I had a full body massage yesterday
Was surprised how much tension was hidden in places I didn't notice, like calves & feet
Don't notice the base-level omni-present tension, only the relatively super intense tension in my neck & shoulders
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The massage was amazing, so freeing & relaxing
But at one point I felt like rather than removing the tension it was just moving it
Felt like all the tension moved into my head from the rest of my body
& felt like my head was going to explode
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When the tension is from an emotional source, I wonder how much this can help on its own
In psycho-somatic situations, how much improvement can you get from somatic work alone
Inversely in psycho-somatic situations, how much improvement can you get from psycho work alone
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I want to find a better flow between these
My inner work is very "psycho" or mind focused
A day at a spa is pure somatic
I want to try more integrated experiences
Maybe yoga or martial arts would be good
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ime (both giving + receiving), massage can definitely be both! not purely somatic. some ingredients:
- good fit with the therapist: trust built up, their ability to hold space for whatever emotions (+ noises etc) want to come up
- your ability to stay with what's coming up,
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decide on the right amount to take on (and ask for adjustments accordingly), and release what's coming up eg with breathing, crying, shaking, etc
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and fwiw, i've had lots of practice receiving this type of trauma-informed massage and i still have sessions where i feel shitty afterward. still finding my way with all this. thanks for the insightful thread robbie ❤️
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Replying to @dawebmandotcom
yeah sometimes when i receive massage i actually feel bad after, like old emotional cruft got kicked up and not fully released. what does grounding look like for you?
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I found I wasn't fully letting go at times during the massage
& I found myself at times disappearing into my head
I think b/c things were rising up & then was beginning to dissociate as a defense mechanism
I imagined the therapist was sending me metta throughout which helped!
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fwiw every single person who's ever tried to give me a massage has gone way, way too fast and too hard. i needed to be much clearer with them that i needed them to slow way down and touch way lighter and i didn't learn how to do that for ages
yeah i really relate to this and it’s only become true since i started therapy/healing
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(3/4) that's what i meant about all the 'stuff right near the surface of my body rn'
and it explains why my massage pressure preference has evolved from 'fuck me up fam' to 'light-medium pls be careful'
twitter.com/joespurpleshir
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I actually found my masseuse brilliant
I couldn't believe how the tension flowed out of my body
& at one point I drooled on the floor lol!
When she delicately massaged my hands... It was incredible
Things are just super super duper raw & on the surface at the moment
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I had just asked for medium
Was told it's super common for men to ask for hard & treat it like a sports massage, forgetting the intention is meant to be relaxation
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