It’s August 2003; 6 months after Beverly Lutz, the flamboyant Canadian BodyTalk Instructor brought the incredible healthcare System of BodyTalk to Durban & Johannesburg.  She left our shores a week after class, and ever since, we’ve been mastering the techniques in my clinic every weekend.  I’m responsible for marketing & growing the awareness of this new modality in the province, & for recruiting fourteen new students for her next course that October.  No one knows what BodyTalk is, so I’ve attended every wellness fair, and placed articles in the newspaper. The phone rings. The woman sounds desperate. “The flyer says that BodyTalk has proven successful in addressing back pain,” she says. “Yes, that’s right, how can I help you?” I reply. “I’ve had MRI scans and my neurologist suggested I first try physiotherapy; failing which he’ll have no choice but to operate. My body isn’t responding to the physiotherapy, and I really want to avoid this operation. Can you help? I’ve spent six weeks in bed, living on pain killers for excruciating pain. I cannot work, go for walks or drive.”

And so, my first paying client, Dhana, slowly shuffles into my clinic. Through the yes-no muscle checking, some ‘general plumbing and wiring’ links come up in the session, and her body advises another BodyTalk balance the very next day! 

There is no change, and I help her to lie down on my treatment bed a second time. I breathe and center myself.  I can only trust and respect the innate intelligence of the body; it’s responsible for knowing and indicating what the underlying causes are, and for initiating the relevant healing responses. I remind myself that I am merely the facilitator; here to hold space and believe in the abundant possibilities and potential healing power of the body and BodyTalk. 

The General Environment technique tests positive as an underlying cause and priority. This technique requires that the practitioner put on their “Private Investigator Cap” as Beverly calls it, and use the ‘yes-no muscle checking’ and procedure chart, to investigate what exactly in the client’s environment, is causing the stress. We then need to identify where the stress is entering the body, and thirdly, what organ, endocrine or body part the stress is affecting. “Is there anything going on at work that’s possibly causing you stress?” I ask, as “work” had tested as a priority underlying cause. Out pours “the issue from her tissue.” She works for her in-laws, and every day she dreads going into work, as she knows that they don’t want her there. She feels rejected and unwanted. That was it! Nothing more to the story needed. This ‘stress factor’ had entered her pelvis, and she was blown away when I mentioned that it was affecting her 4^th lumbar vertebrae. “But that’s the exact vertebrae the neurologist said was an issue.” I smiled; the body had guided me; it had spoken her unique body story, and I “tapped it out.” 

Five hours later, my cell phone beeps; “Taryn, you won’t believe it, but I’m walking along the beachfront right now. I have no trace of pain whatsoever. Thank you so very much! Dhana.”

Eight years later it was a delight to bump into her again. She smiled at me, “I said I would come back if I ever had any more pain. I’ve been pain free.” 

My favorite clinic sign reads, “We are not troubled by things, but by the opinion which we have of things,” by Epictetus. We train practitioners to understand that it’s not the environment that causes dis-ease, but the client’s point of view. Once the emotional charge and attachment is taken off of the ‘environmental stress factor,’ the client’s perspective shifts, and harmony restores to the mind and body.

According to the 2017 Profmed Stress Index, work remains one of the leading drivers of stress-related illnesses among South African professionals. “Finding effective ways to manage stress is what will make the difference in the quality of life for hard-working professionals and is the only way to avoid falling ill to stress-related illnesses,” said Graham Anderson, chief executive officer of Profmed. 

Studies conducted by the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) revealed that more than 40 percent of all work-related illness is due to work-related stress, major depression, burnout and anxiety disorders.

Renata Schoeman, leadership lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) and psychiatrist states that, “undiagnosed and untreated mental health conditions directly impact a workplace through increased absenteeism and presenteeism (attending work while unwell), reducing productivity and increasing costs. Most employers tend to completely underestimate the financial impact of mental illness on their bottom line.”

Certified BodyTalk Practitioners and members of The International and South African BodyTalk Associations, are committed to filling this gap, and helping to support both corporate companies and their employees in this battle of work-related stress and illness. We also effectively take care of stress in pregnant women, their fetuses, growing children, spouses and grandparents. Give us a call. We can’t wait to make a difference in your life.

The post Discover the Healing Power of The ‘General Environment Technique’ appeared first on Thrive.

Looking back at my life, if anyone had to tell me 20 years ago that I would survive betrayal, deceit, infidelity, two failed marriages, two miscarriages, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, financial ruin, weight gain and four career changes before the age of 40… I would laugh so loudly that everyone in the room would immediately know I’m Mediterranean (It’s just how I laugh… lol) and I would naturally eventually say… “I would never be able to survive that!” – but you know what, I DID and I’m so incredibly happy I was given that path to shape my journey the way that it did.

Truth is, nothing in our lives happens by chance – every detail has a purpose – like the threads in a beautifully woven quilt, whether it reveals itself immediately or 20 years later, the fact remains that it will eventually all create an incredible pattern filled with depth and colour that will absolutely leave us breathless just by looking at it! It’s difficult to accept that everything happens for a reason or that everything is intended to happen in our lives exactly as it should, especially when it carries so much pain, but I truly believe this is the case.

About five years ago, as I began my journey into my second divorce, someone explained to me how they believed that each soul is shown the life they will live before they are given a body to live out that exact life, meaning that each and every one of us has actually watched the “movie of our lives” in detail (so, not the short, romantic “trailer” version) and actually CHOSE to live it anyway. I can’t explain the rage I felt! Really?! “So you mean to say I chose to live through all this pain?!” I exclaimed in complete disgust, for the mere thought that this could in any way be possible. Yet, here I sit today, utterly nestled in the understanding of this profound theory, and feeling truly blessed to be at a point in my life that I simply get it and more shockingly – I feel immense gratitude.

You know how it is believed that in order to know true happiness, one requires to feel deep sadness? Well, it is only in the absence of anything that we are able to appreciate its presence, and only in the true presence of anything are we able to appreciate its absence – so is life. I would have never understood a journey destined to find inner peace and healing had I not experience a journey filled with chaos and pain. How can I feel anything but gratitude for every person that has caused me pain in my life, for they have taught me to appreciate every single person that has come into my life thereafter, to show me love, light, friendship, and trust.

Today I am able to enjoy my own company, where before, I could be in a room full of people and still feel inconsolably lonely. I cannot begin to explain the freedom one experiences when you are able to make YOURSELF HAPPY. I know that may sound strange, but don’t most of us turn to things and people, especially partners, to MAKE US HAPPY? I know I did! For a VERY LONG TIME, I placed that responsibility on others. But today, TODAY I find happiness within me. Finding happiness within is the only way to truly experience happiness with anything or anyone else. Today I make it MY responsibility to ensure that I am following the whispers of MY soul so I can walk MY journey towards fulfilment.

This is why Thrive – It’s A Lifestyle is so incredibly important to me. It’s more than just a wellness hub, it’s a home. A home to everyone looking to find themselves and each other. A home to children looking for guidance, inspiration and healing. A home for women searching for their voice, their worth, and their why. It’s for men wanting to lead with compassion, nurturing, and understanding. For families looking for connection, excitement, and community. It’s for everyone wanting to grow, transform, and flourish. This wellness hub is a welcoming, loving and nurturing home, where we can learn to live our best lives, together.

For many years, I wasted time focused on my destination, and if the last few years have taught me anything, it’s that the journey itself IS the destination. I want to share my journey with everyone that walks through these front doors. I want my experiences to serve as inspiration and guidance to all those needing it. I want to invite wellness professionals with the same experiences and passion to help others to join me in helping make this world, OUR WORLD, a better place: one person, family, and community at a time.

It’s time we take the time and PAY ATTENTION to the little things; stop and literally smell the roses, take note of what is said to us and how we make people feel, and how they make us feel. Let’s really notice and remember – especially the good stuff – because our life is happening NOW, and if we’re not paying attention, it may pass us by without us even taking any notice.

So, as we continue to step into 2020, let’s dig up our goals and dreams, and let’s remember how WORTHY we are, how incredibly STRONG we are, and how we CAN actually survive ANYTHING thrown at us and truly THRIVE!

Remember, WE CHOSE THIS LIFE FOR A REASON, so let’s TRUST our judgment and REALLY make it count!

The post I would never be able to survive that appeared first on Thrive.