Tag Archives: trauma

Parkinson’s, Mindfulness & Massage

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yay-9860340Parkinson’s Symptoms–Not Only A Movement Disorder

Parkinson’s is known for the shuffling gait, the masked face, the stooped posture, the soft, almost inaudible voice, the slowness of movement, the trembling and rigidity. These motor or movement symptoms are what most people seek treatment for, and they form the basis of the diagnosis.

Non-motor symptoms such as loss of the sense of smell, constipation, depression, anxiety, fatigue, restlessness, irritability, and sleep difficulties may appear 20 years or more ahead of the motor symptoms.… Read the rest

How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness

Tiger, Tiger! Trust the Body, Heal from Trauma

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How the Body Releases Trauma

Last weekend, I had been reading Peter Levine’s In an Unspoken Voice1 about how the body releases trauma. I wasn’t planning an experiment to test it out. My plans changed.

I take my mother to a therapeutic swim midday Mondays, so I don’t visit her in the evening. Monday had become the late night at the office.… Read the rest

Understanding Fibromyalgia Pain

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Understanding Fibromyalgia

continued from previous post–Fibromyalgia: From Disbelief to Documented

fibromyalgia tender points

fibromyalgia tender points

Over the past 12 years, doctors have recognized fibromyalgia as a centrally sensitized pain condition. Central sensitization means the brain and nervous system are hypersensitive. How they interpret pain signals is not functioning properly. Also, a part of the brain that normally regulates pain perception doesn’t work well.… Read the rest

Fibromyalgia Diagnosis: Disbelief to Documented

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The struggle to define a fibromyalgia diagnosis has been a long one. It is an example of a reversal of scientific disbelief in the face of consistent reports of unexplained symptoms. Fibromyalgia doesn’t show up on tests. For many years, the mostly women were dismissed as hypochondriacs, or hysterical. Although it was called “muscular rheumatism” in the mid-1800’s to distinguish it from “joint rheumatism,” or arthritis, it wasn’t identified as a distinct syndrome until the last 30 years.… Read the rest

Post Traumatic Growth and Serving Vets

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I first heard of Post Traumatic Growth through researching issues for people in the Returning Veterans Project, where I am a volunteer massage therapy provider for vets and their families. At first, I thought, “Is this just another excuse to deny the trauma of PTSD?” No it isn’t. It is more than surviving trauma and making the best of a bad situation.… Read the rest

Brain Injury Recovery, Pt.1

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11477707_sI am mostly an authority on my own brain injury and recovery, although I have been in many brain injury support groups, and have treated people with TBI and PTSD as part of my massage therapy practice. I have been discovering how to recover for 43 years, on my own, because there were no brain injury rehab units in 1970. And doctors did not believe the adult brain could heal from the massive damage I sustained.

… Read the rest
Senior woman Ortho-Bionomy older senior standing posture dignity green lady dignified

Senior Sovereignty™, embodied wisdom

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9318214_s“Senior Moments”, or a new lease on life?

Did you resign yourself to inevitable decline, “I’m having these senior moments?”

Do you find yourself saying, “it’s getting hard to pick up my grandchildren”, “I have this pain that won’t go away,” “I can’t reach up”, or “I feel stuck”?

Are you only in your 40’s or 50’s and already have mobility issues, digestive problems, or your spouse is complaining you aren’t remembering things the way you used to?… Read the rest

Volunteer with Returning Veterans Project

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I attended orientation to volunteer with the Returning Veterans Project, Nov. 16, 2011. I have been grateful for every client I have seen since. RVP is a non-profit that provides free counseling and other alternative and complementary health services for vets returning from the Iraq/Afghanistan wars and their families. They provide returning veterans with needed and much appreciated community-based services that allow vets to reintegrate into civilian life and heal.… Read the rest

Show up as your true self: power in your body

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How we show up: power to influence for the common goodhow we show up unconsciously

When we live with integrity and authenticity, it is obvious from our posture and attitude: how we show up to family, friends, and colleagues, and our resiliency to stresses. We can change our bodies, heal from within. As another Ortho-Bionomy blogger says, “If you observe how your body functions when you are feeling happy, in control and safe, then you have the basis for changing when you are feeling sad and insecure.” (Ortho-Bionomy with Tracy, Posture and Emotions).… Read the rest

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Do You Feel Stuck in Your Body?

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Where is your body stuck?

Do you have pain or trouble moving easily because of stuck jaw, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, back, hips, legs, knees, ankles, or feet? A simple release of muscle tension might not be enough. You might also need to sweep out the crumbs of old emotions and stuck beliefs to discover what is behind your body’s creakiness.… Read the rest