Body Part Series: The Shoulder

Welcome to the first post of my Body Part Series! Throughout this series I intend to highlight the theme each body part in question represents, to briefly discuss how issues in that area may be influenced by other parts of the body, and to leave you with a few questions for self-exploration. The ideas and information I will present are by no means complete – they are simply meant to give you a taste, to open your mind, to encourage you to contemplate the physical in broader terms. While further intervention may be necessary in one’s healing process, the power of observation is vastly underrated and has the potential to be a great ally in your quest for relief.

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To kick off this series I have decided to write about the shoulder, as one of the most frequent requests I get from clients is for help with shoulder pain. As I mentioned in my previous post, years of both personal and professional experience have taught me that every part of the body tells a story and that no matter how symptoms occur, they always arise to ask you to look deeper. So, whether dealing with a shoulder issue such as:

• Arthritis/Osteoarthritis
  
• Bursitis
  
• Tendinitis (acute or chronic)
  
• Tendon Tears
  
• Impingement
  
• Instability
  
• Fracture
  
• Tumour, infection, nerve problems
  
• Any pain due to accident, sports injury, or degeneration

…the theme of the shoulder is RESPONSIBILITY.

Based on one’s personal life framework, experiences, and conditioning, the word RESPONSIBILITY will bring up different feelings and reactions. Although for some, the word responsibility may feel empowering, for many it illustrates a burden – something that feels heavy, such as family or work obligations, financial stress, etc. For others, it denotes the "duty" of living up to a certain image, to perceived expectations of self or other, or to specific standards of performance and achievement.

That said, RESPONSIBILITY is also about one's ABILITY TO RESPOND - how one responds to others, to situations and to life in general. How we respond may be OVERT (shown openly, external) or COVERT (kept secret, internal).

What I've found is that, although some shoulder issues revolve around the shoulder itself, oftentimes the shoulder is compromised because of underlying issues in the neck/throat, back, heart centre, hips or otherwise. Every body part tells a story and reflects certain aspects of consciousness, but as each person is unique and no two lives are the same, WHY the pain is there can be vastly different from client to client. So while responsibility may be a key player in shoulder pain, depending on what that responsibility is tied into, sometimes it is a matter of re-establishing healthy communication between the shoulder and other essential factors for the body to heal itself and for the pain to go away.

A few questions for self-exploration if ever they may be helpful:

• How do you feel when you think about the word RESPONSIBILITY?
  
• What does responsibility mean to you?
  
• Do you embody a maternal or paternal protective role, taking on responsibility out of LOVE/DUTY?
  
• Do you have high expectations of self or feel others have them of you?
  
• Have you set a precedent for performance and achievement that you feel you must live up to?
  
• How do you respond to the events of your life?
  
• How do you respond to others?
  
• Do you inhibit pleasure with self-restraint/self-control?
  
• Do you suppress your anger?
  
• Do you fear being hurt or vulnerable?
  
• Do you have trouble asserting yourself and/or expressing yourself?
  
• Does how you respond overtly correspond to how you respond covertly?

If you or someone you know is experiencing shoulder pain or pain in other parts of the body and would like to try a non-invasive and effective approach as a stand-alone treatment or safely in conjunction with other modalities, I am available for local sessions in Montreal and work effectively via distance to anywhere worldwide. Please contact me here for further details!