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On the Treatment Table: Making the Most of Your Sessions

Whether you are new to the world of holistic care, or the treatment table is your second home, here are a few suggestions to consider so you can enjoy greater benefit from your sessions. These are based on my work experience with various types of modalities, including bodywork, energy work and body-mind techniques.

 ·        Find your therapy and find your facilitator. The therapy that works for you is the one that “crosses your path” and resonates with you. The facilitator that is right for you is the one that you can easily trust and feel at ease with. Be clear on your purpose for seeking sessions; also, be clear about your priorities in choosing your therapist, whether it is the convenience of location, fees, or results of the sessions.

 ·        Commit to your chosen modality and stick with it long enough to notice changes. Trying various therapies for a short time is like looking for water by digging several short wells instead of one deep well. First session miracles do occur, creating noticeable change to a certain extent; the frequency and the length of your therapy program will depend on how far you desire to go with your healing and personal development.

 ·        Suspend your disbelief. Many types of the holistic therapies are 100% safe. The worst that can happen is that nothing happens. Keep an open heart, and remember that change is good, and it can come in many ways and forms.

 ·        Prepare your Intent. Intent is the blueprint of your reality. Before heading to your session, state your intent regarding what you wish to achieve during the session. The intent can be also around your ability and willingness to let go of any preconceptions, to be open and allow healing and transformation to take place. Asking for support from Spirit, the Universe or your own Higher Self has great results. Before going on the table, my clients are encouraged to verbalize intent. Part of the session may be clarifying intent. One woman told me she wanted to be “healthier”. Assisted by a few insightful questions, she realized that she deserves and is capable of experiencing total health. She then re-phrased her intent, stating that she wishes to be completely healthy.

·        Before your session eat lightly. Especially before energy work, and deep tissue bodywork, avoid eating too soon before the session, or too rich a meal. You might want to have a piece of fruit or something to munch on with you, for after the session.

 ·        After the session do something you enjoy, and stay away from crowded shopping malls or demanding activities. Taking a walk in the nature and spending some quiet time will prolong the experience achieved during your session. Refrain from speaking too soon about your experiences. Speaking about what you feel dissipates your experience, just like exposing a photographic film to the light. Stay with what you feel for a while, and tell your family and friends about it, tomorrow.

 ·        Drink plenty of water. Water is a good conductor of energy. During your sessions your body processes information (energy) and the water will support the energy processing and integration. Your facilitator will likely offer you water; you might choose to carry a bottle with you for the car or the bus.

 ·        During the session be silent, unless the nature of the session requires your active, verbal participation. When you talk, you expend energy; you are in the “giving”, or Yang mode. When you are silent, you are in the Yin, or receiving mode, and the time on the treatment table is your time to receive. Silence will also enable you to stay in your experience. If your facilitator keeps chitchatting with you during your bodywork or energy work session, you can politely express your desire to keep silent in order to enjoy better their wonderful technique.

 ·        Be prepared to experience some degree of discomfort on your journey. Personal healing and transformation will take you out of your comfort zone, facing fears and your “dark” side. Some sessions will be Spa-like sessions of soothing comfort and peace. Others will feel like scuba diving in tropical seas: scary and challenging, but what a world to discover in there!

 ·        Focus within for as long as you are awake…Stay with what shamans call “the second attention”, noticing your experience at sensorial level. Your experience is made of emotions, feelings and ultimately, body-felt sensations. Notice all signs of life in your body, the warmth of your facilitator’s hands, the area of contact between your body and the treatment table, changes in body temperature, pain, tension, heaviness, lightness, tingling, itching, tickling. Some sensation may be obvious, such as a sharp pain, or a chill. Some sensations are subtle. It takes perseverance to train the mind to notice subtleties after years of being conditioned to only focus on the obvious. This body awareness is extremely important, and some therapies are specifically built on it. Often times, in my practice, body awareness will be the step number one in a healing program. Pay attention to all your sensorial experience, including images, sounds, words, smells and tastes, and locate them in your body. See if you can stay away from interpreting and analyzing your experience, going out of your body into the cognitive process. Rather, describe your experience to yourself in purely sensorial terms. This will expand your perception, and will give you good tools to recognize the changes achieved in session.

        Journal the changes that you notice after the session. It’s easy to forget about the headache once it’s gone, and to feel confused about the benefit of your therapy. Keeping a record of your changes sharpens your awareness and brings clarity in the unfolding of your progress.

Tel: (613) 523-6592 E-mail: info@tanasaler.com