Body Maps
anthony bruni
Our body’s tell the story of what we been through. As long as we are alive we are expressing the story of our life through our body’s .
Our body is constantly reacting to the world around it. Its past reactions will influence its future reactions. The body forgets nothing. This is good and bad of course. We don't have to think about how to tie our shoes, but we may have a negative reaction to something based mostly on past events.
Being a massage therapist I see many bodies. Each body is different. Each one is constantly being honed by how we use our it and the pressures we subject it to. Bodies are full of information, that tell our story whether we want it to or not. They will reveal whether we lived a stressful or peaceful life. They will disclose whether we are overactive or too sedentary. They will tell where they have been injured, and where they are vulnerable. Each body speaks its own language that only the inhabitant of the body will truly know. If we are attentive enough we will start to see a fuzzy story of someone's life mapped out on their bodies
The wounds of our bodies are like an alphabet where individual symbols do not have meaning in themselves. Rather meaning is derived by how the letters or somatic patterns of the body are organized. Rigid hands may be telling the story of someone who has spent too much time typing or playing guitar. They could also be telling the story of the time when they gripped a steering wheel in dread, a dread they have not been able to release. The crease between the eyebrow may be telling a story where we have been angry. Conversely, it may signify our minds struggling to find a solution to a problem. Literally, our musculature trying to squeeze thoughts out of our prefrontal cortex. Of course when we are angry is when we often have the most to think about.
As we gain more awareness of a body and all its idiosyncracies we can better understand and empathize with the life it has lived. Through practicing massage I’ve witness time and time again of people becoming aware of what their bodies are trying to tell them. We learn where we are stuck and where they have compromised tissue. Being able to narrow down pain and limitations is in itself empowering. Massage can allow us to edit our story. We can learn to release tension. We can smooth out the glitches in our movement. After a good massage, we should have fresh ideas on how to better treat ourselves. We should be able to describe what hurts, and what does not move with more precision. We should be able to create and maintain healthier patterns.
Anthony Bruni