The Body Speaks Out Series – Shoulders part I
The next few articles will focus on physical symptoms reported by practice members. My intent is to give you a different and perhaps unique perspective of how our physical body mimics our internal mental and emotional states of being and vice versa. Over the past 13 years I have been in practice, I have witnessed many different bodily symptoms create disturbance in people’s lives. Physical maladies such as back pain, neck pain, headache, shoulder pain, sciatica are at the top of many people’s lists. I have also addressed other symptoms such as digestive problems, hiatal hernia, acid reflux, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even extreme conditions such as cancer in my office.
Life experience connects us to our physical bodies
What I have discovered is that life experience is directly connected to our bodies, and that specifically, a particular past or current situation can have an impact on not only our physical wellness, but our overall quality of life. When one has acute pain or a chronic condition, we usually take some form of action so we can revert to a state of ease – whether it is seeing a doctor, taking medication or changing our lifestyle.
The key is to recognize and acknowledge the connection
You will see how by simply recognizing and acknowledging an internal experience that is linked to what is being expressed in our bodies, you can find the key to a new way to deal with and experience your life and your wellness. The key is to first take a greater responsibility for yourself and be open to a new awareness.
Many experience shoulder pain
One physical symptom that has been a popular topic is shoulder pain. Sometimes the pain is on the left, sometimes on the right and at other times both sides are painful or are restricted in motion. So, what is shoulder pain? There are so many different ways shoulder pain can express itself. It can be diagnosed as frozen shoulder syndrome, partial or complete torn rotator cuff muscles, arthritic shoulder, limited range of shoulder movement, and general overall tightness in either or both shoulders. Some people will opt for surgery, others will do physical therapy and yet others grin and bear it. So what is the real cause of shoulder pain?
Shoulder pain is associated with burdens
Over the past 13 years, whenever I go over a person’s history, whether or not it is mere coincidence or cause and effect, I have seen shoulder pain associated with the extra burdens that people are taking on both consciously and unconsciously. Take a moment to visualize yourself hiking with a heavy backpack on your shoulders. Just imagine if after each mile someone adds another ten pounds to your backpack. How would that feel? Now, equate each mile with each year that we live, and for every year of our life we add the weight of unprocessed experiences and emotions to our shoulders. Can you see the correlation? As I write this, even I can feel a heaviness and tightness build up in my own shoulders.
Take the time to reassess
Many times we get so used to the routine of our daily lives that we do not take the time to reassess things that happen in the moment, and we end up doing things out of routine and habits. Have you ever felt that you are the one that has to do everything, and if you do not take care of things, nothing gets done? Why is it that the same person tends to always take on responsibilities and others allow them to do so?
We can think “poor thing,” but in reality, this serves the person that takes on this responsibility. Often, it is the person’s method of feeling useful and wanted. They may not even be aware of how their patterned behavior is adding to the slow build up of tension in their shoulders leading to eventual pain once the challenge begins to outweigh the benefits of feeling useful and needed.
Next life letter features a book excerpt
In my next life letter, I will include an excerpt from my upcoming book to be released in the fall of 2013. It is an actual story about shoulder pain and how it reoccurred due to a challenging life situation.
If you can relate to shoulder pain, or have a story to share about how an experience was linked to a pain, please feel free to share it in the comment box below. There is a benefit to expressing and exchanging our stories!
