The Integration of Unevolved and Evolved Views of the Body
THE UNEVOLVED VIEW
The unevolved view of the body is as "vehicle of the self". So viewed, we are "within" the body, which exists to carry us around and bring us toward desirable experiences and away from undesirable ones.
This view of the body concerns us with conformity, the "hard body", political correctness, pain, pleasure, and mortality. It is the point of view of cosmetics, Western medicine, glamour magazines; hard drugs, tobacco and alcohol; corporate culture, social status, consumerism, dance competitions, "youth culture", and violent entertainment (including many video games, crime shows, and much "reality TV"). It is the unevolved view.
What makes the unevolved view, "unevolved", is that it regards the body as "object" -- "my body" -- something to be possessed, controlled and lost in death. This view considers mind and body separate, "I" being "my" mind (which, oddly, linguistically also considers the mind to be a possession, but one which we cannot reliably control, and which we hope continues after death).
The unevolved view of the body is unevolved because, while the faculties of external perception (awareness of the world and social relations) are more-or-less developed, the faculty for internal awareness is more-or-less undeveloped. The unevolved body-mind (soma) reacts to situations automatically and without all that much self-awareness.
THE EVOLVED VIEW
The evolved view of the body is as the tangible expression or manifestation of self. So viewed, we recognize the sense of self (physical, emotional, mental, and feeling-intuitive) as a bodily sensation, not "within" the body, but as sensations of the body. So viewed, we move toward desirable experiences and shy away from undesirable ones, as before, but with our inner life of self as observable as the outer world (psychological "shadow" aspects and unawakened faculties being "compost" for further evolution).
This view of the body concerns us with relationship, with will, integrity, fulfillment of our intentions in actual results, with walking our talk, with how we organize our lives and with knowing our own mind.
What makes the evolved view, "evolved" is that it recognizes that the body is not a "thing" -- or "object" that proceeds into the world as a "non-negotiable" self, but a living experience, the very location of self that changes moment-to-moment. In that view, death is recognized, not merely as a mystery, but as a transformation continuous with life, even as life is a series of transformations into new (mysterious) events of life.
This view of the body allows for something that the unevolved view does not: deliberate self-development and self-evolution. The unevolved view of the body wants to meet life merely as it is ("non-negotiable") -- take me or leave me, "That's just the way I am." The evolved view of the body recognizes that we can deliberately change to meet life more artfully, more smoothly, more intelligently -- and finds that ability intriguing, finds life's challenges and opportunities, its teaching moments, illuminating "grist for the mill" of self-transformation (whether through will or through surrender -- and with or without angst).
A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE EVOLVED VIEW
To take a deeper look into the evolved view of the body, we find it helpful to look at the basis of what gives the body its characteristics: memory. Once we have done that, we will be in a position to consider how the body contains and distributes memory and the self-sense holographically.
The unevolved view of the body sees memory as a function of the mind and of the brain (regarded as an object-possession, even though no one has a direct experience of their own brain).
The evolved view of the body sees memory as embodied as the whole body -- holographically, meaning distributed among the whole, not contained within a part, such as the brain. Lest you think that I am speaking merely theoretically, I will bring this statement down to Earth.
One quality characterizes all of life: self-initiated movement. Plants have it, insects have it, and animals have it. Movement is life.
Inanimate objects also have consistent behavior patterns, (e.g., the consistent behaviors of atomic elements and compounds seen in chemistry and physics), but they are not self-moving (in the sense of being able to change behavior in mid-act by self-volition). The memory of inanimate objects is simply their predictable behavior -- though, in this view, the memories of inanimate objects are relatively "uneventful" and contain no mental or emotional content. (Note that computer memory consists of patterns of electrical charge stored in silicon circuits -- inanimate.)
In this way of seeing things, the whole Universe may be regarded as a vast system of memory -- interrelated, interacting memories that are changing and evolving -- anchored as patterns of physical reality with internal experience.
For life-forms less complex than humans, most movement consists of instinctual behaviors; the more complex the life-form, the more instinctual behavior is complemented by learned behavior. In humans, learned behavior dominates, by far, instinctual behavior. In either case -- instinctual or learned -- behavior is movement.
Movement carries with it an inner side -- experience.
Experience leaves its imprint on, in, or as memory. Experience becomes memory -- and a memory is nothing more or other than a lasting imprint of sensations and movements. Remembering how to do something (long-term memory) is remembering how to move in certain ways (patterns) and what experiences attend that movement; short-term memory is a tracing of patterns on the waters of consciousness, patterns that quickly fade -- but still have duration, however short. Memory is nothing more or other than the persistence of patterns of behavior (movement) and experience.
Predictability decreases (and unpredictability increases) with complexity, so that the more complex life forms are, the less they behave by instinct and the more they behave as they have learned. Higher complexity includes all of the characteristics of lesser complexity, and something more: room for more memory and something else -- the capacity to look at memory, itself, and to operate upon ones own memory, to change it: deliberate learning and also . . . . . emergent behaviors.
Emergent behaviors are upwellings of change unpredictable on the basis of previous behaviors -- and the formation of memories unpredictable on the basis of previous memories . . . . . creativity and evolution. Each new integration of two or more "behaving entities" into a new whole (each formation of a new relationship between two or more participants) brings forth emergent behaviors unpredictable before the integration occurred. That's emergence. ("Emergencies" typically involve the formation of new relationships on short notice!)
Having covered the span of memory from the most primitive to the most emergent life-forms, we're now prepared to look at how the whole body-mind (soma) contains and distributes memory holographically.
HOLOGRAPHIC MEMORY
I must first dispense with the notion that memory is distributed equally throughout the brain. This is not so. In the brain, as in the rest of the body, different locations have different functions. However, the interrelation of the different locations -- their synergistic cooperation and interplay -- produces the full range of behavior and memory.
Take an easy-to-understand example: balance.
Movement at balance requires coordination; lack of coordination is awkwardness. Coordination involves closely-timed movements among the "parts" of the entire body; the entire body is involved. Balance is the feeling we get when those closely-timed and coordinated movements result in a minimum of effort to move as we intend; awkwardness always involves a sense of excessive effort because some parts have bad timing. Coordination is a space-time experience of economical, intended movement. The brain controls and senses, the rest of the body acts; they are a functional unity. Seen as the body, we look (viewed from outside) a certain way at any moment; we feel (from the inside) completely different from we look; though different, they are the same event perceived from different viewpoints.
The basic unit of memory in the body is DNA, which makes healing of injuries (restoration of the memory of the whole-body sense) possible, and which is the most highly predictable (chemical and physical) aspect of memory.
However, as a whole we are far more complex than our cells are, our behavior is far more complex, and our individual memories are far more complex than those of cells. Cellular memory, as it is described, is not the deepest or most profound form of memory; it is the shallowest and most superficial. The profundity lives in the larger complexities of which cells, tissues, and organs are simpler parts. Human behaviors are far more complex than the behaviors of individual cells.
The memory of behavior exists as patterns of shape and movement that exist among cells and tissues throughout the whole body. Patterns of connection exist among neurons of the brain and as patterns of coordination (and feelings) among all of the muscles of the body.
Every thought that passes through us shows up as patterns of tension in the musculature. Dreams (an internal experience) can be measured (externally) electrically as changes of muscle tone and electrical potential and observed as eye movements. Voices heard by schizophrenic patients have been observed to coincide with electrically-measured micro-movements of their own vocal apparatus. People move their lips when they first learn to read. Thought is the body, thinking; emotion is changing physiology. The inner experience has an outer expression.
Memory consists of habituation in whole-body patterns of muscular tension and physiology -- generally, states of readiness to take action in familiar situations. Tension (and other physiological states) are the external side of memories, of which sensations are the internal side.
Back to coordination and awkwardness: there exist better and worse -- more and less economical -- patterns of organization as a person. In general, better patterns of thinking go with better patterns of coordination. (It's possible to have specialized patterns of coordination that work well for special situations and still to be incompetent in other situations -- just as some people may be geniuses in certain way and doofuses, in others -- or even "clumsy geniuses" and "absent-minded professors") However, in general, the better coordinated we are, the better we think, and the more ways in which we are well-coordinated, the more versatile our thought processes can be.
Likewise, memories depend upon the body. People commonly accept that sudden shocks to the body cause amnesia, though people don't commonly understand how that is so; they commonly think it has something to do with a blow to the brain. While that is sometimes so, the larger answer is, physical shocks that happen faster than the brain can register them create a discontinuity of memory, a gap in "how I got there." It's not just "amnesia", but "sensory-motor amnesia". People in sensory-motor amnesia have forgotten how to get from their altered state back to their familiar sense of self, mentally and bodily.
As more and more coordination develops in different ways, the person becomes both more complex and better integrated. As (s)he becomes better integrated, (s)he has more command of his or her own faculties -- attention, intention, sensation/feeling and movement. With each new degree of integration, new emergent (unpredictable) faculties appear (creativity and evolution).
This assertion may seem novel and questionable to you, and so must be tested to be verified (or disproven) to your own satisfaction. I can say that my own experience of Rolfing and of somatic exercises (both of which develop higher integration, higher coordination and higher efficiency of function) is the origin of this assertion. (Ida Rolf said, "Rolfing is not concerned with the palliation of symptoms, per se, but with the development of more efficiently functioning human beings.") The clarity and depth of my own thinking is evident in the writing of this article.
Thus, both the unevolved and the evolved views of the body (and its primitive and more complex functions) have their place in the human -- and the evolution of human beings is a tangible process involving both the bodily (external/objective) aspect and our mental (internal/subjective) aspect -- in processes of "complexification" and integration.
MORE:
article: Is the Body 'Self' or 'Other'?
article: Psychotherapy and Integral Somatic Education
article: on somatic exercises
video: about somatics
resources: available somatic exercise programs
Patients, Patience, and Impatience
Today, I speak of a peculiar paradox of somatic education -- something expressed in a Tibetan saying I heard, recently: "When things are urgent, go slower."
People in pain have a certain urgency. No surprise.
In their urgency, they go for the "quick fix" -- the pain med, the quick adjustment, the quick stretch, the hour of bodywork. These quick fixes rarely produce either a complete or a lasting result.
The reason: they don't address the problem as it is, but only the surface appearance.
Somatic education is peculiar in this regard: the processes we use during clinical sessions are mostly slow-motion action patterns -- we go slower -- but the changes that result come very quickly.
The reason: the changes sought through somatic education (generally, pain relief) come by means of an internalized learning process that involves new physiological adaptation. Adaptation and learning require, inevitably, at least two things: attention and intention.
Attention and intention go together. To exercise an intention, we must direct our attention to what we are doing.
The thing about attention is that it is not instantaneous; it fades in. Test for yourself. Look away from the screen toward anything and notice that it takes a good part of a second even to focus on it. The same is true of music. Turn on the radio into the middle of a piece of music and notice that it takes some seconds to recognize even one with which you are familiar.
When taking in new information, going slower helps you "catch" it and take it in.
Then, and only then, you can apply your intention to it.
Most forms of therapy require little or no attention on the part of a patient; result: little or no exercise of intention and little or no lasting change!
So, as a somatic educator, I find that one of the most common bits of coaching I have to give with my clients (/patients, although I don't use the word) is to slow down. Doing things too fast, too hard, and with too little attention ("mindfulness") is a common American fault (and a popular editing technique of advertising and the entertainment media which perpetuates and reinforces this fault-- sequences of "split-second video clips"). Too many people are "A-D-D" ! ! ! That makes them accident-prone (and generally, sloppy and error prone). They must slow down -- not because it's easier (generally, it's not), not because they need a rest (which is generally true), but because they need to pay more attention and to exercise intention more carefully. They need to work smarter, not harder.
If people don't slow down, they end up doing things the way they habitually do them and, by repetition, reinforcing the very thing they are wanting to get out of -- the movement patterns and functional habits that cause their pain. They have to slow down enough to do the things they do in a new way.
When it comes to somatic exercises (a way people can relieve their own pain without direct coaching by a somatic educator), people must exercise patience. In this case, the patience they must exercise is two-fold: (1) they must slow down in what they're doing (somatic exercises) enough to feel clearly what they are doing and to do it in good form (not merely count repetitions) and (2) they must persist in a somatic exercise program long enough to obtain its designed-in effect (entailing, generally, some days or weeks of practice -- and some hours of experience). The result: substantial and durable improvement -- faster and more durable than by conventional therapeutic, "low-attention" methods.
If patients are impatient for relief, they must be patient so they can get it more quickly than has previously been possible.
Only once they have slowed down and made the necessary changes can they return to "the speed of life" and keep their new-found freedom and well-being -- or even go faster than before and still keep it together.
"A man of true means,
whatever the day's pace
keeps his wits about him
and however a fine offer be presented to him
keeps a level head.
What ruler of countless chariots
would make himself laughing stock,
fool of the realm,
with pace beyond rein,
speed beyond helm?"
-- Lao Tzu
SEE MORE ABOUT SOMATIC EXERCISES
An Entirely New Class of Therapeutic Exercises (article)
Software for Your Body (instructional programs)
Religious Faces of Superman
Superman who, having emerged from the midwestern farming tradition came to represent a person of virtue, of kindness and of strength, of benificent values, of positive intent -- and who hides a secret: his identity -- and a vulnerability that few others share.
Remembering that Superman was adopted by his midwestern farmer parents, his last name was not originally, "Kent" -- but Kantrowitz. Superman (pronounced with "super" rhyming "soup-pear") was a nickname his Kryptonian parents bestowed upon him after a visit to Paris, one spring -- "little Soup-pear-man" -- because that was all he would eat -- pear soup. It was on the note in the space capsule in which he arrived: His name was Kal-El, but his nickname was Little Soup-pear-man. You can figure out the rest. And, of course, they Anglicized the name. As a boy, he was big for his age, but very nice, an intelligent boy.
Another clue: His original name-at-birth was Kal-El -- "El", in Hebrew, meaning "God". Taking a Kabbalistic approach, the Hebrew name, Kal-El, can be spelled in three consonants (four letters), read right to left, "K""L""e""L", , the eleventh letter of the alphabet (English or Hebrew), K, the thirteenth letter (Hebrew) or the twelveth (12-English), L, and the nineteenth letter, a silent carrier for a vowel, "ayin", where in English, the nineteenth letter is, S -- "S", get it? Coincidence? I think not. The symbolic meaning of the numerical equivalents of "K""L""e""L" = "11""13""19""13" (or "11""12""19""12") is "Great Potentiality" and "Great Faith".
But what if Superman were Buddhist? What would he do differently? Since he strives to minimize harm to anyone and uses his powers beneficently, for the sake of all sentient beings, what would he do differently? Perform service even while in his dreams? What do you think he dreams about? Lois Lane? Lana Lang? Lex Luthor? Batman? -- feminine archetypes and masculine archetypes? Do you think he behaves differently in his dreams than he does in the waking state? Or do you think that, as he sleeps, he rests in the Source of Light and Life, the Silent Bliss-Being beyond the human mind and body? (the super-man state). Do you think that he rests in deep Silence (of which the Fortress of Solitude is a Metaphor), "silence" and "solitude" -- which also start with "S" -- the silent nineteenth Hebrew letter.
What if Superman was Hindu? Then what? What would he do differently? Well, for one thing, he probably wouldn't eat beef or wear cows-leather shoes. Those boots? They're patent leather. Other than that? Would he play the flute and seduce virgin cowgirls into a mass-"big one"? Would he transform his appearance to show the various powers and viewpoints and wonders of the Great Universe? And who knows what he does in the privacy of his own home with "company"? Would he declare, of himself, that "atman" (individual self-being) and "brahman" (silent, imageless, aware Groundless Ground of Being) are one? ("I and my Father are one"? -- again, getting a little ahead of ourselves). Would he appear as Krishna -- the avatar God-embodiment (emanation) of Godhead? flying around saving people from demons?
What if Superman was Moslem? Would he pray five times a day, facing Mecca? abjure alcoholic beverages? Not eat pork? He would eat beef -- but those boots? Still patent leather. Imagine if he were a fantasy/religion-crazed Muslim extremist who was sent on a suicide mission, but suddenly realized that he couldn't blow himself up and that there would be no "72 virgins" for Superman, so he gave it up. Could Superman "do" 72 virgins simultaneously? Maybe he could. Probably he could. That would be like Krishna.
If Superman were Tibetan Buddhist, he would live consciously emanating from the Clear Light as his embodied existence, radiating the force of beneficence, fearlessly and peacefully present, attentive, intelligently responsive, compassionate, protective, empowering, and emanating silent wisdom and virtue not merely unto living beings, but into, as and through all, serving all sentient beings, communicating The Great Emancipation.
For him, kryptonite is the reminder of the mortal and transitory nature of things, even transitory even in his origins -- being sent into the unknown, "out there", and arriving at Earth -- ever-vulnerable -- even as he is eternally unchanging (primitively rendered in language as, "invulnerable") and super-regenerating -- and so, in that sense invulnerable to most hazards by virtue of his exquisite embodiment, in his transient body (Nirmanakaya), of the subtle self-organizing field of his subtle mind-body (Sambhogakaya); steadily intuiting our transcendental nature (Dharmakaya), the formless ground of being that persists even in the absence of activity or self-sense -- self-emergent, self-regenerating, self-equilibrizing with super-speed, i.e., invulnerable. Vulnerable and invulnerable. See? You didn't know that about Superman. Why would he talk about it? What's he going to say to everyone? "I'm vulnerable -- just as you are -- but I heal quickly"? Would he go around saying that? Why? On the other hand, who knows what he says, at home -- and he is emotionally vulnerable, same as any man.
If Zen Buddhhist, same as Tibetan Buddhism, but without the kryptonite.
In this respect, he is very similar to another personage -- Harold Somaman. Somaman is different from Superman, in that his special powers have manifested differently -- energy field transformations, sensitivity to probability pressure waves (leading to precognition and synchronicities), special ways of dealing with attention and intention. certain ways of biological self-regeneration and psychological transformation, occasions of remarkable telekinesis, things mysteriously disappearing from his life -- odd things like that.
If Superman were a Christian, would he address Jesus as "Father"? -- and how would that make Jor-El, his father, feel? But wait! What if Jor-El was a name for Jesus' father in Heaven? who sent his only-begotten son to save humankind? Kabbalistically speaking, the names Jor-El and Joseph have significance. Alphanumerically, either of those names is impossible to analyze -- there's no "j" sound in Aramaic, so their names would have had to have been "Yosef" and "Yor-El". Then, Kabbalistically, that would get interesting. Taking a Kabbalistic approach, again, "Yorel": YORL: four letters: "10" "6" "25" "13" (with a symbolic meaning of "Divine Conception"): and "Yosef": YOSF: four letters, "10" "6" "18" "20 (changeable with "P")" (symbolizing "the leap into newness, bringing memories of the past, along"). Confused? I am -- but back to Superman. With the benefit of time-travel, he would reach Earth when he was truly needed -- second time around. He would still save people, but still not be able to be everywhere at once, except in spirit. I don't think he would raise the dead; I think that was just a demonstration to make a point. Other than that, how would his character change? Maybe he'd be more loving? But then, we don't know how he is, at home, and his benificient actions can certainly be seen as coming from a loving spirit -- wouldn't you say? But he wouldn't eat meat on Fridays, only fish. Or would he?
But remember -- his name is Superman -- pronounced 'aha-ward" (Howard) Superman ("soup-pear-man"), superhero and goodness-doer extraordinaire -- who loved his mother and who lived up to his father's dreams -- a real mensch.
A-mayn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For more on Harold Somaman, click here.
For more on Superman and other topics from The Other Side of the Looking Glass, click here.
Palpation -- One of a Somatic Educator's Essential Techniques
In the process of Hanna somatic education, palpation isn't just done at the initial functional assessment of a client's condition, nor is it only an information-gathering action. It's properly done at every stage of a clinical session of Hanna somatic education to evaluate the results of each pandiculation, and it provides information not only to the practitioner, but also to the client about his or her current condition. How else are we to know whether we are finished with a region and its movements?
In a previous writing, "Precision Positioning for Miraculous Results", I speak of this last point in some detail.
For now, I want to communicate some things about the art of palpation, itself.
PALPATION IS A FOUR-DIMENSIONAL ACT
Now, before you go bounding off screaming, "another New Age twinko!!!", I want to clarify. The fourth dimension, time, is not a Twilight Zone alternate reality or a mysterious abstraction (as implied by the term, "time-travel"). It's motion, itself, in the most ordinary sense.
We measure time by means of devices that move or display regular changes (watches and clocks) and we experience time the same way. The term, "second", refers to the period of time between two heartbeats, the second heartbeat defining the end of a second. It's an approximate term, the way the length of a foot is about one foot and the length of the first segment of the thumb is about one inch and one swallow is about once ounce. Time is motion.
In palpation, many people touch surfaces with their fingertips and think they are palpating. When such a technique provides little useful information, they abandon palpation as an investigatory act. It's not a shortcoming of palpation; it's a shortcoming of their technique and their understanding.
To do a decent palpation that actually provides useful information, you've got to feel, not for a surface, but for a volume -- three (3) dimensions. And you don't go rushing in, do a couple of quick presses, and move out. What you do is soften your hands, reach in, and feel for the first resistance for reaching more deeply; you feel for where soft space becomes firm contact. You go in slowly -- both out of respect for your client and for rich information. Then, you wrap your hands around what you feel to discern its shape. If you're squeamish, palpate in yourself until you learn the lay of the land and what it might feel like to your clients.
If you want to get more out of palpation, trace muscles from origin to insertion; that gives you something on which to anchor your attention and gives your client new sensory information that tells them in which direction, along what lines, to contract in pandiculation.
Once your client has done the pandiculation, or after you have done Kinetic Mirroring, you use palpation and movement to evaluate the completeness of the result. If some sensory-motor amnesia -- and muscular contraction -- remains, you either repeat the process or have your client adjust positions to reach what's left. Palpate -- Pandiculate -- Palpate. Continue until the involuntary tendency to contract is gone or it ceases to decrease, then move on.
Stopping Sacro-Iliac Pain to Make Movement Easy Again
This article is about sacroiliac joint pain (also called, sacral torsion, S-I joint sprain or strain, sacroileitis, "twisted (or turned) sacrum" or just S.I.J.D.)
It covers:
- symptoms of sacroiliac joint dysfunction
- what causes sacroiliac joint dysfunction (Look at your own history of injury.)
- treatment options clearly explained, so you can act based upon sensible understanding, rather than blind trust (or blind skepticism)
- a clickable link to the approach used in clinical somatic education to correct the problem ( scroll to the bottom )
in this article published in Wikipedia.
If You Have a Turned Sacrum
About This Article
Read this article, if . . .
- You have found the information provided by health professionals to be "thin soup"answers (such as, "You'll just have to live, with it.") that don't increase your optimism, much.
- You have tried therapies and/or surgery and are still in pain.
- You are willing to consider a different approach and to take the time and to do the work. Yes, it's work -- work that leaves you feeling better, then and there.
The Article:
A Simple Explanation of Sacroiliac Joint Syndrome (Dysfunction)
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction (SIJD) involves the bones in the pelvis, of which your sacrum is the central bone, being misaligned. See the illustrations, at left.
SYMPTOMS OF S-I JOINT PAIN SYNDROME
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction
Following are the most common symptoms of sacroiliac joint dysfunction.- pain at the groin and waistline, in back, same side - in combination
- pain around the top rim of the pelvis
- deep buttock pain, one side
- reduced ability either to bend forward, to stand up straight, to turn over, in bed.
CLICK HERE FOR THOSE OTHER COMMON SYMPTOMS.
- SENSATIONS
- SKELETAL ALIGNMENT CHANGES
- MUSCLE/MOVEMENT MEMORY CHANGES
- EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS
The Self-Check
Watch the video. Follow the instructions, exactly.If you can't tell, from self-examination, you may visit a chiropractor or osteopath to get a diagnosis and to get taught how to examine yourself. Say what you're there for, up front.
If your sacrum isn't the problem, visit the Consultation page to get a free Functional Assessment form. Complete it and return it by email for a guaranteed recommendation of the program you need.
WHY SYMPTOMS may be UNRECOGNIZED as coming from S-I JOINT DYSFUNCTION
Do you know why symptoms of sacroiliac joint dysfunction can manifest in locations that seem unrelated to the sacrum or S-I joints? It's quite fascinating.
These symptoms arise due to the intricate involvement of both the nervous and muscular systems, going beyond the simple mechanical relationships among the pelvic bones. The page listing symptoms explains.
Now, if you've endured lengthy therapy for your pain but gotten too little relief, or if the relief was only temporary (a common situation), it's a clear sign that:
- Either the treatment you received wasn't relevant, or
- the kind of approach taken to address your turned sacrum was simply ineffective.
It may be time to reassess your options and find a more effective solution.
Causes of a Turned Sacrum
This Mayo Clinic entry describes recognized causes of a turned sacrum.
(quoted, below:)
Sacroileitis — Comprehensive overview covers symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment of inflammation of the sacroiliac joints.
ref: Overview - Sacroiliitis (alternate spelling) - Mayo Clinic
Causes for sacroiliac joint dysfunction include:
- Traumatic injury. A sudden impact, such as a motor vehicle accident or a fall, can damage your sacroiliac joints.
- Arthritis. Wear-and-tear arthritis (osteoarthritis) can occur in sacroiliac joints, as can ankylosing spondylitis — a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects the spine.
- Pregnancy. The sacroiliac joints must loosen and stretch to accommodate childbirth. The added weight and altered gait during pregnancy can cause additional stress on these joints and can lead to abnormal wear.
- Infection. In rare cases, the sacroiliac joint can become infected.
Based on the experiences of my clients, injuries are usually the culprit behind sacroiliac joint dysfunction. These injuries can take various forms, such as falls from bicycles, horses, rooftops, or during skating, as well as accidents involving motor vehicles.
Common Surgical Treatments to Clear Up S-I Joint Pain
Two surgical measures used to stop S-I joint pain are Radio Frequency nerve Ablation and Sacro-Iliac Joint Fusion.
- Nerve ablation ("RFA" - cooking the nerve endings)
lasts 9-12 months before the nerve regenerates -- making repetition necessary. - Sacro-Iliac Joint Fusion surgery alters movement and decreases mobility permanently.
S-I joint fusion surgery by Dr. Centeno.
- Skeletal Manipulation
Despite manipulation, bones go where muscles pull and hold them. Because muscular tension gets triggered in many places in the body by a turned sacrum -- and commonly persist or return -- the effects of skeletal manipulation of the sacrum don't last. You might end up "married" to your therapist.
- Massage: Loosen the ligaments.
- Prolotherapy: Tighten the ligaments.
These two approaches are attempts to tackle the same problem by opposite means.
If ligament strain were truly the cause of sacroiliac joint dysfunction and effectively treated, wouldn't it be reasonable to expect permanent resolution when the strain was relieved by manipulation? But that doesn't happen, except in the mildest of cases.
Ligament strain, itself, is not the root cause, but rather the consequence of a turned sacrum.
A correct approach would address the actual cause. Lasting reduction of pain and increase of mobility would be the sign that an approach is the right one, don't you think?
ACTIONABLE UNDERSTANDING
Let's take a moment to appreciate what we understand, so far.
We have understood - how an injury can cause distortion in the pelvis, and how persistent muscular contractions, driven by the body's automatic self-protective mechanisms, have contributed to the problem.
- that contrary to common belief, symptoms are not due to too-lax ligaments. Nor are they due to ligaments being too tight.
- that strain and laxity -- two common diagnoses -- are secondary effects of a turned sacrum, not causes.
- that addressing ligaments alone will not correct the problem.
- that alleviating pain is a partial and temporary "fix".
- how an injury can cause distortion in the pelvis, and how persistent muscular contractions, driven by the body's automatic self-protective mechanisms, have contributed to the problem.
- that contrary to common belief, symptoms are not due to too-lax ligaments. Nor are they due to ligaments being too tight.
- that strain and laxity -- two common diagnoses -- are secondary effects of a turned sacrum, not causes.
- that addressing ligaments alone will not correct the problem.
- that alleviating pain is a partial and temporary "fix".
Instead, what we need to do is get the pelvis to regain its symmetry. And that's where the approach I will outline next comes into play.
What I Say Works
The program offered, here, sets itself apart from others by using specific action patterns -- done in slow motion and entirely within your (now limited) comfort zone -- to retrain the muscular and nervous systems.
With each practice session, you will feel the improvements taking place. Each action pattern produces specific improvements described in its video introduction.
To access these clear, easy-to-follow instructions, do the program available through links in this entry.
Rest assured, the instructions are gentle, safe, and presented at a comfortable pace. They do not inflict any pain or discomfort.
The promised results -- stopping the pain, restoring free movement, and saving you from the letdown of conventional therapeutic options you may already have experienced -- are within your reach.
It's quite likely that you will experience the relief you seek in a fraction of the time you have already invested in unsuccessful therapy. That is my promise to you -- and to back it up, I offer a lifetime money-back guarantee (which has been invoked only a few times since this program became available in 2015).
ADDENDUM
Clinical Somatic Education to Correct Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction: The Role of Muscle/Movement Memory
- Unlocking the Situation: By reducing the tension levels in the involved muscles, we release the jammed S-I joint, enabling the re-patterning of forces that contribute to pelvic distortion.
- Reshaping Muscular Tension and Movement Patterns: Through consistent practice of movement patterns aligned with a healthy, symmetrical pelvis and optimal S-I joint function, we reshape and realign the musculature.
- Reinforcing Healthy Movement Patterns: Rather than focusing on strength alone, we develop integrated movement habits that reinforce balanced and free movement. These new habits become second nature and seamlessly integrate into daily life without requiring any special attention.
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More on Hanna Somatic Education
for Relief of S-I Joint Dysfunction
Comforting Your S-I Joints | A RECIPE for RELIEF
I understand why someone might be afraid to take an alternate approach to clearing up the problem: fear -- and I suspect that you may already have tried other approaches, to little avail. Those are good reasons to hesitate.
What I can say is that people have gotten better -- completely or partially -- and no one has gotten worse, with this approach.
Everyone I have worked with, personally (I've been in practice since 1990), has been pleased with the results -- and I offer a lifetime satisfaction refund guarantee.
THE PROGRAM
Imagine the program, Comforting Your S-I Joints, as a meticulously crafted recipe for relief. Just like in cooking, where no single ingredient can create a masterpiece dish, each action pattern within this program serves as a crucial element. It is the collective arrangement and specific order of these somatic education exercises that make the program effective.
Just as a skilled chef carefully prepares and combines ingredients, there are steps of preparation involved in Comforting Your S-I Joints. Each action pattern can be likened to a stage of preparation, playing a unique role in the overall recipe. Each section builds upon the previous section and prepares you for the next. You're guided at an easy, step-by-step pace.
Just as a recipe requires care and attention to detail, the program is designed to be followed in a specific order to achieve the desired results for your S-I joints.
The "Gentle Spine Waves exercise" in Unit 1 of the program is such an ingredient and a step of preparation. It's not expected to relieve your S-I symptoms, by itself (although it works for simple back pain); it's a necessary step to unlock the situation. What it does is relax the back muscles; this step is one of preparation, not of "cure".
Who is This Program For?
A quick-response email message will come to your email address requesting permission to mail to you. Once you give permission, "Getting Started for Free" emails will come to you with bite-size steps for Unit 1 of Comforting Your S-I Joints. That gives you a taste of the program -- both how you do it and the results.
Comforting Your S-I Joints is a system of movement-based exercises that reprograms muscle/movement memory in a lasting way. You'll feel changes for the better with each practice session; changes accumulate over time. The entire system extinguishes the pain and restores mobility.
See the section, below, to get started with Comforting Your S-I Joints, for free. It's free because I expect you to find it effective and so to purchase the rest of the program for the full result.
By getting started with Unit 1, you can develop the confidence that you actually can succeed at this program and, as improbable as it may seem, do for yourself what medical professionals and therapists have been unable to do, for you.
Introducing Lawrence Gold, a certified practitioner of the revolutionary Hanna Somatic Education(R), a groundbreaking discipline in the realm of healthcare focused on pain elimination. With over three decades of experience, Lawrence Gold has been dedicated to helping individuals find relief from various ailments.
During the period spanning from 2005 to 2015, Lawrence Gold painstakingly developed a comprehensive program specifically designed to alleviate the wide range of symptoms associated with S-I joint dysfunction. Through extensive testing and refinement, he has ensured the program's effectiveness before making it available to the public.
For those seeking further information or assistance, Lawrence Gold can be reached conveniently via email or phone. You can contact him at +1 505 819-0858, located in Portland, OR. Lawrence Gold is committed to providing the support and guidance necessary to help individuals find lasting relief from S-I joint dysfunction and achieve improved well-being.






