massage therapy journal

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What most distinguishes the Trager Approach from other bodywork? A focus on the mind. Most other methods direct their attention to one of the body’s tissues; but Trager said that tensions, restrictions and rigidities are not physical patterns, but mental ones.

Navajeevana’s founder, Kumarini “Kumi” Wickramasuriya, is impressed by the way Trager movement education complements physical therapy. “You see, that feeling is there—that lovely feeling to help another person,” she says.

Anna Marie Bowers, administrative director of the U.S. Trager Association, agrees. “I think this is the perfect way to introduce Trager to another culture,” she says. “Trager offers a way for therapists to address fear, pain and restrictive physical patterns not addressed in their prescribed protocol. The body’s natural reaction to trauma and stress is to shut down, withdraw or contract.

Our body needs this important fight or flight mechanism when responding to danger, but over time, when the stress is still there, that’s when you have a problem.”

Adults at Play: Mental Gymnastics

Teaching Trager halfway across the world comes easily to Lear, using body language to fill in the gaps where talking seems overrated. The therapists laugh when he slouches in his chair like a couch potato with a TV remote, to show why it’s better to keep the body moving. To get them into their comfort zone, he demonstrates “Mentastics.”

“Most importantly, I want you to have fun. I want to reawaken our ability to be playful and spontaneous,” he says, as he begins moving.

The group of therapists follow him, shifting from foot to foot at first to feel more grounded. Lear asks them to write their name using their nose, then jokes they should “write a note to a friend” using their shoulders. The mood lightens. Soon, the group breaks into a dance, laughing out loud. They’re entering the state of awareness called “hook-up” by Trager practitioners around the world. Trager describes hook-up as a meditative state, like the way you become connected with your environment when walking by the ocean.

“Ask yourself: ‘What is half the effort?’ says Lear as he dances along with the therapists. “Now, what’s half of that? Even where there’s tension, find a place that is soft. You’ll be able to learn how to give these techniques to your clients.”

Occupational therapist Gahmani nods and smiles broadly, indicating there is no language barrier here. Using less effort is a concept he sometimes forgets; life for the therapists at Navajeevana is just as hectic as in a Western rehab hospital, with fewer conveniences.

“They are so dedicated though,” says Arun. “They don’t get paid all that much. They go from one patient right to the next and don’t ever complain. They love their work.” As the need for rehabilitation grows, Sri Lanka has seen a shortage of therapists, which can make the workdays stressful for Gahmani.

“In demanding environments such as these in remote areas,” says Lear, “having the ability to stay relaxed, comfortable and focused is essential to administering the best possible care.”

In training sessions, Lear uses familiar Buddhist philosophy to remind the therapists that caring for their own body comes first: “As the Buddha said, be selfish so that you can give freely. You can’t take anyone else somewhere you aren’t feeling yourself.”

Anchoring the Experience: Tablework

It’s apparent Lear has internalized this self-care philosophy. Not only does he practice Mentastics, but he also devotes hours each day to an intense ashtanga yoga practice and time for meditation.

After a short break in the training, with water buffalo grazing outside the hospital door, Lear begins to show Navajeevana therapists how they might use Trager to enhance physical therapy. He gives each of them a Trager tablework session to anchor the experience. Occupational therapist Gahmani is first in line. The movements look so enjoyable because instead of working against the body’s basic reflexes, it stimulates its normal range of movement.

First, Lear gently paws Gahmani’s shoulders like a cat. Then he cradles his head and weighs it until it gets heavier. He’s watching to see what kind of “stories” Gahmani’s body might have to tell. After releasing Gahmani’s head, he steps back and takes a break, to shake out his hands and relax his own body. Then Lear creates a hook with his hand, wrapping it close to Gahmani’s ear, rocking and letting his head roll naturally side to side. Both men’s bodies begin to share the same rhythm. When he takes Gahmani’s leg by the ankle and wiggles it, the wave ripples through the whole body like sending waves through a rope.

Those ripples help him to see what’s happening in Gahmani’s hips and lower back, says Lear. Senior Trager instructor Deane Juhan likens the technique to using a broom to get something out of the corner from a distance. It’s these fundamental principles of inquiry, weighing, rocking and elongating that form the basis for this language of touch.

As the session ends, the rocking slows gradually. Then Lear anchors the experience in Gahmani’s mind by saying, “Just as you can recall a stressful situation, you can recall this feeling of fluidity and softness.”

“When you said ‘this feeling is yours and you can have it any time you want,’ that is very important,” says Gahmani. “Sometimes stressful situations may not allow me to get relaxed. But by using my mind, I can go back to that beautiful place.”

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