My first experience witnessing our body’s natural ability to move freely, unwind, and heal from our past was in Chicago over 4 years ago. The course I was taking was offered by John F Barnes, a Physiotherapist known all over the world for his work in Myofascial Release. Seven years earlier I had read about Barnes during Massage school; now I was finally learning from him.

On our first day, as I watched a fellow therapist walk up to the stage, I thought I had walked on to the set for America’s Funniest Home Videos. After a quick evaluation, she got on the table. We all sat there listening to what John was saying and watching him stay in one place holding the barrier (meeting the tissue resistance and staying there) on this therapist. As we watched, she started to shake as though she were cold and she began to move without any encouragement or assistance from John. Her movements were quite graceful, almost like a dance. Then she froze in space, not moving from a v-sit position. She wasn’t there long, maybe 2 breaths before her body relaxed again on the table. The whole time, John was holding the barrier never moving, never changing his pressure.

A few thoughts went through my head: 1^st, OMG, what the hell have I just got myself into? 2^nd, Are these cameras here for these prank shows? And 3^rd, Have I just wasted a lot of money to be here?

I then got on the table; my partner held out at the barrier of our first instructed release. Her hands were at the base of my neck barely touching. She stayed there and waited.

Just as my colleague minutes before, I felt a sudden shift happen in my body: My breathing stilled, and then got smoother. I felt cold everywhere. My pelvis got heavy and I was no longer aware of my legs. I was however, very aware of my right arm. I felt an intense heat and pull through the front of my shoulder. It scared the living daylights out of me, and for good reason: The last time I felt so much sensation in my shoulder was 15 years prior.

I had been throwing a ball from 3^rd base, and as I released the ball, I grabbed my shoulder in pain; this was the same pain I was feeling laying there on the table.

Without consciously doing so, my arm started moving through this sidearm throwing range, the same range that I once had but hadn’t been able to execute since my injury.

More thoughts: 1^st, OMG what the hell have I got myself in to? 2^nd, who is this man, and what kind of course is this? 3^rd, I need to throw a ball!

That night, I threw a baseball, sidearm, for the first time in over 15 years. It felt amazing! I felt like a teenager again! I felt like I was going to try-out for the Blue Jays and be their first female 3^rd base-woman! I sat down on the golf course where we were and cried because it felt so good! And yet I was so angry that I had missed out on so many years of playing competive ball because of this injury.

Part of me still had no real clue what the hell happened on that table, but if I could throw sidearm again, I was going to keep my butt in the chair and listen to everything John Barnes had to say.

From that moment on, I opened myself up to the experience of true Myofascial Release. Although at times my body did strange things on the table, I avoided judgement and just went with the flow. After all, these movements were familiar to me; my body had once done them before.

I felt at home and at peace with the healing that was I was going through personally. I had finally found something that resonated with my impression of healing, physically, mentally and emotionally. There was this energy in the room that vibrated through me and I loved it. I felt strong.

I realized that my body knew how to heal itself from all the traumas I had suffered from through my life: I just had to listen.

Over the course of a week I learned that when we hang out at the barriers long enough, a state of UNWIND can happen. What does that mean? Well, for each individual it is very different. Take a moment and look at your body. What you are actually looking at is a 3 Dimensional web of connective tissue. This tissue, called fascia, is not linear in our body, so why should its release be linear?

When your therapist engages tissue that isn’t moving or functioning well, movement can start to happen. This movement is called unwinding. Movements can be large or small, sometimes so small as to be imperceptible from the outside. Unwinding can begin as a feeling within the body, or an emotion uncoiling. It could be local to the therapist’s hands, or it could be in your belly, or in your foot. Whatever the feeling, it is powerful, because it is healing.

Unwinding is our body’s ability to move through positions of trauma so it can fully release.

As your body goes through these positions of trauma, moments of pause, called still points, might happen. These still points are your way of dealing with the restrictions from the trauma you’ve been through. Physical symptoms may arise: sweating, nausea, shaking. Emotions may come up: crying, vocal sounds. Quite often memories surface. All this is a process of healing, and it is trapped within you until the barriers release.

Since that week in Chicago, 4 years ago, my perspective as a therapist has changed. I strive to create a safe environment where clients can heal in their own way - an environment that feels safe to let go. I no longer believe that deeper is better, but rather longer is key! I no longer have an agenda when I walk in to a treatment room; I treat each client to their individual needs of the day and moment in time, keeping in mind long term goals. The need to fill the space with conversation to make clients feel comfortable is no longer a priority; instead, I encourage quiet, so we both can listen to what your body is saying. My firm belief is everyone needs Myofascial Release.

Next time you go to see your Massage Therapist, consider taking the time to just listen, not to words filling the space, but to what your body is saying.

Give yourself permission to feel: feel what emotion, or memory, or dis-ease might be trapped beneath the surface.

Feel what areas of your body are talking to you, or not talking at all. Be curious about these feelings, but don’t be judgemental. Don’t feel the need to lay blame, but rather, give permission to yourself to heal.

I promise you, your experience will be that much greater, for both you and your therapist. The value you put on care, on living a healthy lifestyle and healing yourself, might just change. You have the power within you to do it, just let go and trust in yourself!

Tara Hagan-Fields is an RMT with Whole Therapy. Tara is a Women’s Health Specialist and Myofascial Release Therapist. She focuses on the body as a whole and teaches you to do the same. More about Tara here