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Melanie Halpert, CBP
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Body Part Series: The Neck & Back

3/7/2015

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Welcome to the second post of my Body Part Series! Just to recap, throughout this series I intend to highlight the theme of the body part in question, to discuss how issues in that area may be influenced by other parts of the body, and to leave you with a few questions for further reflection. These articles will by no means cover the entire scope of the topic at hand, and there are truly so many different perspectives out there... so please note that I do not claim to be an authority, nor am I here to convince you of anything - I'm just a rather curious explorer whose aim is to give you a glimpse into perspectives which I have enjoyed contemplating on my own and in the context of my holistic practice.

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To follow up from my post about the shoulder, I wanted to take a look at another area which seems to be a popular sore spot amongst clients, an area which I personally find to be one of the most fascinating areas to work with: the neck and back. Obviously, these are two separate parts of the body, and often they do ask to be addressed individually, but as both parts house the entirety of the spinal column I thought to cover them together in the same article.

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The neck, in itself, represents the theme of FLEXIBILITY/RIGIDITY and of SEEING ALL SIDES. Including the throat, the neck also acts as a two-way bridge between the body and the mind - it is both where we “swallow” our reality and where inner feelings from the heart can be released. Although issues with the neck can be limited to components of the neck itself or the cervical spine, they are very often tied in to different parts such as the head or mind, throat or thyroid, the shoulders, the heart, the back or otherwise, all the while taking into consideration anatomy and physiology, meridians, environmental factors, and the various consciousness themes that the related part or parts represent. For example, one client may have chronic neck pain because they’re rigid in their beliefs or mindset, whereas another may be suffering due to resenting a situation in their life, feeling guilty about that resentment, and stifling their emotions. These are but a couple of basic examples - you may have a room full of people with similar symptoms and yet when you get to work, you find that each body tells a different story.

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Below the neck and cervical spine is the thoracic, lumbar, sacral spine and coccyx, which span the length of the back. Along with the theme of FLEXIBILITY/RIGIDITY just like the neck, general themes for the back include SUPPORT, PROTECTION and STABILITY. However, in addition to these general themes, each vertebrae of the spine represents a specific theme, as does each section of the spine, which takes the aligned organs, endocrine glands, and energetic centres of consciousness into consideration, amongst other factors.

Besides the array of themes associated to the sections of the spine and to the vertebrae themselves, experience leads me to believe that the back often holds what we can’t see, or perhaps what we don’t want to see. Although sometimes the back is simply a blind spot, it can point to issues that we are actively avoiding, to where we have stored trauma, or have “buried the wound” so to speak.

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Common themes amongst the vertebrae include, but are not limited to: ABANDONMENT, REJECTION, PERFECTIONISM, INSECURITY, HUMILIATION, BETRAYAL, FRUSTRATION, SAVING OTHERS, FEELING/BEING BOUND (to or by someone or something). To be clear, I did not invent these themes myself - I discovered them over the course of my studies and, in practice, my clients and I have observed them to be quite accurate. When they do arise in session these themes are never approached from a place of judgment, but from a place of acknowledging the reality of our shared humanness as we ALL experience these themes to a certain extent. Some of us simply have a tendency to hold our mental/emotional/spiritual pain in our back more than others, others who may potentially hold theirs elsewhere. Although no one is immune to back pain, I've noticed a trend; very often, those who come to me for help with their back are the “superheroes” of society - police officers, firefighters, paramedics, teachers, conventional and alternative healthcare practitioners - those who serve the public and must always appear to be strong. Then there are the athletes under pressure, the parents and caregivers who put everybody else first, the bread-winners who provide all the financial support, not to mention those who feel stuck in an unhappy marriage or relationship but can’t seem to leave. Again, these are just a few examples. So while back pain may be triggered by physical activity such as lifting a heavy barbell, lugging kids around, massaging clients, patrolling in an emergency vehicle or sitting at a computer all day, if that pain is more than just fleeting, it is likely trying to tell you something relevant about your life beyond the context of the trigger itself.

Over the years, clients have approached me with neck and back issues of all kinds - from minor tension and stiffness to serious conditions, some of them even stemming from birth. While certain symptoms resolve themselves quickly and others show improvement over time, I have observed that either way, working with consciousness along with the physical brings about significant shifts in awareness which greatly support and encourage one’s growth and one's healing process on all levels.

If you or someone you know is experiencing pain or symptoms in the neck or back, here are some questions for further reflection:

  • Do you have difficulty accepting an aspect of your reality or a situation in your life?
  • Do you tend to “swallow” your feelings? (love, affection, fear, anger, etc.)
  • Are you rigid in your mindset or beliefs, unable or unwilling to see different points of view?
  • Are you in a position of providing support to others and often put their needs before your own?
  • Do you feel stable in life (physically/mentally/emotionally/spiritually/financially)?
  • Have you felt or been betrayed by someone important to you?
  • Do you notice ways in which you are betraying or have betrayed yourself?
  • Have you suffered trauma or abuse (physical/emotional/psychological/sexual)?
  • Do you often find yourself frustrated in life?
  • Do you feel trapped or powerless under the hold of someone or something?

Again, the questions I ask in these articles and the insight or answers that may arise are just for you, a personal exercise if ever it can be helpful. For anyone who is reading this and curious about my approach, while I do work successfully hand in hand with doctors, chiropractors, osteopaths, kinesiologists, and physiotherapists, l will never manipulate or crack parts of the body in my sessions as that is not my expertise. That said, I am able to work effectively in-person and via distance using safe and non-invasive techniques which address body, mind, and spirit.

To stay up to date with news and session promotions be sure to sign up for my newsletter using the button at the bottom of my home page or the Newsletter Signup tab on my Facebook!

Before I sign off, I just want to say that I sincerely appreciate all the enthusiasm and great feedback I've received thus far about my new blogging venture and hope that my articles continue to provide you with something of value. Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for the next installment...!
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Body Part Series: The Shoulder

28/6/2015

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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.

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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!
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Pain Relief

14/6/2015

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Whether stemming from an injury or otherwise, we can all agree that persistent pain is crippling and keeps you from living your life to the fullest. Through both personal and professional experience, I have learned that each and every body part tells a story and that no matter how they occur, symptoms always arise to ask you to look deeper. Though accidents may happen and though pain may just show up one day, I firmly believe that nothing happens for nothing and that we are being given the chance to not only heal our physical pain, but to heal deeper issues relevant to the framework of our life.

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Obviously, when we experience pain we become so fed up and frazzled that we just want it to stop – and fortunately, in this day and age, we have a vast selection as to how we go about finding relief. While my role is not to judge you for how you go about treating your pain, my role is to offer help through local or distance sessions, either as a stand-alone therapy, or in conjunction with other methods of treatment. I will never ask you to stop a medication, nor will I diagnose or prescribe, but the balancing that I facilitate will take your physical symptom and look at it from different angles in order to get to the root of what is going on.

Time and time again, clients are amazed to see that by investigating and balancing underlying mental/emotional/spiritual factors, the pain leaves their body and health is restored.

That said, I intend to publish a series of posts about specific body parts and their related themes along with questions for self-exploration. The questions I will ask and the insights/answers that may arise will be just for you – they won't be homework or an obligation, but simply a launch pad for discovery. If ever you or someone you know suffers from persistent pain and wishes to explore with me further, I would be delighted to meet in session!
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    Melanie Halpert, CBP

    My clients are the focus of my practice - without them, I wouldn't have the privilege of doing what I enjoy doing most in life!


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    The content of this blog is intended to be for informational purposes only. The information contained herein does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for qualified medical intervention.

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