by Molly McMillan, OTR/L, founder of MMFR
I hear the word “weird” in my practice so often, I tell clients that if I had a dollar for every time someone said it to me, I would be a rich woman. And, it’s too true. The word most often is uttered when a client first realizes how connected their body truly is. It’s one thing to say and think that the body is all connected, talk is cheap. It’s another more mind-blowing experience to FEEL it. Talk about how everything is connected, mind, body, spirit, and emotions is so common that we “think” we understand. But, we can’t understand with our thinking minds. It’s very much like saying we understand what it’s like to have kids because our sister has kids, or our best friend has kids. Because in my experience, even when someone says, “oh I know it’s all connected”; they still fall back on, “but it’s my leg not my arm that needs help, why are you working with my arm”, or “yeah, it’s all connected, but isn’t it this particular muscle we should be addressing?”
So, in this mystifying moment I hear “that’s WEIRD” all caps and italics used for the tone of voice that you can imagine goes with it. When this happens, I respond by suggesting the word interesting instead. Because words have emotional and mental power, and the word weird creates a kind of mini panic in the body, with a closed off mind. The word interesting creates curiosity, and an open-minded wonder. Then, I do an internal, sometimes shared cheer, because my mission to help the client feel more fully into their being has been accomplished. And, once the door to this world is opened, it will never close again.
The only tissue that connects the entire body is the fascial system. It is a different system, and is unique as it is the only system that connects each part of the body to another. So, when we feel an arm pull in our big toe, this can only happen through this luminous and fluid filled matrix of fascia. We have to see beyond what we know from anatomy books that describe in intricate detail the nerves, blood vessels, muscles and organs. And, fascia is filled with information about your life experiences and the state of your health. Connecting to this wise and wonderful system in our bodies is a giant leap toward a lifetime of health and wellness.