Alchemical Bodywork: The Sacred Marriage
by Nick Ardagh, M.A.
In previous articles, I've discussed some of the benefits of alchemical hypnotherapy for the body worker. Now, I would like to describe the steps and techniques which may be useful to a potential practitioner, as well as to share a few of the many case studies which support the effectiveness of this work.
To a large degree, we accumulate tension in parts of the body in order to cut off feelings. At certain critical moments in our lives, we've been faced with choices: whether to feel, to contain uncomfortable, seemingly dangerous feelings; or, to numb ourselves through tension. Hurt, hopelessness, and despair for example, may be stored and obscured by contraction of the pectoralis muscles in the front of the chest. A weakened sense of identity, being overpowered by the will of another, could be reflected in a weakness in the ankle joint. The fear of being dominated, the desperate need to maintain control of ourselves, we find in the occipital ridge.
At crucial moments, often in childhood, we have subconsciously chosen these holding patterns in order to safeguard ourselves from overpowering feelings which seem to threaten our very survival. Through Alchemical Bodywork we give the patterns of tension a new context within the subconscious mind, from a necessary defence to an outdated inconvenience. Instead of imposing new postural patterns upon the client's possibly unwilling body, we first must make it safe in the subconscious world for the client to let go, and only then we utilize techniques with our hands to release holding patterns.
In the first stage of an Alchemical Bodywork session we help a client to relax deeply in a state of hypnosis, and to enter into the tense or blocked part of the body. This we achieve through the utilization of trance induction techniques, for example by helping the client to see themselves stepping down a flight of stairs, through a door, and into the affected body part.
Once in the part of the body, the client can begin to experience that place in the body through images, dialoguing, re-running memories, or any of the senses.
A client will often meet a "controller" of that part of the body, the personification of the body part. This may be a sub-personality, an animal, or even a guide.
A client is able to ask the body part directly: "What do you need from me in order to feel comfortable, and to let go?" The body part can share with the client why tension has been necessary in the past, and what would be necessary to relax. Frequently memories are stored in parts of the body, sometimes from the client's recent past, but most often from childhood, or even from past lives. The client may ask the controller of the body part to show these memories on a movie screen and together they may be able to run and change the memory, thus creating and anchoring a new script into that part of the body.
One client came to me with a long-lasting pattern of tension in the lower part of her back, which restricted the movement of her spine. When she went down the stairs and through the door, she found a small flower in a pot surrounded by ditches, barbed wire, fences and guard posts. The flower was heavily guarded. She was able to talk to the flower for more than forty minutes, and to ask why all of this protection was necessary. The flower, which seemed to be her vulnerable soft, and delicate nature, was able to tell her that she felt unsafe in the world without this protection and defense.
This client was able to offer other defenses to the flower, through the support of other sub-personalities, and through subtle shifts in her lifestyle, and slowly the flower was able to agree to demolish the barbed wire, the fences and the ditches, and to replace them with behavior patterns of discrimination and security. At the end of the session, the client was free of tension in her lower back, and remains so to this day.
In the second stage of Alchemical Bodywork, which follows naturally from the first, the awareness brought into parts of the body causes the body part to come alive. The body worker, whose hands gently rest on either side of the body part creating an energy field, or presence, may be aware of the muscles gently trembling, and becoming warmer.
This increased energy, aliveness, and awareness in the affected body part naturally gives rise to expression, which is the third phase of the work. This may be the moment when a body part can express it's needs verbally, or the moment when the memory stored in the body can be changed or re-run. It may also be the moment when incomplete communication with family or friends is brought to a completion.
At this critical moment of expression or release, when all of the client's subconscious mind is involved in changing the inner environment, the body worker can go with his hands deeply into the musculature, and miraculously, the client experiences no pain. Instead, most people experience relief and pleasure, to be free of defenses they no longer need or want.
The fourth stage follows naturally from the third, which is the integration of new feelings and inner landscapes with a loose and balanced posture. The client experiences bliss, relief and relaxation inwardly through new alliances, changed memories, or completed communication. The body worker can now anchor this experience to the body by gently moving the part of the body through it's natural range of motion. Body workers trained in Trager-work or soft-joint-release work can utilize their skill to help the client experience their full flexibility and openness both physically and emotionally.
Another client experienced repeated chronic tightening of the pectoralis muscles in the front of the chest. Although she had already experienced many sessions of deep tissue work, the pattern of defending the heart area always returned. By stepping down into this part of the body, she was able to meet her mother, and to say things which had been left unsaid in the past. As they could communicate, the muscles began to tremble and became warm. As the communication reached a climax, and she was able to express her needs succinctly, I was able to go deeply into the pectoralis muscle and to release it. For the first time since childhood, this client experienced the bliss and warmth of trust and security in the chest. As she enjoyed new understanding and intimacy with mother, I was able to move the left shoulder through its full range of motion, anchoring an expanded, open emotional state to a free and unrestricted physical feeling.
One of the fascinating findings of practitioners in this field is a close correlation between feelings and memories stored in the body, and specific body parts. We begin to see the body as something like an apartment building with many rooms and many different inhabitants. It is extraordinary to see the close degree to which every client finds similar memories and feelings in the neck, in the pelvis, in the ankles. The body is a map of the inner world, where all the 'sub-personalities' live together, some maybe behind locked doors. Alchemical Bodywork allows for the simultaneous reintegration of both the posture and the subconscious mind. Here we are treating the client as an integrated whole, a body-mind-spirit, and the changes we bring on all levels simultaneously reinforce each other.
I encourage you, if you are practicing either alchemical hypnotherapy or bodywork on its own, to expand the horizons of your practice. This sacred marriage can lead you and your clients into new and unknown territories.
Alchemical Bodywork Article Pages
Listening to the Body's Wisdom
Alchemical Hypnotherapy for the body worker
