Facilitating
a Patient's Therapeutic Progress
Subject:
Talking During Treatment
As
therapists it is our responsibility to discipline ourselves, to be centred and
to educate our patients in the value of silence so that they can access their
healing wisdom. Only when the therapist and patient are deeply centred in mutual
silence do the depths of their wisdom merge with universal wisdom for authentic
healing to occur.
For
years I have recognized that great therapists have an intangible quality that
differentiates them from the average therapist. I have become aware that our
educational training focused on the conceptual aspect of our consciousness
ignoring our deeper consciousness where our wisdom lies. In my seminars I have
been labelling our intellectual side as Channel 5.
Our
educational system taught us what to think, not how to think! Unfortunately,
this was not true education, but instead was mass hypnosis forcing us to
memorize “facts” while ignoring or ridiculing our intuition, instincts and
wisdom, which I label Channel 3.
Traditional
therapy and medicine imposes its will trying to force logic on an illogical
body. The channel 5 mentality vainly focuses on “fixing” symptoms.
As
one moves deeper into Myofascial Release we realize that our past traditional
training cripple us by forcing us to memorize a paradigm of reality that is
terribly flawed, erroneously based on principles that ignore an entire
physiological system; the fascial system and the mind.
One
of the greatest barriers we as therapists have to hurtle is unshackling our mind
from the intellectual prison enforced upon us. Rational thought, logic and
intelligence are important, but we must have the courage to expand into the very
important type of intelligence based on feelings (Channel 3).
Interestingly,
a few weeks ago in an article titled, “The Secret Skills of Leaders” in the
magazine US News & World Report, these points were made describing what
traits great leaders possessed. German sociologist Max Weber called it “the
firm taming of the soul”. Today psychologists call it “emotional
intelligence”. (EQ)
Psychologist
Samuel Goldman says that emotional intelligence is the overlooked yet essential
ingredient of leadership. In “Primal Leadership”, his book due out this
spring, Goldman argues, “that instinctual intelligence is the primary factor
that distinguishes great leaders from average ones”.
A
balance of both IQ (Channel 5) and EQ (Channel 3) is essential for great leaders
and therapists alike. Myofascial Release performed at the highest level allows
the patient to expand beyond Channel 5 into Channel 3 where authentic healing
can occur.
The
traditional model of reality thrust upon us gave us the false impression that we
are small, inconsequential, helpless, and so we identified with the limited
“false ego”. In fact, neuroscientists have discovered that the database
available to our subconscious (Channel 3) EQ is in excess of 10 million to one
of that of our intellect (Channel 5). So we mistakenly identified with this
miniscule aspect of consciousness and we now need to correct this error by
identifying with the vastness of our loving essence and the incredible,
authentic power of our feeling intelligence (Channel 3).
Our
goal is to continually develop the prodigious power of our feeling intelligence
EQ, as therapists to help our patients tap into the healing power of Channel 3
where our intuition, instinct and wisdom expresses itself in the most loving
way. I feel that the conversation about talking during treatment may have left
some patients confused. Myofascial Release therapists listen to their patients,
but more than hearing their words we are also reading their body language,
repeated phrases (patterns) and the emotional tone of their words or phrases.
This tells us much more than the words, for this is the patient’s EQ or
emotional intelligence speaking from their bodily wisdom.
After
the first few treatments, too much talk, anything over 10% of a treatment
session can be the patient’s way of denying or camouflaging their deeper inner
fears. It takes courage for the patient to feel these deeply held emotions. It
is our role as the therapist to gently guide them into their inner silence so
that the hidden information and deeply held emotional patterns stuck in the
subconscious can emerge for true healing to occur.
If
the patients insists on talking incessantly that is their choice; however, they
came to the therapist for their experience, guidance and wisdom. And if the
patient insists on controlling the session and ignoring the advice, they may be
denying themselves of the most meaningful healing experience of their life.
Hasn’t
it been said, “Silence is golden?”
Sincerely,
John
F. Barnes, PT
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