Table Talk: Trauma

     Melissa came to my practice at the suggestion of a friend. She was looking for a massage therapist near her home who would help her recover from an accident. We set a time for a first session in which to evaluate one another and decide if we should work together.

     While walking across an alleyway, Melissa was run into by a moving automobile. The car was not moving very fast, yet it hit her on the left side and dragged her several yards. She then landed on the asphalt on her right side. Her terror turned to anger as she confronted the driver who then, freaked out by what he had just done, drove away from the scene of the accident.

     For three months she had been working with a massage therapist and a chiropractor. Her masseuse left the practice, hence her search for someone else to continue therapy complementary to the chiropractor’s. As we talked, I observed Melissa’s anger. Three months after the accident she was still angry with the driver. The focus of her fear, though, had changed. At age 21, she was afraid she would never recover fully and would live in pain for the rest of her life.

     The initial session went well. Melissa scheduled several more. In the subsequent months of therapy, I discovered in practice what my teachers had told me over and over: integrative massage techniques can address issues resulting from trauma to soft tissue. Thus I used deep tissue massage, neuro-muscular therapy, and connective tissue techniques wrapped together in an organizing package of Swedish massage, and complemented by verbal therapies. I chanted, so to speak, a prayer of recovery as I worked deeply between her ribs, and inched my way into the anterior hip muscles deep in her abdomen. I stretched out shortened muscles in her neck and shoulder, speaking all the while about the body’s amazing power to heal itself. I released trigger point after trigger point in the tissue around her knees while engaging her in conversation about school and the direction of her artwork. I was pleased, even impressed, as I watched her heal.

     Certainly her healing was enhanced by massage. But this independent young woman didn’t need to remain dependent on others for pain relief. I demonstrated and encouraged her to practice some self-massage techniques for muscles in her face, neck, ribs, and abdomen. She did them at home and started setting her appointments farther and farther apart as she mended.

     I suspect Melissa will feel some pain in her neck, ribs, knees, and hips for the rest of her life. She will remember her accident whenever she is tired, and occasionally, she will revisit her feelings of terror, anger, and fear. But also, she will carry with her the memory of healing and of the simple, but not insignificant, part massage played in helping her muscles to mend. She will be able to apply simple techniques of self-massage when the pain is slight or seek further help from a massage therapist when the pain persists. 

God, help us see the complexity of the healing process. 

May we learn how to balance our acceptance of pain with our doing something about it. And in so doing, 

may we recognize your voice and touch. 

Amen.

Buffalo Ceremony by Phillip Hoyle after a group of Kansas petroglyphs