July 21, 2004
A New Cellular Adventure
If you thought I had come to the end of my quest to relieve my body pain, or should I say my pain body , you were wrong. Yesterday I saw a lovely man who practices Integrated Awareness , a technique developed by Lansing Barrett Gresham. In case you want to try it in the privacy of your home, Mark Fourman, the practitioner, who comes from a high tech background, has produced a DVD called "Receiving Love" that is a do-it-yourself version. (evidently a big hit at Amazon) Mark, reconstitutied techie that he is, also has a terrific website .
Another advanced soul had loaned me the poetic little book "Ask Anything and Your Body Will Answer", by Julie ?, a California creative writing professor, which introduced me to Integrated Awareness. You know that it's little if I managed to read it.
In any case, what was most interesting about our session, in addition to the considerable relief that I experienced in my poor planar flexed forefeet, is that Mark said he had never touched someone with such pervasive fascial tension. The fascia, in his treatment system is the physical equivalent of emotion. "Oh," he said, "Did you have alot of emotional wounds?" Yep. My fascial engine is seized for sure - probably from a childhood spent with my finger pressed firmly on the hyperalert button.
And what, pray tell, is the fascia? The only exposure I ever had to it before my own became disruptive, was cooking. "The Joy of Cooking" tells us that when you prepare a leg of lamb (does anyone ever do that anymore, except professionally?), there is a thin membrane around the leg that must be removed before roasting, or the lamb will have a gamey flavor. That's the fascia. I can't find instructions for removing it anywhere on line. Perhaps butchers now do it for you, because the work is awfully tedious, since the fascia is so tenaciously affixed, wrapped tightly around fat and muscle. Although I'm sure it's quick work for the likes of Jacques Pepin , with my dull knives, excision usually takes me half an hour. Sufffice it to say that there are probably miles of fascia in the human body, and mine is starched, seized and twisted royally.
Yesterday, after my treatment, I felt alot of energy moving up from my feet, where Mark had worked. I awoke early early this morning with considerable upper body pain. He warned me that this might happen. My image is that whatever it is, is moving up. Unfortunately, he's away next week, and then I'm gone for two, so follow up will be slow. I did buy the DVD, and I may find it in my heart to do a little home improvement in the meantime.
Photo note: This flower is famous medicinal, Echinacea with baby. A loose association, but I thought it was cute. Unfortunately, I haven't stopped thinking of myself as the connoisseur of cute, as you can see. I'm working on that too.
