This Sunday I will be at the St Joseph’s College Women’s indoor triathlon. Though I have participated in this event twice, I am going there this time with a message. I don’t think people should have to live with pain or with acute or chronic injuries. At IPT, believe injuries are the result of gradual and cumulative disruptions in the body’s ideal state of being. Thus, the body must constantly work toward minimizing and compensating for these abnormal forces.

Most Injuries are not symptoms to be treated but bodies to be healed. We believe in facilitating the body toward a place of wellness. From this place, injuries are prevented and the body can function more efficiently and with greater ease.

Last fall, I spoke at the “Empowering Me” Conference. The presentation was called “Peeling away the Layers: facilitating physical and emotional harmony within the human environment.” In a very little nutshell, all the little bumps in the road of our bodies (what I call microtraumas) create simple restriction patterns. In other words there are fairly direct cause and effect blocks in the body. They can be emotional or physical. These may cause problems along the way, but when there is early intervention, they resolve fairly quickly. The problems really begin with these simple layers get connected so that one problem influences one or more areas. It is the beginning of an escalating and complex pattern of restrictions causing a plethora of intense problems or hard to define problems. Unfortunately, these interconnected layers start forming new connections. I call them the interconnected connected layers of restriction. This is where chaos enters the body and there is usually a hard wiring of pain and dysfunction. There are usually many physical and emotional issues at this point. Diagnostic imaging or other testing cannot begin to identify the cause of the symptoms. It is usually at this point that a patient will begin doctor-hopping looking for the one fix to a very complicated and ingrained pattern of pain and dysfunction. It can be a very frustrating time.

At IPT, we specialize in the process of slowly and gradually peeling away these layers of restriction in a way that honors the whole person. With this process, changes that are made, hold. Gradually, the body shifts into better alignment, balance and fluidity. We have helped many people who were told they would just have to live with the pain. Nobody should have to live that way.

On another note, practicing mindfulness is such an amazing key to happiness and living fully in the experience of life. It is a great way to reduce stress, gain clarity and honor the self. It is instrumental for physical and emotional health. May peace and harmony guide your journey.