The Body as Gift

One of the main goals of therapeutic bodywork  is to facilitate the experience of "the body as gift." This is in contrast to our culture's view of "the body as object." An object (like a rock) does not have feelings. But Bodies have feelings. Bodies FEEL. We feel. If we don't feel, it may be that we are actually "cut off" from our body's ability to perceive and process. The body learns, the body remembers. As one of my friends is very fond of saying, "The body does not lie."

It is not healthy to view our Self as separate from our Body. This is the wonder of being human. We are embodied spiritual beings, which differentiates us from angels (spirits). In the movie, City of Angels (1998) there is an interesting conversation about how angels are puzzled and intrigued by the human experience of being embodied. Because we have bodies, we can feel what it is like to run a marathon, hug a friend, feel the sun on your face, let a snowflake melt on your tongue, taste strawberry pie, smell a rose, enjoy sexual intimacy. You have to have a body to experience these things.

So, therapeutic bodywork helps people experience their body as Gift, i.e., as Good. This translates into themselves being a gift, and good. This may be quite a revolution/revelation. Some people may have experienced terrible things in their body (trauma)--or have experienced nothing at all (neglect/deprivation). Both experiences tend to cause the body to be forgotten, or in some instances, even punished as if it had done something wrong.And then people begin to believe that they themselves are wrong/bad.

Sensitive and caring bodywork can facilitate a "coming home" to one's body--where we can truly embrace our body as our friend, our Home. The Christian faith is one of the few faith systems where the body is not left behind--but is itself restored and redeemed. Our body is the dwelling our own spirit....and of God's Spirit. When the Bible talks about our body being the temple of the Holy Spirit....this is what it means. God can and does LIVE IN US. That should blow our socks off! Our body, our Gift, our Home.

Keep in Touch Part 2

Do you know that a massage therapist does not know what their own touch fully feels like? Isn't that interesting? I believe this is because part of the experience of touch is the psychological/relational aspect, i.e. letting someone else's energy or presence into your own. It is difficult for us to experience ourselves the same way that other people do. Similarly, being "touched" by something (be it a story, poem, musical selection, photo, etc....) means it infiltrates our psychological space--it impacts us or shifts us in a noticable way. We can be "touched" in many ways.

But what happens when a person has experienced neglect in touch? Ah...how did you just read that sentence? Did you read "touch" in the sense of physical touch? Or emotional, or spiritual, or .....fill in the blank. What I am getting at is are we aware of any areas in which we have not been touched or moved lately? All areas of our lives should be able to be touched...unless they are dead, dormant or defended. This does not mean we let anyone or anything in without permission--boundaries are a good thing. But anything that is "untouchable" is worth noting in our own lives.

So...keep in touch with yourself. Keep your own pulse across your physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Also--keep in touch with others, and allow them to touch these areas of your life--and touch theirs! Reach out and touch someone!