Aquatic Healing for Trauma

Comment

Comment by Susan (Sunus) Kovacs on July 21, 2009 at 10:38am

Thanx for all your comments, yes I did the right thing before, during, and after. As a professional I will always ask myself what can I learn from this experience and what would I do differently next time. So I contacted a friend -professional therapist, who said, "In the first conversation of the work, I may want to have a disclaimer, I am not a Therapist." I'm always trying to talk about what it is I do, and educate people, now I'm supposed to tell people what I am not? What do you think?

Comment by Diane Tegtmeier on July 20, 2009 at 11:13pm

Hi, everyone. Sunus, Sulis and Laura all raise great questions. I don't have time today to respond in a really helpful way, but will follow up in a day or so. These are big questions in the aquatic bodywork community around scope of practice and being prepared to respond verbally with skill. For years I have been concerned about this powerful healing tool of aquatic bodywork being given to people with little or no preparation for the kinds of situations it can evoke. That's why I created the Trust in Touch class (which only begins to address the need) and wrote my book, Relationships that Heal. The book should be available on the web within a month or so and contains many helpful guidelines to respond with skill to challenging situations. Our trauma healing training will address this more thoroughly. For now, it's important to remember that compassionate communication existed long before Freud.

Comment by Laura Srygley on July 20, 2009 at 12:03pm

I have had similar experiences with clients, and would also love to have more insight and training in how to work with this most effectively so that the client is not too overwhelmed to return. I remember one client very much like the one you described, who was in therapy as well, and did talk a little before/after about her experience, but after about 3 sessions called and said that her experiences in the water were too overwhelming and she needed to quit coming. I have had others who did not emote at all during the session, but called me later with the same response and did not return. I'm sure that's fine and all a part of their process, but would like to keep learning what I can do to help them experience aquatic bodywork in a safer way. I

Comment by Sulis (Sara Firman) on July 20, 2009 at 11:21am

I think you were right to recognize your limitations here Sunus and to avoid attempting any verbal intervention. It sounds as if you successfully kept safe space for this person.

One contention I have is that this kind of reaction occurs less often when practitioners themselves are not open to it or prepared for it. That's potentially a kind of safeguard.

However, there are some people in whom this kind of trauma is ready to surface and waiting for a trigger - a fuse is lit. Water can be such a trigger. I believe it is often a very safe one, in the right arms.

That said, in the 'wrong' arms, the trauma could also be further embedded (by an inappropriate touch or comment) rather than released. The person is very 'permeable' at this time.

You also have an opportunity to suggest to someone that they might seek further help; it's especially good then to have some recommendations to hand.

It's quite likely that this person would also have had no idea that such a thing was going to happen and also that they would not be able to articulate it or understand it's origin at that moment.

You did good. This is why we have started this group and why it has seemed to Diane, Inika and myself that there is much need and scope for training (including knowing one's limits).

I've written quite a bit about this issue on my aquatic blog - click here for one example.

Comment by Susan (Sunus) Kovacs on July 20, 2009 at 9:44am

What kind of interview is needed with a client to discover any history of trauma? Just how does that conversation start? I spoke with a client per email and phone briefly, but had no idea as to the depth of her trauma, as a result I was alittle taken back by the explosion of drama that occurred during a recent Watsu. In my 15 years of doing Watsu, I had never heard anyone scream, cry, sob, contort her body, and then to say nothing after the sesson about her behavior. I did not ask what that was about because I am not a behaviorist, and did not want to open a mental/emotional conversation. My sense is that she felt better afterwards and I felt grateful that I could manage to keep her head above the water.
There was no harm done, and I learned I don't feel prepared yet to interact in depth with the "Therapy" application of aquatic therapy in healing trauma. I did what I do best and held a sacred loving space for clients to have their experience of the work. I'm open for discussion.

Comment by Tom Cobian on July 19, 2009 at 9:01pm

Interested subject for years and hope to learn more.

Comment by Marty Rademaker on June 1, 2009 at 1:07pm

I want to start by stating my gratitude to Inika for inviting me into this discussion and to everyone else for the great information they have provided. I am a combat veteran and an enthusiastic receiver of aquatic bodywork. I personally contend with hyper vigilance and elvated startle response and have done so for over ten years. It was almost complete physical and emotional exhaustion that finally made me receptive to anything that might promise relief.

What I get from a session in the water is a brief respite from my two main PTSD symptoms. I feel that the practitioner has agreed to take on the "sentry duties" and that I can relax. I realize two benefits from this:
1. by not having to be on guard I get an emotional "catnap" that makes it easier to continue day to day
2. A space is created and held that allows me to re experience and release traumatic events

Every session brings longer lasting relief from my symptoms and more space between my thoughts and my reactions.

As Inika mentioned I am attempting to bring this and other forms of healing to veterans. I am pleased to hear that the VA is embracing aquatic bodywork as a healing method.

Again thank you all for your dedication to and continuing pursuit of healing.

Comment by Diane Tegtmeier on May 31, 2009 at 4:03pm

This is so beautiful, Sulis. I'm grateful to you for bringing us into your community this way. I share your feelings about cutting down our environment. Here at Harbin we've been ordered by the fire officials to clear a "defensible space" around all buildings or they won't respond to a call for help in case of fire. This has resulted in massive cutting and clearing. When I was given a rake and plastic bags to remove all the fallen leaves around our cabin, to leave the ground barren, I just couldn't do it. No big deal considering all the shrubs and trees that have been hacked down around Harbin, but I just couldn't make myself do it. I promised to wet down the leaves if fire is near.

Joanna Macy has beautifully and poignantly written about the collective trauma stored in each of our bodies and offers workshops and books to guide us on what she calls the Great Turning (back to Earth). In my own book, due out mid-late summer, I talk about how we can foster healing relationships in which both we and those we hold in the water (or other modalities) become increasingly aware of our interconnectedness with all life. Just yesterday I had another example of how much easier that is when we work in warm water.

I begin most sessions by connecting to the sacred land under our feet at Harbin, the healing water caressing our bodies. The body in my arms felt so much a part of all this as together we explored some deep places of wounding in her body. Her wounds were not from external impact of energy, but rather from what was missing. Later, she tearfully said she realized that all the symptoms she reported before we started came from a lack of connection to Earth. She lives in a big city, rarely touches Earth or is held by water. I wish I could describe the look on her tearful face as she reconnected with Mother. As Inika and I have said, trauma results from extreme neglect as well as "too much, too soon." I'm so grateful to be doing this work.

Comment by Sulis (Sara Firman) on May 31, 2009 at 11:17am

I'm thrilled to read, in one chunk owing to my recent absence, the May comment strings below. I have just been witness to a natural trauma - a sudden storm that brought down countless huge trees around a community that lives right inside the previous shelter of a forest.

There have been many insights arising for me that I feel inspired to try to share a little of here. Mostly they are about responding without reacting, holding space for what is, following what seems to want to happen, being in a state of paradox.

It's been interesting to observe the different reactions of people - none of whom were harmed - after their being witness of the event.

Some began to fear the trees and to want to push back the space between them and their homes. Some began to think of all the other dangers around them and to focus on that increasing vulnerability. There is no judgment to be made - their feelings are real.

My own reaction was neither of the above - rather an increasing awareness of something I am hesitant to articulate because it's benevolence and rightness seem to fly in the face of the initial violence.

(The same difficulty arises for me when trying to describe what happens in a healing water session even while someones appears (to an outsider) to be in distress.)

What to do to avoid the post-tramatic state that can lead to more insidious violence yet? The cutting off or cutting down of our environment.

Perhaps this relates to the 'observer' place you've been discussing in part here, and how that is best taken or acheived when in a setting of collective safety.

I think the warm water and support of a practitioner - who can stand for a collective sense of wellbeing while holding space for their own vulnerability - is very significant.

After all the urgent action of recovery in my community (clearing roads and dangerous tangles of trees), we met outdoors in someone's garden for a Quaker style meditation. It was a beautiful peaceful day with a breeze (not a wild wind) blowing. A pool of peace.

We all sat in each other's presence for an hour and spoke only when the 'spirit' moved us. A huge peace decended that connected us with each other (though many have differences) and connected us again with the land.

The violence happens (natural and otherwise) but it becomes increasingly clear that it can be integrated. As I write, I'm appreciative of the value of the connections we are making here. The spaces for contemplation and then the speaking from the heart.

This is what I want to see happening in our internet space.

Thank you all.

Comment by Inika on May 18, 2009 at 8:28am

Hi all,
Thank you for this thread, Laura. I'm not sure I can add much to what you all have said. Yes, the different perspective of observer is key to the healing process. As the observer it becomes a new story infused with the present moment in which we can feel safe. A few clients with PTSD feel the safest underwater in the womb-like environment. It seems to bring them to a place of tolerating the edgy, scary places that often come up in a session. This becomes a pendulation between scary (red) trauma vortex and safe (blue) vortex. The amazing thing that I notice all the time is how the body/spirit knows what it needs in the moment and moves toward healing even when it gets scary. Without going into those places there is less chance to heal. I believe AB is such a key resource for healing so much. How can you go wrong with safe nurturing arms/heart, and warm water?

In gratitude for all of us willing to keep pushing this envelope!

Marty Rademaker is creating a web page for veterans coming home and needing resources. He is including AB and SE and other forms of healing PTSD. I will invite him to join this group.

• First
• Previous
• Next
• Last