Myofascial Memories

last week i was treated to an interesting insight. a young woman entered the clinic, complaining of bilateral breast tenderness with a small amount of milky discharge over the past few weeks. she had been seen at another clinic three weeks prior and some hormone levels were drawn. she didn't have the results and didn't remember which clinic she had been seen at.

upon examination, her breasts were non-tender. there was no liquid discharge. she was very tender at the juncture of her 10th rib and her sternum on the left side. there was minor tenderness at a few other points along her lower sternum on both sides with no other chest or abdomenal pain.

for those who haven't experienced or learned accupressure, it can be help relieve point tenderness. i applied mild pressure on the worst spot and held it for about 30 seconds. to my surprise, the patient began crying. at first i thought it was too much pressure but i realized looking at the patient that they weren't tears of pain, they were emotional tears. the naturopathic doctor who had accompanied me for the exam retrieved some tissues for the young woman and we stepped out to let her get dressed.

when i returned the patient was still tearful. she started sharing with me her story. she had emigrated to the united states from mexico 8 months prior, leaving her two small children (4yo and 8yo) behind. she was missing them tremendously and on top of it, she was not succeeding in her goal to find work in this new country. the realization had been building within her for the past month that she would have to decide if it was time to return home to whatever financial and social situation she had left there.

i offered her counseling services but she looked up at me out of clear eyes and stated that she was sure she had to go home now to her family and continue the struggle of life back in mexico.

we don't learn in conventional medicine that muscles hold emotional tension, memories and trauma. think of your own clenched jaw or tense belly when bad things are happening. this is the basis of "energy" healing, massage, reflexology... nothing more than the body's language if one can relax enough to really hear it.

30 seconds of focused pressure on a tender spot on the chest of a person and a critical life decision comes into focus for them. i am humbled by the human body once again.

andru ziwasimon