I just got my first piece in The New York Times!
I'd love for you to read it. If you're inclined to comment, please say something nice!
To see the essay:
Less Talk, More Therapy
(My title was "A Place To Unwind," which they liked, but not enough to use. But I wanted to share that because I think it goes kinda nicely with the piece.)
I had a very similar experience. I suffered severe trauma of a physical nature as a child. Years of talk therapy helped a bit, but it really was not until I started getting massages that I not only began to remember the abuse (I was young and the abuse was severe, so I dissociated and the memories remained buried), but also began to recover from it. I also have a sense of my body changing. I call it unravelling, but it sounds like unwinding as well. I probably would not have had the courage to get a massage without having done the talk therapy. The two together have really helped.
ReplyDeleteIt makes complete sense to me that if you have been mistreated, having your body treated carefully and respectfully by a relative stranger would be healing. There are many routes to the unconscious, and touch is one of them. In my experience, the unconscious mind needs to feel and see as well as hear and think to heal. This is similar to some new PTSD therapies that use role playing to demonstrate to the unconscious mind that the world is a safer place, and that the abuse is over.
Thank you for writing this. My process is something I came by completely accidentally, and it is very helpful to hear someone else has found a similar path.
Hi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the powerful article. I am wondering if it would be possible to know what kind of practitioner Ann E. is and if she or you have any recommendations for practitioners in the San Jose, CA/SF Bay Area?
I have written a new post about Ann E. I hope it answers all your questions. Thanks so much for reading! And good luck!
DeleteJessica. What a beautiful piece. You description of your body's release is visceral. I am forwarding your piece to my network. I think this part of talk therapy is often under-emphasized. Alison Crosthwait, Psychotherapist. @marketstructure
ReplyDeleteCongatulations on getting published in the Times, I am happy as well or I would never had read this article. I also would be interested in knowing what kind of practitioner Ann E is. Any recommondations for Twin Cities area?
ReplyDeleteTeresa C.
I have written a new post about Ann E. I hope it answers all your questions. Thanks so much for reading! And good luck!
DeleteI very much enjoyed the piece as well and wonder whether you or Ann E. has any recommendations in the Washington, DC area--thanks.
ReplyDeleteI have written a new post about Ann E. I hope it answers all your questions. Thanks so much for reading! And good luck!
DeleteI live in DC and had similar results with Emily Jacobs, a myofascial release practitioner in Tenley.
DeleteHow may one contact Ann E. for an appointment? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of practitioner is Ann E? How do I find someone like her in San Francisco?
ReplyDeleteI have written a new post about Ann E. I hope it answers all your questions. Thanks so much for reading! And good luck!
DeleteSending this article to all my relatives and good friends - thank you so much - it is beautifully written and will help many people
ReplyDeletePlease tell us what type or types of massage Ann E. does?
ReplyDeleteI have written a new post about Ann E. I hope it answers all your questions. Thanks so much for reading! And good luck!
DeleteI would also like to know how to contact Ann E. You may send me an email at susieglaze@gmail.com. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI would like to have more info about this- is this practitioner in or near NYC? Anniewashburn@mac.com
ReplyDeleteI have written a new post about Ann E. I hope it answers all your questions. Thanks so much for reading! And good luck!
DeleteHi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I have spent many years in psychotherapy only to still feel "fundamentally unfixable" at 47. I have never had any bodywork of any kind and wonder if it would be as healing for me as it seems to have been for you. Like most everyone else here, I am wondering where your therapist works or what type of massage she does. Unfortunately, as with anything, all massage therapists are not created equal. This woman seems to be some sort of gifted "body whisperer."
I have written a new post about Ann E. I hope it answers all your questions. Thanks so much for reading! And good luck!
DeleteAlso looking for info about Ann! Lovely piece! coristern@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI have written a new post about Ann E. I hope it answers all your questions. Thanks so much for reading! And good luck!
DeleteThanks for sharing your Journey with us. The one phrase that said it all was..."this is a body crying not the crying of the heart"... I love it ! it is so beautiful and so meaningful and so powerful !!!
ReplyDeleteThat is where a true healing begins. There is so much to say about it but since the title is "Less Talk" I will end here...Thanks.
P.S I know Anne Elaine and I can see how her own amazing journey and dedication to the truth in all endeavors shaped her to be such a great facilitator !