| What is a knot? A knot is when the sufferer | | | | (something happens within and) the guarding |
| feels tension, and reaching his hand to touch the | | | | releases like magic. What happened? Maybe the |
| spot, he feels a raised lump of muscle. | | | | brain has a sense of humor and needed to see |
| What is the lump made of? If he rubs it back and | | | | how silly the guarding really looked when it was |
| forth, it feels crunchy, as if there were some | | | | allowed to do what it planned. Maybe the most |
| substance in there. This crunching has lead many | | | | guarded position is a secret key that unlocks the |
| to guess that there are "calcium crystals" in there. | | | | double-lock vault where the tension was originally |
| When this image is believed, clearly the way to | | | | stored. Maybe it is just a playful time that allows |
| cure the knot would be to "break up the crystals." | | | | the brain and body to lighten up. Maybe the |
| This requires "stripping," "breaking," and generally | | | | symbolism of guarding as far as one can go, |
| mechanical forces from outside the body to | | | | wears out the original command and it simply runs |
| "tenderize" the meat of the muscles, like one of | | | | out of steam. Probably all of the above and more |
| those wooden mallets used by thrifty cooks to | | | | reasons too. |
| tenderize cheaper cuts of beef. Of course, after | | | | The Importance Of Immediate Feedback |
| mechanical force is applied from outside, he feels | | | | Every muscle treatment I give, I ask the person, |
| sore the next day. This is why he is advised to | | | | "Hey this muscle is softening, do you feel it?" |
| "drink lots of water." But what if a knot is not | | | | Before the question, her brain had monitored |
| made of crunchy crystals? | | | | relaxation only subconsciously. When a person has |
| I believe a knot is nothing but smooth muscle, | | | | enough experiences noticing her own muscles |
| raised to a wrinkle because it is pulling so hard. It | | | | relax, she gains conscious influence over her own |
| is like rope that you twist and twist, until finally | | | | muscle tension. Soon enough, she no longer needs |
| the fibers kink in the middle. | | | | outside assistance from a massage therapist, she |
| Why do I think this? Any muscle will soften in | | | | can relax her own muscles from within, all by |
| seconds when the person's brain changes its mind. | | | | herself. |
| After thirty seconds of softening, when I rub the | | | | Complaints That Benefit From Invoking Brain To |
| muscle back and forth, there is no more | | | | Relax Muscles |
| crunching. If there were crystals there, where did | | | | (please understand I am not a Doctor, I am not |
| they go? If nobody broke any crystals, how did | | | | licensed to diagnose, and I am not saying that any |
| they soften? | | | | disease would be "cured.") Relaxation From Within |
| If instead, knots are only muscle fibers kinked | | | | Helps With: |
| from tension, then when the brain stops signaling | | | | - Aging (triggers PNS parasympathetic nervous |
| it to "pull", the kink naturally flattens out without | | | | system) gives back years of quality living, |
| any mechanical force from outside. | | | | healthier skin, nails, hair, better digestion, lower |
| The nice thing about relaxing muscles from within, | | | | heart rate, better blood pressure, lower anxiety, |
| is that there will be no soreness afterward. There | | | | deeper breathing, etc. |
| will be soreness after "crystal breaking" or any | | | | - Asthma, Allergies, Histamine Reactions, Chemical |
| mechanical force intended to break something in | | | | Sensitivity, Hyper Sensitivities |
| the muscle. When you intend to break something, | | | | - Athletes: those specific cramps at mile 22, low |
| something will break! Soreness includes bruising of | | | | back pain for black belts (psoas muscle), Tendinitis |
| the skin, bruising of the muscle, and little bits of | | | | (relax the muscle attached to that tendon), |
| broken muscle fiber. Of course you need to drink | | | | Tennis Elbow, Golfer's Elbow, etc. |
| more water for a few days that the immune | | | | - Atlas and Axis: by relaxing obliquus inferior and |
| system needs to clean up the broken fibers and | | | | superior muscles that were jamming these two |
| heal the bruises. On the other hand, when muscles | | | | joints |
| relax from within, there is no need to drink more | | | | - Brain: TBI brain injury, Stroke, MS, ALS, |
| water because nothing was broken. | | | | Encephalitis, Lyme, etc. (by boosting brain-muscle |
| How do muscles relax? | | | | communication, intra-brain communication is |
| Muscles respond only to brain decisions. (Well, | | | | enhanced) |
| that's mostly true. There are mini-brains in the | | | | - Dancers (psoas) |
| spine that can also signal muscles to contract or | | | | - Emotional Release (release not in outbursts, but |
| relax temporarily. But after the spinal reflex is | | | | gradually and constantly leaks away, a gentle |
| finished, the muscle will return to the last | | | | rivulet of release), PTSD, "Shell Shock," automobile |
| instructions the brain gave.) Muscles relax for | | | | accident trauma, major surgery (traumatization |
| good only when the brain commands them to | | | | can reside for decades after anesthesia and |
| relax. | | | | surgery), past life trauma (encapsulated in pearl |
| In the absence of new signals from the brain, | | | | gray capsules in the hippocampus and medulla |
| muscles will continue to do as they were doing. | | | | oblongata, regulated by the centrum and the |
| Muscles will actively contract (or "guard"), day and | | | | cerebellum) |
| night, even after death, if this was the last | | | | - Fatigue, CFS, Fibromyalgia, Candida, etc. |
| command heard from the brain. (for this reason, | | | | (reducing muscle tension without the next-day |
| animals who know they are about to be killed | | | | soreness, ends the pain-spasm-pain loop) |
| tense up, and the meat--which is only muscle--will | | | | - Hip Rotators and Shoulder Rotator Cuff |
| still be contracting when it gets to your plate, | | | | (tendons heal faster when no longer under tension |
| you'll be eating millions of "tense up" molecular | | | | from muscles) |
| messengers sent from the animal's last thoughts | | | | - Irritable Bowel or Poor Digestion (colon has spiral |
| to its muscles.) | | | | muscles that need to relax to move the food |
| We need to figure out what the brain wants, so | | | | smoothly and effectively) |
| that it will choose to relax. | | | | - I-T band (which is the common tendon of the |
| Here is what does not work: Lengthening muscles | | | | Tensor Fascia Latte and Gluteus Maximus |
| by force. The brain knows that force is being | | | | muscles) |
| used and so it will subconsciously choose to relent | | | | - Job-Related Injuries, Stress, Overuse Injuries, |
| temporarily, returning to its previous tension | | | | Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel (more likely wrist |
| settings by the time the person wakes the next | | | | extensors), Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, tingling in |
| morning. Worse, the brain now subconsciously | | | | the fingers, numbness, (pectoralis minor, scalenes, |
| mistrusts whomever used force to overcome its | | | | atlanto/axial joint, subscapularis), Sciatica, Bursitis, |
| guard. | | | | pain down the leg, numbness or tingling in the foot |
| How To Invoke The Brain To Relax The Body | | | | (piriformis, pectineus, TFL) (muscle tension |
| If we want the brain to freely choose relaxation, | | | | restricts vein, artery and nerve flow) |
| then it cannot be forced to change. | | | | - Low Back Pain: (relax the lumbar sidebenders |
| Instead of forcing change, why not agree with | | | | and psoas) |
| the brain? When you find you can't rotate your | | | | - Lumbar Rotation, sometimes diagnosed as |
| head to the left, don't force it! Turn your head to | | | | rotoscoleosis: (tight psoas muscle can rotate |
| the easy way. Contract lightly in the directions of | | | | lumbar spine) |
| comfort for about twenty seconds then gradually | | | | - Type "A" personality, SNS (sympathetic nervous |
| let it return to neutral. Do this a few times a day. | | | | system) always on, "Fight Or Flight," Adrenaline |
| If your body wants to go into a curled or bent | | | | Junkie, High Blood Pressure, Hypertension, Cold |
| position when you sleep, allow the body to go | | | | Hands and Feet, Sweaty Palms, Anxiety, Tongue |
| where it wants and help it. Get into a pool and let | | | | Tied, Butterflies In Stomach, etc. |
| the body bend and curl in any direction it wants. | | | | - Yoga Practitioners and Teachers: overstretching |
| When it feels it has been heard, the brain feels | | | | injuries, low back pain (psoas,) loss of hip medial |
| honored that someone has taken the time to | | | | rotation (piriformis too tight, TFL too weak) |
| listen without judging the guarding as bad. It feels | | | | We live in a generation of dramatic change. Force |
| supported that someone is on its side and actually | | | | never really worked well. We never really needed |
| wants to assist its plan. | | | | to depend on an Authority Of Healing to fix our |
| How Does It Work? | | | | knots, kinks, and ailments. It is time to use the |
| Once the brain sees that its limbs, joints and | | | | gifts within. |
| muscles are in the fullest contortion of guarding, | | | | |