Trager Mentastics In Water
Have you had a Trager session? It is an experience you will not ever forget! Today in a class a woman said she remembered a session she had with me 8 years ago! I honestly did not remember her, until she told me when and where. She said she had recognized my eyes, and finally put the two together. As she described her session, I was amazed that she was able to recall so much. Her memory served her well!
Mentastics is the aspect of the Trager Approach that involves using the imagination to evoke movement where there is none. Generally, it is done before and after each session. The movement gives the client a way to keep the session going long after the session is over.
I have had a few opportunities to lead a client through Mentastics in the water. The session relieved some very tight shoulders and a neck that held some traumatic family experience, that the client had not been able to share until that moment. It reaffirmed Milton Trager, MD's comment that "for every physical manifestation in the body, there is an emotional one to the exact degree".
During the session, we explored our own movement, allowing the buoyancy of the water to support us. We played with our weight, our effortlessness, our freedom, as we cannot do on land. Letting go of our own tension is what this approach is all about. Then the body can do it's own healing.
As my client floated, I began gentle movements of the limbs with my hands. The body followed, easily integrating the spaces I was creating through gentle elongations. Walking backward pulling her along, we both enjoyed the movement. Placing my hand under her back, she felt even more support, and as I walked my fingers down her vertebrae, more releasing occurred.
Coming back to standing in the water, she described to me a feeling of freedom, which stayed true even on land. She was relieved to let go of the secrets that were locked in her neck and upper spine. A phone call a month later, showed that the tension pattern had not returned, and she was sleeping much better.
I will soon be offering sessions in the water. If you are a water baby, give me a call, and we will see how you like it! If you have your own pool, or a hot tub larger enough to float freely in without touching the sides, I would make a home visit.
If you already have access to water, I suggest floating for the best relaxation there is. Enjoy!
