Continuation to Wanda's Testimonial
- Wednesday, 19 October 2005
I
first came to Dr. Ara out of curiosity at the end of 2004 after hearing
about him from a friend. I did not suffer from chronic back problems
(other than a tight lower back), but as I learned how our bodies store
emotions and experiences we are not able to process and integrate, I
suspected Dr. Ara's work would help me progress in my emotional and
spiritual healing. Despite being on 10mg Lexapro daily, I experienced
a severe depressive episode after my second adjustment; the adjustment
seemed to have dislodged depression I didn't know I still had! That
experience confirmed there were painful emotions stored in my body which
his chiropractic work would help my body release and integrate.
In January of 2005, I began visiting him regularly, in accordance with the care plan he developed for me after a detailed evaluation. During the past ten months I have experienced marked physical improvement. I am far more aware of my body's needs than I have ever been in my adult life. I'm aware of tension when it accumulates, and I instinctively release a lot of it through gentle movement. My breathing is deeper and more refreshing. My spine is more flexible, and my improved posture makes the rest of my body feel stronger, yet more relaxed. These improvements make my daily workouts more enjoyable. For the first time in years, I no longer have a chronically stiff lower back. I do not grind my teeth or clench my jaw much, where I used to constantly, unconsciously do those things.
From early childhood I have had difficulty relaxing into sleep. When I was a toddler, my mother would hold me down to keep me from fidgeting; she said I was "fighting sleep," and physically restraining me was "the only way to get me to fall asleep". As I got older, I had more and more trouble relaxing into sleep, usually needing to totally exhaust myself in order to fall asleep without fidgeting. My mother and I did not realize my pre-sleep fidgeting was simply my body's way of integrating and releasing the day's experiences. With her holding me still and then with me holding myself still, my body locked everything inside. The result was a racing mind, unrestful sleep, and a dread of going to bed. When I mentioned these things to Dr. Ara and he shared his insights, I realized our error. Now, I no longer attempt to restrict my movement before sleeping, I no longer dread going to bed, and I usually fall asleep quickly and sleep well.
Along with the physical improvement has come increased mental clarity and emotional calm. My overall outlook on life has become more positive, and I am able to bounce back from disappointments in a matter of hours or days, instead of weeks or months. I am gradually releasing long-held resentments which counseling had only touched upon, because they were locked into my body, not just present in my thought patterns. My lifelong feeling of being a victim is decreasing. Dr. Ara has even felt the difference when he has palpitated my organs. I still must take Lexapro on a daily basis, but I expect that as my body continues to heal itself, I will no longer need it.
Dr. Ara practices chiropractic very differently from the
more clinical chiropractor I visited years ago for my lower back stiffness.
In fact, his services contain aspects my fundamentalist religious upbringing
frowned upon. Despite all of this, I am glad I followed my heart to
his healing hands. I have experienced more healing under his care in
the past ten months than I experienced in more than three decades of
submitting to fundamentalism. I am grateful to him and to God for this
great gift.
~
Wanda McCrae
