This blog post was stimulated by my experiences of having osteopathic students with me during some of my sessions with patients. It is often a bit of a revelation when I speak about what we are trying to do.

The language that I use is one of listening to the body, trying to follow the body’s lead, trusting that the body knows what it needs to heal. My job as an osteopathic physician is to trust what I “hear” and try to figure out the proper order for freeing things that are caught. The art is in that listening and in interpreting what the priority is, then engaging the pattern that I have been shown in a respectful manner so as to foster an opening.

How we engage, that is, the tool that we use isn’t as important as maintaining a quality of respectful listening, and working from there. Even if the area is uncomfortable being treated, the goal is to stay present with what the body wants. 

Trauma patterns are somewhat shy. They need to be handled gently.