by As Michelangelo knew – “To touch is to give life.”
Five Elements Acupressure falls under the touch therapy industry and serves a vital role in a holistic approach to healing.
When we experience any type of ‘assault’ – whether it is physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual – our body automatically goes into protection mode, usually in the form of muscle tension as well as negative thought processes associated with these events (e.g., I’m not safe. It’s my fault.) The memories (with all the associations) get filed away at a cellular and unconscious level.
“Every muscular rigidity contains the history and meaning of its origin.” W. Reich
“Ever cell in your body is listening to your thoughts.” D. Chopra
One traumatic (or not) event can set the template for future ‘same but different’ events to accumulate, building the tensions (armouring) and the (untrue) stories we tell ourselves. We even unconsciously seek the familiar story (e.g., marrying it, finding jobs, over spending, etc.) – which psychanalyst Sigmund Freud termed ‘repetition compulsion.’ Whatever it takes to keep the wounded one saying – “See, I am _________!” or “See, the world is unfair!”
Often, when touched (or even when stretched in a yoga class!) and when psyche has had enough, the material surfaces. When acupressure points are held, the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) is calmed. This allows the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) to take front stage with an increased likelihood of ‘cellular memory’ emerging. This could be in the form of the actual memory and/or the accompanying emotion. It can even be as subtle as feeling somehow different but not quite sure how.
As Wilhelm Reich noted, organs and muscle groups which have functional contact with one another are capable of accompanying each other in an “emotional expressive movement.” He called these areas of the body ‘segments.’ E.g. the chest segment consists of lung, heart, pericardium, accompanying muscles as well as the emotions of grief, joy, happiness, anxiety.
Along this line, Eckhart Tolle would call this our ‘pain body.’ Jung would refer to it as our psychological ‘complex’ – a body stored bundle of intense emotion accompanied by a story. It can also be referred to as our trauma body or trauma complex.
The 2-handed hold acts like jumper cables, activating this cellular/muscular release aiding in any acknowledging of events, releasing and processing of feelings, gaining understanding and insights, mourning the losses associated with these events, and reclaiming the truths about our selves (the stories we tell).
There are lots of resources around this …
Classic books: The Body Keeps the Score, The Body Remembers, When the Body Says No.
For more on childhood adversity linked with adult dis-ease and to do the ACE Study survey …
