Mental Clarity Regained

I have the privilege of working with a lady in her 80's who had gotten a bit fuddy-duddy in her thinking after an accident several years ago when she injured her shoulder and back in a nasty fall on an escalator.  When I began working with her she was using a cane and was very unsure-footed when walking.  After just a few sessions she was walking without a cane which impressed her doctor and friends.  However, one thing remained:  she was still a little 'loopy' in her thinking - not quite all there, as she put it.

A few weeks ago I visited her at her house with my massage table, which I had been doing every other week for some time.  Just prior to this visit I had attended an advanced workshop on Ortho-Bionomy, a type of bodywork that helps the body come into balance.  "Ortho-Bionomy" literally means 'the correct application of the laws of nature'.  It is gentle and non-invasive - perfect for those who like pain-free bodywork.

In this class I learned a new way to work with the shoulders: a gentle twist here, a little tweak there - all going by what feels good to the client.  I learned how to work a particular part of the upper shoulder that is usually painful to the touch.  Sure enough, hers were painful, too, so I took extra care to be extra gentle.  For part of this session she was face up on the massage table; for another part she was face down.  Usually she is 'loopy' after being face down on the table, but not this time.

As she sat up after the massage work was done, she was surprised at how clear-headed she was - no fuzziness or sensations behind her eyes that she usually experiences after being face down.  I spoke with her a few days later.  She reported that the day after that session she got so much done!  She was clear-minded, clear-headed the whole day - something that was unusual for her.

I saw her again just last week, and did a little more of the same kind of work.  Same result:  clear-minded with no 'fuzzies of the brain'.   She is happy!

Wondering why she got this result it occurred to me that the nerves and blood vessels at the base of the neck going out to the shoulders most likely had been pinched all this time since her spill on the escalator.  The gentle movements of Ortho-Bionomy evidently were able to release the tissues - muscles and fascia - that were impinging the nerves and blood vessels that feed the brain.  With free flow of blood and nerve impulses, she regained her clarity.  And the clarity has stayed put.  Now she not only has relaxed shoulders, but mental clarity as well.

---