In our bodies, sometimes the path to freedom needs to hurt a little.
Like a trigger point that needs to be released, sometimes a little sting is the only way out.
And, this is ok.
When I was in the sixth grade, I had an awesome teacher who took some kids from our class on a special caving trip. I felt so excited to be one of the chosen for this adventure.
And then, I had to exit the cave.
The only way out was to crawl through a very narrow and long tunnel. The kind of tunnel you army-crawl through and if you barely lift your head your helmet hits the rock above you.
No matter how much I begged this man, our caving guide with a West Virginia twang, to offer me a different solution, there simply was none.
Sorry sweetie, unless you wanna scale that (extremely high) wall, there’s no other way out.
My 11-year-old brain and body reconciled these words with tears forming in my eyes.
It was the first time I remember truly feeling a sense of dread in my body. As it turns out, one thing I have in common with my 6’2”-strong-as-an-ox-vietnam-veteran father is the fear of confined spaces. Claustrophobia can be genetic!
Every fiber of my being did not want to go into that tunnel. But I had to.
It was My. Only. Way. Out.
I army-crawled my way to freedom, crying the whole time.
I was both safe and scared. And, this was ok.
(For the record, I have not gone caving since. This is also ok!)
Ultimately, I came out of the tunnel with a giant leap out of my comfort zone - and better for it.
If you have been following my writing, you know I have a lot to say about trigger points.
I have written about:
My final reflection about trigger points is their reminder of this simple truth:
In order to release the tension, we have to experience the tension.
And then, we are free.
Trigger point release offers us a good hurt, one that is short-lived and breathable.
But, even a good hurt still hurts. A tunnel is still a tunnel.
If we don’t let ourselves enter into that extra tender territory, we won’t be free - free of the pain and the limited mobility.
To reconnect with our fullest range of motion, we have to let the sting of a trigger point happen.
This takes courage. As does caving.
If our experience in our bodies is filled with soreness, pain, and limited mobility, it’s not unlike being stuck in a cave.
All the ways out look un-fun: the mundane physical therapy, the MRI (in a small tube!), the surgery, the forced rest, the slower-than-you-would-like recovery, the cast and the crutches, the being on-hold with the insurance company so you can get the care you need, the ultimatum of it’s time to change your diet and your exercise - or else, the acceptance of the diagnosis, the acceptance of the new normal.
Our bodies are amazing - and - sometimes they just need to hurt for a bit. This is ok.
We can come out of the tunnel, better for it.
If you are feeling stuck inside your body, massage and bodywork can be a support - like the helmet and headlamp you need to find your way out of the cave and into your freedom.
A body free from pain.
A body that moves freely.
And if you want, maybe even a body that goes caving!
With freedom on the mind, here’s an oldie but a goodie from Aretha Franklin.
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