I was draggin' a bit today. Doing two back-to-back programs with Seane Corn is a lot... However I know that being here is a blessing. It's always exciting to learn more about yoga. And it's a great time to take stock of ones self. Also I 'm confident that I'll feel great returning home.
Today I did the hot tub to cold plunge and back to the hot tub. It was so invigorating! Another thing I love about Kripalu is breakfast--so good.
Tonight I went to the presentation of a doctor who talked about the unconscious psychological roots of some kinds of low back pain and other ailments. He shared some interesting studies that support his work. According to one study, when doctors look at images that show back degeneration with problem discs and such, they cannot tell by looking at the pictures who has pain and who does not. The spine ages in a particular way and not everybody gets pain from this process. So many of the common treatments are suspect, and the long term results of these invasive treatments are not so good. The bottom line is that we need to process trauma. Ignored and repressed emotions can surface as pain in the body, and many times when patients use techniques like meditation and journaling to process their feelings their physical pain also diminishes over time.
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8 comments:
Great to hear about your adventures at Kripalu, Brooks! I've always wanted to go....loved the post re: men. So much to relate to..safe travels back to Chicago when the time comes. -j.
Absolutely! Extreme physical pain was the thing that finally drove me to get the help I needed. It was so bad that breathing was painful.
First though, I saw a doctor and had every possible scan. The results showed, of course, there was nothing wrong with me.
But then I took all these scans to my chiropractor - because I thought he'd be interested to see them - and fortunately I was in the right place at the right time.
It was that lovely man/healer who then asked me just the right questions in the right way. He got me talking and admitting the details on the trauma that I'd been living with. Note - I saw my chiro once a month during all of that time and never said a word to him before that moment!
On the way home from my chiro appointment that day I cried a lot. Even the very next day, much of that physical pain had gone.
Once I started therapy it went away completely.
Thank goodness for sensitive chiropractors, yoga and the ability to heal!
would love to learn more about emotional trauma and low back pain...have been dealing with that for about 2 years now although it is much better.
Thanks for writing so often.
Almost like being there. (Well, not quite.)
Bob Weisenberg
YogaDemystified.com
I've told you my warm feelings on those Kripalu breakfasts...hard to say to what extent it's the food and to what extent the context, since what I remember most fondly, somehow, is the tastiest bowl of bran flakes I've ever had...maybe it's all just about the quality of attention...
I also like how you kind of look like an American flag in the photo there...an American flag that's been cut up and reassembled, perhaps, but still...
Thanks, Everybody! It has been so great to have you with me during this trip. Here is the website of the MD who I mention in this post:
http://www.yourpainisreal.com/
I am the doctor who gave that talk at Kripalu. It is absolutely true that hidden emotions cause pain in many people. Medical diseases can, of course, also cause pain, but most people with chronic back and neck pain, fibromyalgia, headaches, TMJ, and chronic abdominal or pelvic pain actually suffer from what I call Mind Body Syndrome. It's amazing that these disorders can be cured when you take the right approach. I write about this syndrome at unlearnyourpain.com and there is a recent blog on my experience teaching at Kripalu.
Brooks and I shared a ride to the airport after our retreats and it was wonderful to discuss these issues with someone so wise and centered.
To your health, Howard Schubiner, MD
Thanks for writing, Howard. Your website is very interesting.
Bob Weisenberg
YogaDemystified.com
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