How Somatic Movement Helped One Woman Heal Chronic Pain and Reclaim Her Life
“My pain is finally gone!” says Kristen Jackson, who restored her health after a bike accident.
Kristin Jackson, a personal trainer, hesitated as she handed a client a pair of weights, the pain in her neck and right arm making even this simple task daunting. It was a few days after she had been hit by a car while riding her bike, and she found herself unable to turn her head to the right or use her right arm without pain.
The thought of training her clients, something she loved, now filled her with anxiety due to the discomfort she was experiencing. Who’s ever heard of a personal trainer who can’t move well? she wondered.
“The day after my accident, I couldn’t turn my head to the right or use my right arm well and my hip hurt,” she recalls. “Over time, I went from a fully functional person to someone who could barely move without pain.”
Jackson continues, “Initially, I brushed off the incident, hoping the pain would subside on its own. But as days turned into weeks, my condition worsened. I sought medical advice and got imaging done. The doctor diagnosed me with arthritis and suggested massages and chiropractic treatments. I knew I didn’t develop arthritis overnight from the accident, so I knew that wasn’t the cause of my immobility.”
Discovering the benefits of somatic movement
“Desperate for help, I tried various methods to alleviate my pain, but nothing provided ongoing relief. So I kept seeking answers. My turning point came nearly three years later when I stumbled upon a book about somatics. Initially, I flipped through the book and thought it looked a bit like what I already knew as a Pilates instructor and didn’t think it would help. But when I read the book, I realized somatic movement was unlike anything I already knew. When I explored the ‘exercises’ in the book, I got immediate relief from my neck mobility and my arm pain. Even my hips began to feel better.”
What is somatic movement?
Somatics is a holistic approach to healing that focuses on the mind-body connection. It addresses chronic pain, tension, and stress by retraining the nervous system and promoting self-regulation through gentle, mindful movements. It works with the somatic nervous system, a part of our brain and overall nervous system that controls how we move and sense ourselves.
By raising our internal awareness, we can reeducate the nervous system to release tension and move with greater control and ease. In other words, it delves into the root causes of discomfort by increasing awareness of one’s bodily sensations and movements.
“My first experience with Somatics was transformative,” Jackson recalls. “The exercises provided immediate relief, and I soon integrated them into my daily routine. Somatics is very different from typical methods that address body parts and conditions separately. One I like, called spine spirals, has you lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Then you slowly rock your pelvis to the left while rolling your head to the right, then shifting to center rolling your pelvis to the right and your head to the left, repeating the pattern a few times, moving slowly and paying attention to the rotation of your body from head to feet.”
Creating a new passion with somatic movement
“I practiced on my own at first but soon started sharing what I learned with my training clients. I reached out to a Somatic Educator school to get certified and completed the four-year training. I now offer classes in person and online,” Jackson says.
“Before, my life was a cycle of pain, stress and anxiety. Now, I know that if I feel discomfort, I can resolve it by calmly practicing my exercises. As a result, today, I’m calmer. I can see how stress gets stuck in the bodies of pretty much everyone. I have more compassion. I’m more aware of mindless tasks that suck my energy.
“Today, I consider that accident a ‘gift in a trash bag,’ since it set me on the course to help others in a new way. Now, I work with clients worldwide, sharing the transformative power of somatics.” — Kristin Jackson CCSE, CPT, as told to Elisabeth Dunham.
How somatic therapy makes pain disappear
The little-known healing technique called somatics is all about listening to your body, says Thomas Pontinen, MD, double board-certified anesthesiologist and interventional pain management specialist at MAPS Center for Pain Control.
Traditional methods of pain relief tend to focus on treating symptoms. “Somatics represents a shift in thinking that aims to enhance body awareness, improve physical and emotional well-being and foster a deep connection between the mind and body,” explains Dr. Pontinen. By learning to move your body mindfully and in new ways, you can address—and heal—the root cause of your pain.
Somatic therapy can also ease stress, anxiety and depression. Indeed, in a study in the European Journal of Phychotraumatology, the practice is linked to an improvement in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. What’s more, as a result of its effect on alignment and relaxation, “patients often develop better posture, breathing technique, sleep and overall well-being, says Dr. Pontinen. “They also report increased immunity to everyday stressors.”
To give it a try, go to Hopkins Medicine’s website for a practice you can complete in your own home. Or visit Kristin’s website, ThinkSomatics.com.
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