Today saw the second session of CBT for me, and I have to be perfectly honest, my mind was not in the right place for it today. Since the last session I have had a homework assignment to do, as well as a long questionnaire to complete, but quite frankly my mind has really not been up to the task. In fact it has not been up to doing much of late. Putting off and just leaving some tasks all together, choosing instead to slouch in front of the TV and binge watch TV programs. Although it is not all negative, after all, sometimes it's good just to completely let go. Relax a little, break the routine and just do whatever the mind chooses to do. All that before of course, reinstating a strict regime to follow, to keep the mind busy, and a routine ticking over.
So back to todays session. It started with getting up in time to get the homework and questionnaire complete in time to send back before the session. That in itself was a challenge, finding myself getting confused and wound up by some of the questions. Not to mention starting to feel anxious while answering some of them, as they required me to put myself in stressful situations to decide on the answers. By the time the session came around I was already tense and my head was spinning a bit.
At the start of the session I mentioned to the therapist that I was off to a bad start for the day, and we went over the mornings events to try and ease the stress a little. I of course know that had I bothered to get the assignments done before this morning, it would have made for a much easier start to the day. But I have already made my excuses, and I am sticking by them. From there we moved on to the rest of the session, going through the homework, discussing what I had learned about certain aspects of the anxiety structure, and seeing what I could improve on. Then the world turned upside down. The question came, "how would you feel if I asked you to speak to someone you have never spoken to before. Strike up a conversation, and chat for five minutes?". By the time she got to the end of the sentence my heart was already pounding and my mouth had gone dry.
In a flash, running scenarios of what would we talk about, what would they be like etc. Pausing for a second I said "terrified!" The idea of someone else suddenly becoming involved and being expected to make small talk was horrific. Here I am in my safe little bubble, just me and her chatting about things, and suddenly there would be someone else! She replied, "do you think you could manage it though". Instinct said NOOOOOO!!, my happy space is not getting into these situations in the first place, let alone struggling my way through it. But obviously, for the sake of making some progress on the CBT course I know I have to put myself in awkward and uncomfortable situations, so I said I could do it, but didn't feel good about it.
We then went through some pre conversation questions, asking me to gauge how I felt 1-10 about various things like ability to hold a conversation, did I feel safety behaviours would come into play and so on. After this it was explained who the person would be, how we would structure the chat, and what would happen next. Then it was time, the therapist brought the person into the meeting, and made introductions. To my relief it was a lovely softly spoken young lady, so any fear of confrontation or being overwhelmed slipped away. After the introductions we spoke about the chosen subject of exercise and fitness. Throughout I fiddled with a pen on the desk out of shot, and found myself doing what I do best, talking and talking, offering compliments and positive reinforcements to them, while trying to keep the conversation in my control until the time was up. It was not a total monologue, but I was aware of how much I had spoken, and how little I had breathed, based on my heart rate by the end.
She went off, and me and the therapist did a recap, and re-ran the questions again. I had found myself much more confident towards the end of the conversation than I had first thought I would. I am starting to learn things about myself I didn't know. The inital avoidance of the conversation is far more powerful than the anxiety once engaged in the moment. The anxiety then switches to what I can only describe as a sand timer filled with energy inside of me, and I can feel the energy draining away as each moment passes. Almost controlling my fight or flight response, keeping myself in the uncomfortable moment but at great expense to my energy reserves. It is all related, not two separate issues, but it is interesting to see the point at which it switches over from complete avoidance (comfort zone for me) to fight or flight. In my case I choose fight, but thankfully only metaphorically, and fight in this case is to fight my own anxiety, and stay in the situation.
So that was the stranger moment over with.... Or was it. As we finished up the summary of what had just happened, I was asked how I would feel repeating the exercise, this time trying to avoid any physical coping mechanisms. Sit on my hand so to speak, and focus on the conversation and staying engaged. My immediate reaction was almost identical to the first time, became a fidget, and started looking all over the place. But within seconds, I felt myself calming down a bit as this was going to be the same person again, no new introductions, just a new topic, and trying to stay in normal conversation. This time I actually sat on my hands and tried to leave breathing room in the chat for her to speak to. By the end of five mins, despite feeling more comfortable about the conversation, I found myself almost in a tight ball, and hunched up. I had found a different want to use up the excess energy generated by the fight or flight reflex.
Asked by the therapist if I felt that safety behaviours played a positive role in the conversation, I had a mixed response. From the brief exercise I had learned that when my body switches to fight or flight, like anyone else I get a surge of adrenaline which causes my body to feel full of energy. If I can find a way to expel that energy, while remaining in the situation, things start to become more manageable. For example, the first conversation, while more challenging, felt more relaxed due to playing with the pen. Much like my trusty twisty handkerchief I wrote about before. It has clearly played a much more profound role than I had given it credit for. With regards to other safety behaviours, such as complete avoidance of situations, while it certainly makes aspects of life far more comfortable, it is also sadly impractical to avoid people completely. Besides, contrary to belief, I do actually like some people.. Not many, but a few, and I enjoy their company, so being able to do that more would be lovely, hence here I am in therapy.
So my take away from todays session is that I am stronger than I give myself credit for, more capable than I believe I am, but go into hyperdrive when put in a situation which makes me feel uncomfortable. That part I think I knew all along. Maintain control, wrap it up quickly, and get the hell outta Dodge! Flight plays a part in my responses after all, it's just a little bit delayed for politeness.
Going back to the start for a moment, to address the lateness in getting the assignment done. It all comes back around to the slowing down of my mind at the moment. I am pretty sure it's 90% meds 10% mood, but I just have very little get up and go at the moment. I have recently started having random thoughts just popping up in the middle of other things. For example last night I was thinking about a route I could walk or run, and suddenly roast potatoes and gravy.... What the hell! I mean I love them and all, but what did that have to do with it, But they quite literally dropped straight into the middle of my visualising a route. Just one of many random thoughts. That said, I would take random interruptions to my thought process over the inability to let a thought or worry go for hours on end. Just takes some getting used to. Needless to say, certain tasks which require concentration or focus are rather difficult right now. Next week my med dose increases a little, so it should be interesting to see how that affects things. In the past it has gotten worse before it has got better, so we shall see.
Right, I shall leave it there for now, but to summarise, session 2, shellshocked but feeling positive. Back for another blog entry soon, got so much more to write, just lacking the focus to be able to get it out.
Gonna be one of those days I think. Long but crappy nights sleep (thanks Kallik), starting to feel less run down which is nice, but still very unsettled. Body battery (Garmin thing) is quite low for me, and reflects how I feel, but otherwise things are OK.
Had my first CBT session this morning, and I have to say, after a little pre meeting trepidation, it all went well, and like before, I feel like I have a grip on it and am starting to have a bit of an understanding. That said, I think I have always understood my anxiety, but just not yet learned how to cope with it. She did say in the session that I had made great progress, understood the structure well and was becoming my own coach, so that's good, right? We did also discover that I am pretty complex and my favourite word is "control".
As I expected, the scores from my testing this week show a swing back towards depression, and a relaxation of my social anxiety. That is why the therapies route has always been such a pain for me. While they are connected, and dealing with one assists with the other, it's a "pick one" approach, and a more generalised one at that. But for the speed this therapy has come about, I am NOT complaining, and appreciate the help I am getting. But it does support the pendulum effect I have always spoken about, that as one issue lessens, the other gets worse. The goal here is to stop the damn thing swinging and sit happily in the middle, or at the very least, take the energy out of the pendulum and stop it swinging further and further into the abyss.
Tomorrow I have my meeting with work to discuss my situation moving forwards, so hopefully some progress can be made there. I am hoping we can separate the two situations, and deal with mine individually rather than with the herd. Worst case, herd is first, and I just have to be patient. If that is the case, I still feel in control, so am not too worried about the outcome, just more frustrated by the delays.
For the rest of the day now I am at a loose end. I really want to do something, but not sure what. Riding seems a bit of an effort and faff for how I feel right now. But sitting on my arse for the whole day seems pretty frickin dull, so maybe a walk is the answer. I don't want to socialise in any way, partially because of how my head feels and partly because of Ann having Covid and me not wanting to spread it. So a walk in the open sounds like the best plan right now I think. Fresh air, pod cast in my ears and get the HR up a bit.
Mentally today I feel a bit lethargic, disinterested in doing much. Haven't washed the bike after yesterdays ride, a few odd jobs need doing but I haven't been bothered, and beating myself up a bit about forgetting to put the bins out. I wasn't sure if it was a bank holiday weekend for bin collection or not. Meh! Oh well. (edit, I just checked and seems they are being collected tomorrow, phew!) But yeah, head not in a bad place today, just not too motivated. Thought process seems a little more active today. Noticed I was quite engaged during my CBT session, able to think on my feet, and also writing this I feel 8 have some flow. That may of course be because I have only just taken today's dose of meds, so could go downhill from here yet, but all part of the journey.
It's nice that people are reading these entries and being kind enough to respond to me via messages and other means. Feels good to know it's a shared journey and a path others have trodden before, so thank you to everyone who has been in touch in anyway, your support means a lot to me. And I hope in turn than by writing and sharing this, others somehow get some help and understanding from my journey. It has always been the goal of this blog to share both ways.
Right, I better get my day in order before I give up on it all together.
Not a great start to the day. Got up with every intention of going for a run, thought about routes last night, and decided on something medium distance and not too taxing. When I woke I felt OK, but as I got ready I could feel my mind starting to play tricks.
By the time I got to the door to run, I could hear light rain, and was ready to call it. I'm fine getting caught I the rain, but starting a run in the rain has always been hard for me to do. None the less, off I went for my warm up. A few mins in, I can see the rain drops on my clothes and am already starting to put a downer on it... "I'm gonna get soaked", "I will get ill", "what if I slip and hurt myself".... Bollox!
Time to run. As soon as I got going, the thoughts changed to how short a route I could do, maybe just a few km's, regular 5k loop at best, being flat and simple. A mile in, having taken a different turn to force myself away from escape, and I am wondering am I going too fast, the audio prompt comes and its OK, I'm a little hit faster than planned but ok for this stage. But still I can't get doubt out of my head.
At this point I decided to give myself no choice, the answer was simple, go a way I am not familiar with, then I have to focus on other things rather than being on a route I know and having time with my thoughts. Next route split time, I need to go somewhere new, I choose left, and its straight towards a busy bus stop. Damnit, I just need to get past.
As I reach the bus stop, people are being phone zombies or plain selfish and standing all across the pavement, don't worry I will run in the road. As I pass I am over thinking and over reacting, I just need to get to the next corner and it's done with. I start thinking further up the route, a distraction from the negative thoughts I am having. Where do I go next, visualise the route, the next mile or two, where will they be?
OK, mile 3 clicks around, the pace is good, HR is steady and more importantly, my brain is calming down. My thoughts are sensible again now, not hanging on to doubts, I am a few miles in, I'm feeling good, and now I know I'm good for a bit longer. Out towards Beckenham, up what is quite a steep hill for me, pace is good, taking it easy, and into the park for some clean air and a moment of serenity.
On the back straight, heading back towards home, starting to feel accomplished, and feeling a more familiar sense of achievement now. But a little premature maybe, I'm still 2.5 miles from home, and now the temp is starting to drop and the wind is picking up too, brrrr. Under dressed a little today maybe.
As I reached Catford, I carried on visualising the rest of the route I was going to take, and looked forward to getting home, back to the warmth.
The last mile now, and I'm in a nice rhythm, not worrying about the pace, in fact from the last audio prompt I'm pretty happy with the pace all things considered. Reaching the finish point, as usual my picky mind perked up and insisted that I finish the run where I started, so that's another half mile to tag on the end of the run. Starting to feel it by this point, having done a 34 mile ride yesterday with hills and efforts, today's run was meant to be short and sweet. But the mind needs taming at times, so let's play along.
Finally the end, 7.4 miles done, feeling mentally relaxed and physically exhausted. Not to a point of discomfort, but I had definitely burnt off any excess energy I had.
I have often referred to how beneficial exercise is, especially for some people. Being able to turn off the mind for a bit, or at least distract it enough to calm down and get back to normal. Almost like a small child having a tantrum, distracted for a moment by a toy, et voilà, all is well again. In simple terms, that's how my mind can be at times. It's far from that simple, and some of the time it takes far more than a run or ride to make things well again.
But days like today remind me how delicate the balance is. And that sometimes I am not even aware of the drama going on inside the grey matter, not unti I feel better again. It was a little way into the run I realised I wasn't in a great place. And I kid you not, I spent about 15 mins thinking what I would name today's run on Strava. Over thinking at its finest. Eventually I went with "Over thinking, over whelming - overcome", as those were the 3 stages of state of mind during the hour and 15 mins of the run.
So there, that's my head cleared out of today's fun, hopefully I can sleep tonight now, and not dwell for too long on what has been a mentally tiring day.
Just like feet, fingerprint and many aspects of our physiology, we are all different. It is important to remember this goes for the inside as well as the outside of everyone.
As I continue to speak to people about their own mental health issues, one thing is obvious, we are NOT the same. To believe that the same processes for the same issue will have the same outcome is flawed, seriously. Much to the detriment of those struggling with day to day life.
Almost as bad as that friend who thinks they are helping by saying "chin up" etc, for the medical world to assume the position of "feeling like this, take two of these" is damaging, and gives some with the sense of doom and being alone, a worsened sense of those feelings. When a treatment or medication doesn't work, some will feel that they are beyond help. Believe me, I am speaking from experience here.
The same applies to everyone in fact, in all walks of life, which is a long way round for me to get to where I am going with this entry. Complimentary therapies, they are not for everyone.
Having been lucky enough to have been asked to participate in a few studies and training programs now, I have been able to start piecing together a clearer picture of what I myself can expect from treatments such as Reflexology, and more recently Reiki.
Both practises have their critics, but both (along with many other such treatments) have a strong following, and a strengthening belief that they have a role to play in treatment of all sorts of conditions. I will try and keep this as objective and fair as possible.
Expectations. A big part of any treatment starts with the hopes and expectations of what you want from the treatment. Like anything in life, if you overstretch, you are likely to end up disappointed and underwhelmed. Keep it within reason, and you are far more likely to come away with a positive result. Sadly some of these expectations are driven by over selling something. Take spot cream for an example, or the latest toothbrush. If you believe the advertising, you will have baby like skin, and glistening white teeth in a matter of days. In reality this is rarely the case, but many are driven towards these products by the advertising which sells them to us with such great hope. Keep it realistic, and you are off to a good start.
Timescale. As I have said, the most successful advertising promises great results in a matter of days, however with anything medical, be it physical or mental, the changes are rarely instantaneous. Which when you are desperate for change can be devastating.
For me, I have always tried to go into these things with an open mind, keeping my expectations low, but my pre-formed opinions on the back burner to try and give it every chance of success. Doing my research before hand, to try and understand what to expect. Of course my research consists of some of the best research material known to man, the internet. The #1 authority on everything, and always 100% correct.
Naturally, if you Google any complimentary treatment out there, you are bound to get a wide spectrum of opinions, from the ultra positive, to the completely negative. As humans, we are always more vocal about dissatisfaction, so the majority of most things you look up on the internet will be negative or neutral at best. Like with anything, people are more than happy to contribute towards negativity with no actual experience or knowledge of something.
Those treatments which are not primary treatments such as physiotherapy, osteopathy, etc frequently come under fire and are accused of being frauds, fake, or having no effects. One of the reasons for this I tend to find is, complimentary therapies tend not to be funded by the NHS, therefore it is peoples own money being spent on them. Mix high expectations with spending your own money, and you have a risky recipe. Should you not get the desired outcome from the treatments, or the results are not happening quick enough, and it is easy to see why some would claim they are no good.
But the perception of the results usually lays perfectly in line with the expected outcome of the treatment. Speak to one of the extreme practitioners of such treatments, and you are at risk of having massively high expectations from the treatment. Putting all your eggs in one basket, and expecting a great recovery or improvement based completely on the treatment. On the other hand, speak to someone who is realistic about the expectations and timescale, and you are off to a better start.
Results for any treatment vary, and are affected by the actions and state of mind of the patient. Like hypnosis, if you fight against the process, you will more than likely remain largely unaffected by it.
Taking a look at each of the treatments I have experienced, I want to break down what I expected from them, and what the physical and mental outcomes were. Starting first with the chiropractor.
Chiropractor
Following a bike accident, I was left with pain and reduced range of motion in my right hip and lower back. As time went on with no real answers from the GP, other than pain killers, I decided to look into alternatives. The lack of movement was starting to affect my shoulders and upper back now, things were not good. Initially going to my sports physio in Catford, the results were OK, but I was not getting enough of an improvement to continue the treatment. Something else was needed.
Originally looking at an Osteopath, I was told of the Chiropractor by a friend who had used the practice. Ignorant to the difference between the two, and having the thought of having my back cracked (technical term obviously) being the solution to it all, I booked in. Time for some research. Oh... I wasn't expecting that! So much negativity about Chiropractors. That said, when you look deeper at it, it is the more elaborate claims which seemed to attract the most negativity. The basic stuff, back pain and other related physical ailments seemed to be OK.
Going along for the first time, I had an initial assessment in which my movement, and general physical condition was assessed, and any issues I may have been having discussed. Focusing on the back and shoulder pain a course of treatment was agreed. The main treatments were correction and manipulation of the back, a little massage, and some self help exercises. It seemed to be doing the trick, so who was I to argue with its effectiveness.
The most notable session was mid way through the course of treatment. On arrival at the office, I was having trouble fully extending my right leg. The pre session exam was done, during which the chiropractor asked if I was having trouble with my right leg. YES! I exclaimed! She told me that it was a simple correction and we would take care of that. Laying down I again tried to extend my leg, nope, no joy. A couple of minutes later, and one glorious CRACK, I was asked to try again. Et voila, full range restored!
What I learned from my time seeing the Chiro was quite simple. The claims of some in a sense discredit the whole practice. Setting the bar of expectation and hope far too high. Extending the scope of the treatment far beyond the provable limits damages the integrity of those who practice the basic fundamentals. The same is true for other complimentary treatments, as well as other practices.
With the Chiropractor there is very little mental going on, the treatment itself is very much physical, and the only mental implications are those of taken from the positive physical outcome of each treatment. Knowing you are on the mend is a powerful tool in itself.
To this day, when problems arise Chiropractors remain one of my go to treatments, along with physio.
Reflexology
More recently, as I have written about, I experienced Reflexology for the first time. With a friend James building up towards his final exams to become fully qualified, I was blessed with a couple of tester sessions. Again, knowing little about the practice, I turned to the internet for guidance, and again my findings were similar. Negativity, calls for proof of some of the claims of Reflexology, driven by the slightly further reaching claims of what it can treat. For me, expectations were neutral, mind wide open.
After the initial pre treatment chat, my mind was eased further by the lack of promises of the session. Suggested effects were discussed, expected sensations explained, and away we went.
I will say from the off that with some of these treatments, state of mind is crucial. As I said earlier, close yourself off to the possibilities and you immediately limit the scope of things to come. The mind is a powerful tool when it comes to healing both physically and mentally, not to be underestimated. If you are tense during any kind of massage or physical stimulation, you will reduce the ability to reach those deep seated physical hot spots which are key to the sessions.
For me, doing yoga when I can has allowed me to relax my mind far better than I have ever been able to before. This relaxation really helps with such situations.
Reflexology for me combines both physical and mental stimulation. The right environment allowing you to slip into deep relaxation, which in turn allows the physical stimulation to have maximum effect. With feet being so delicate and sensitive, some might find it hard to relax enough to have them massaged and stimulated. However, allow your mind to take you to a place of relaxation, and the results are fantastic.
With the basic understanding of the practice, and what it is set out to do, I know that each part of the foot has a trigger point relating to a part of the rest of the body. With no major issues that I was aware of, it is hard for me to say exactly what impact the treatment had on different parts of my body. That said, there were most definitely some physical benefits to be had from the treatment.
By the end of a one hour session I was relaxed from head to toe, both inside and out. For me, this in itself is one of the keys of the treatment, the mental well-being. Releasing the stress and tension brought upon by any ailment, in itself is healing. Time out from the worry, laying completely relaxed, somewhat vulnerable can be of massive benefit to a physical issue. Body relaxation, reduced heart rate, easing the strain on the body, allowing it to find a little balance, and work on fixing the issues. Accelerated bed rest if you like.
Mentally, it is hard for me to explain the benefits to anyone who has not needed time out from themselves and their thoughts. When you mind is running at a million miles an hour, for every waking moment of every day, the chance to switch off for a while, and focus on something as simple as breathing deeply is a blessing. So to have a treatment like Reflexology is a great opportunity to be at one with yourself, while being gently controlled by the practitioner.
Mindfulness is a bit of a tough cookie for some people. The more active your mind is, the harder it is to switch it off for a while. Being in a situation where there is a mild physical distraction to try and block out while you relax, is easier that simply meditating and trying to clear your mind. I am not sure if it makes sense, but if someone tells you to clear you head of worries and thoughts, and concentrate on your breathing, for the inexperienced it is nigh on impossible. A thought of some kind will sneak in, and spiral into a whole train of thought in a flash.
Now put yourself in a situation where there is a physical distraction, such as massage, it becomes the focus of your thoughts, and like when running or cycling, it is hard to think about anything else in the moment. At this point you tend to surrender your mind to the moment. For reflexology, as long as you are comfortable in the environment you are in, it is easy to zone out so to speak, and just experience the sensations, rather than fighting them, or over thinking them. With this state of mind achieved, the next step is simple, and taught by yoga all the time, breathe!
Feeling your breaths, allowing your mind to relax and let everything go, becoming hyper aware of every inch of your body, what you are feeling. Feeling the pressure of the blood pumping through your body, feeling every heartbeat pulse through you. Once relaxed, the body and mind really work together, and anything is possible.
It is at this point I believe that physical change can come about, encouraged by the stimulation of the Reflexologist. As I say, in my experience I lacked any real feeling of such change, but then maybe my mind was not as open as it could have been, and I was simply not aware of what I was feeling. This is something I learned more about with my next experience, Reiki, but I will come to that in a bit.
I can say by the end of each session I was left in a physical and mental state I would have been happy to remain in. A natural high of relaxation. So relaxed, I craved it more. For someone like me who finds it so hard to relax even when the situation allows it, such as bedtime, feeling this relaxed is a blessing. I somehow need to invoke this feeling before I sleep at night.
In fact, so convinced as to how the state of mind can alter how I sleep, I have now started yoga before bed on some nights, just to get my mind to a state of relaxation.
My final take on Reflexology for this entry is a simple one. While there are those who cast doubts on what can be achieved by it. For anyone who is active and spends a lot of time on or using their feet, if nothing else, Reflexology will be the best and most relaxing foot massage you have had in your life. With the added benefits of doing nothing other than unwinding, breathing, and having some time to yourself. Unlike some other alternative treatments, there are 100% guaranteed physical benefits from the sessions.
Reiki
The most recent treatment I have had is Reiki. Something I knew absolutely nothing about until last week. For some reason I have always put it in the same category as yoga and pilates. Don't ask me why, at 46 I am still ignorant to many things, Reiki is no longer one of them.
For anyone who is not familiar with Reiki (similar to me last week) it is basically "healing hands". The passing and channeling of energy via the hands. Helping re-balance the energy in the body. Probably the hardest to prove for any doubters out there. Again, research on the internet will turn up many a bold claim, much to the disapproval of some, so once again it attracts a large following of negativity.
Having only had one session, and not being sure what to expect from the whole situation, it is a hard one to say much about. During the consult some issues I have were discussed, mentioning that I struggle to sleep, have a history of depression and anxiety were the main things that came to mind. Also mentioning physical issues with my shoulder and hip, but these were not focused on.
Deciding to focus on the sleep issues, I was laid down, allowed to get comfortable and relax, before the process begun. The only way I can describe it is, if you have ever had a massage which has ended with pressure points around the head and certain points of the body, it is a little like that. Nothing intrusive, nothing painful or awkward. Simply put, it is placing the hands on certain parts of the body, for my session the head, and drawing energy to stimulate change of some sort.
Again, turning to yoga to relax and find my head space, it was easy for me to clear my head, and just be aware of my body and mind.
Sensations I felt I experienced during the session are as follows.
Change of weight and balance within my head. Tough to explain but if you have ever had an imbalance in your inner ear, and felt your head feels it wants to drop to one side, this is similar. As hands move around, feeling the head become weighty on one side, and feel the sensation of it dropping to one side.
The next one is a bit harder to explain. If you have ever lay still, eyes closed, you may have noticed colours, lines, patterns in your vision. Flowing and pulsing as your heart beats. When you relax deeply, these patterns and lines can calm down, and seem to flow gently, in line with your heartbeat For me, during the session, I am sure they changed direction according to my thoughts, and where the hands of the practitioner were at any one time. Feeling the flow of energy towards the hands on my head, seeing the lines racing in that direction, from time to time, as the hands moved, or my thoughts returned to my mind momentarily, I would see and feel a change.
Hard to quantify really, but if you believe in the flow of energy in your body, if you are aware of your state of mind, then it might make a little more sense. At the end of the session, discussing how it had been, I mentioned these changes, and was told she too could feel them. Suggesting it felt like I was blocking the flow with my mind, it would fit with the idea that the thoughts rushing back into my mind may have contributed towards this change. Who knows! I am going back next week, so will experiment a little.
The thing I takeaway from these sessions is that physical stimulation goes a long way to helping with mental relaxation. Regardless of what you make of such treatments, for me they create a fantastic channel for me to allow my mind to relax to a state I struggle to achieve otherwise. With balance restored in my mind, I find it much easier to deal with anything life throws at me. Less stress, means less tension, so there are certainly physical benefits to be had. Add to this the release of tension and increased relaxation from the massage aspects of some of the treatments, and all in all it is an hour well spent, and money well spent.
Is it for everyone, probably not. If you simply have tight shoulders from gardening, then a massage will suit you down to the ground. Want to take some time to yourself, relax deeply, and explore you mind and body, then maybe it is time to look into a suitable form of complimentary therapy.
If you are interested in anything I have mentioned above, I will leave the links to all the services below. Thank you for reading, and if you take nothing else away from this, I hope it has induced a good nights sleep.
