as holistic energetic techniques for infants through seniors. She may be contacted at 201-569-6288 or www.phyllisgordon.com for sessions.
By Phyllis Krug DPT, Phyllis Gordon MSOTR/L
