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A Touchstone for Health and Wellness

The Healing Response - Not Quite What You Expected?

It's discouraging when you are disappointed.  It can be a boring movie or cold food from a surly waiter.  When you expect to enjoy something and don't, it's annoying.

With physical discomfort, it's even worse.  Perhaps you have heard good things about a particular treatment.  You have to wonder what is going on when you try it and end up stiff, sore, headachy or nauseous.

This physical discomfort is generally the healing response.  It's the body's reaction to positive changes.  This may not seem like a good thing, but it is an important indicator.  Discomfort is part of the body's defense mechanism.  The thumb bruised by a careless hammer blow throbs to remind us that it is healing and needs gentle handling.

Our body systems likewise need gentle handling during repair work. Reactions of nausea, headache and muscle tension are the very common results of treatments that release toxins in blocked areas in the body. The head, neck, shoulders and armpits, the elbows and wrists, the waist, abdomen and hips, the knees and ankles are key blockage points.

To minimize healing response discomfort, look after yourself.  Take time to fully experience the treatment, especially after the session.  Drink more water than usual to flush out those toxins.  Be thorough with the practitioner about your health. Just because you are used to your chronic condition does not lessen its significance.  If you are in the beginning or recovery stage from something major, it can also affect your response.

And don't worry about hurting your practitioner's feelings.  If you have a negative or painful response to the treatment, let the practitioner know you have had a problem.  A conscientious therapist will want to review the session notes, perhaps talk with a teacher or fellow practitioner.  This is what goes into giving good service.  Help your practitioner develop good skills.

Remember, the point of all therapy is to benefit you.  How this happens is ultimately in your hands.

Gertrude King is an Aromatherapist and Reflexologist in private practice in south western Ontario.