Cherry-picking A Wellness path
In the age of convenience, wellness hacks, the ability to fit so much into our everyday, HOW ARE YOU REALLY DOING?
Many years ago, a client still today, came to my office sporting a camel hump of bone on her right achilles. She was uncomfortable and had seen podiatrists and more with no solution in sight. I told her for certain I could help her find improved comfort and pain relief. After working out slack in her fascial and lymphatic system body wide, I offered her one stretch for her achilles. Told her it would not feel good, but that it would help. A year later, this very rare and dedicated to her wellness woman, turned to me just before her regular monthly session and asked, “You know that stretch you told me to do for my heel?” I replied yes, and a little surprised, thinking if she remembered it, she must be doing with some regularity. “Was it supposed to get rid of the calcification on my heel?” A little more surprised, and I won’t lie, my heart skipped a loving beat, she had heard me for real. I asked, “How often have you been doing it?” “Everyday.” “Then, YES! Is it gone yet?” She replied yes, mostly. The reason, I had learned this over the years, that I did not initially tell her this could be the outcome to her dedication, is because I mostly hear clients return afteer one session, stating with irritation, “IT didn’t work. IT is not working.” They have tried something once or twice, and IT did not change their outcome. You must not have it right they offer, and then follow with a diatribe of other frustrating health appointments and professionals they have lined up to address it once and for all. When you ask for help and only follow parts of it, you are cherry picking and not telling the whole story to yourself or to your therapist when you report “IT isn’t working.” The only person who misses out is the suffering client.
Another big complication to cherry picking wellness, is pulling together a team of specialists whose arenas overlap with one another, however, whose personalities and approaches do not. And, if you’re not honest with yourself, you can follow what is easier than perhaps, accurately focused on getting your closer to your health goals. One of the bigger struggles is I often bear witness to are clients’ ptsd hindering their physical recovery/improvement, because they cannot untangle their somatic-driven path to be validated and soothed. This just drains their funds, is not supportive, and they remain stuck and frustrated. Doing the grunt work in wellness is not popular. Nor is confronting the mentally painful work in rewiring the nervous system. What is easier, is to cherry pick the options that resonate, a la carte like you’re ordering up the perfect wellness plan.
Let’s face the truth, in order to get what we truly need these days, we do benefit in adjunct therapies, workouts, and supplemental. The alternative, otherwise, leaves us relying solely on a mine field of expensive health care plans that only cover the bare minimum, or at worst, serious disease. If you’re a woman this can mean being shamed by countless doctors for gaining weight due to simple hormonal lack of support in your 40s and 50s. Notice, I did not say imbalance. If you secure the right doctor, possibly out of network, you may actually not have to suffer the basics of age related dynamics complicating your health. So, ideally, we are forced to intelligently try our best to cherry pick an optimal wellness plan that we can afford with our time, abilities, and finances. I think it’s amazing how we can help ourselves by finding that person, supplement or gadget in our free market, that does help us. That said…
WHAT MAKES A SPECIALIST, FINE PRINT
We live and work in a money driven, benefits driven culture with myriad opportunities to self empower our paths into optimal wellness. Unfortunately there are a lot of products for your health that are not on the up and up, as well as, specialty therapists with less than a year in their specialty who headline their materials with twenty years’ experience (did they mention that was in swedish massage and not lymph?! ooops).
One of the biggest struggles I often witness in this process, however, is the client begins to underestimate the skills, intuition and gifts of their specialists. More than that, they begin to consider themself the specialist, the project manager if you will. Unfortunately that only builds a barrier to trusting and leaning into a process that may require time and patience to get “there”. What makes a specialist? We strive for years of impassioned, deep work, constant research and training, within our specialties, all the while featuring client stories that many have yet to be documented in any publications, to serve your as a specialist.
I specialize in both tissue and energetic body wellness. I know what I’m seeing, following, and the advice I’m offering. I do not speak just to hear myself. If I say something it is because I am committed to those words. I have thought diligently to attempt to gift wrap them in the optimal tone, language, energy for you to receive them and act on them for your benefit. They are never based on speculation but deep inner seeing, feeling, and a comprehensive approach to your body map. My advice, is never offered without your consent. I take your query seriously and offer advice as my gift to you.
SHAME has no place here
You’re not always at fault for not being at your health best. Don’t think of going to your therapist as the principal’s office. Enough of that. I am in this business because I know personally, how chronic pain is and work to either alleviate or set up an optimal plan of maintenance so you can enjoy life. The more transparent you are regarding your life factors of your canvas, I can offer you real solutions/schedules/pt on your own to achieve your goals for everyday, happy wellness in your body. That is my dedication to this practice.