Spinal Energetics FAQs

Your body holds on to every unprocessed overwhelming and traumatic experience you have ever had (acute and chronic) until you “process” them, energetically, emotionally and/or mentally. Basically, anything you couldn’t handle (as a child or adult) got stored in your nervous system, and it will continue to negatively impact your life until you process it. If you have conscious knowledge about the origin of an issue, it can be processed with counselling, but if you don’t (or just want to process it faster) you may have more success with Spinal Energetics.

Through light touch and no touch, I interact with your spine, nervous system and energetic field to activate your body’s innate wisdom and healing abilities. An organic flow of energy and movement begins to reveal and release tension, resistance and “history” that have been held deep within you, often since childhood. You may experience different sensations and subconscious impulses, urging you to move and stretch as your body unwinds and releases stored tension patterns. This gradually restores balance and harmony to your body, heart, mind and soul.

Spinal energetics taps into your body’s innate intelligence and healing capability. It is a collaborative interaction between you and your therapist at every level of your being – physical, energetic, emotional, mental and spiritual. This deep connection brings energy and sensory awareness to whatever your body and nervous system are holding onto. As your sensory awareness and mind-body connection deepen, you may feel impulses to flex, twitch or move. Just allow these to happen naturally, without resisting them or forcing them. Stuck energies and emotions may be released, so tears and cathartic expressions can occur.

Spinal Energetics is particularly effective at releasing traumas and tension patterns that your body has held on to, long after your mind has forgotten about them. They are often from your early childhood (womb to 3 years old), before your mind and sense of self were sufficiently developed to process complex, confusing or challenging experiences. These unprocessed experiences are stored within the body as energetic tension patterns. They subconsciously nag at us through uncomfortable feelings (dis-ease, which can eventually become disease) until we process them, which is where Spinal Energetics can help.

Hypnosis is not utilised in Spinal Energetics. You remain conscious during each session, but will probably relax into a meditative state. This is perfect because Spinal Energetics is most effective when you let go of your thinking mind and relax into your body. This allows you to connect with your issues, access your body’s innate wisdom, and activate your natural healing capabilities.

Movement is a powerful way of expressing, processing and releasing emotional energy, but it’s not the only way. Shifts in breathing, vocalisations, facial expressions, tingling sensations, tears, sighs, yawns and laughter are some other ways. Some clients don’t move or overtly express anything during the session, yet still report profound healing or life-changing shifts.

No, not initially, because people who are new to emotional healing or “inner work” often have a poor mind-body connection. This can make it difficult to feel the energetic and emotional impulses that spinal energetics activates in their body, and if they can’t be felt, the body probably won’t move much. It can take 3 or 4 sessions for before people’s bodies start to move, but those first few sessions can still be effective. Movement isn’t the goal of spinal energetics – embodiment, emotional healing and psychological wellbeing are. Some people never move, even after a year of regular sessions, but they keep coming back because of the beneficial effects it has on their wellbeing.

A session typically begins with a chat about your life and anything you’d like to work on. This is usually followed by a few minutes of breathwork and a guided meditation to deepen your mind-body connection. For an in-person session, you’ll be asked to lie face down on the treatment table and relax. For an online session you’ll probably lie face-up (unless you have your own treatment table).

All sessions begin with a little breathwork and brief guided meditation to help you become more embodied (less in your head). In-person sessions continue with a quick physical assessment of the tension in your feet and ankles is carried out, and will later involve some touching of the spine and other parts of the body (mainly the back and legs). The appropriate spinal energetics processes are then carried out, usually with some background music to help you settle into the “healing space”. I will make some subtle sounds (clicks and wooshes) as I work through the processes, guided by my observations and intuition. Your only job is to relax, sink down into your body and let go. If you feel subtle impulses to move, allow it to happen naturally and spontaneously, without any conscious input… If you feel emotional, let it out… If you need to make any cathartic sounds (from sighs to screams), let them out… Whatever your body wants to do, allow it and express it. When the processes are complete, you’ll be given some time to integrate the changes – simply relax and enjoy the music. Your body might feel heavy and relaxed or buzzing with energy, and some subtle movements may occur. We’ll end the session with a chat about your experiences and some aftercare advice.

It helps if you come to your session with a particular issue in mind. Discuss it with me briefly at the start of the session, then feel into it deeply when the treatment begins.

The idea of moving during therapy is alien us, but it can actually help us to let go of stuff we’ve been holding onto for years. So, you can either lie there like a rock, or you can let your body go and see where it takes you!

Don’t wait to feel something consciously and then move your body – it doesn’t work that way. Spinal energetics works best when your conscious mind is out of the way, because it taps into your body and subconscious mind. If you stay in your head (conscious mind) watching and waiting, you are missing the point and will probably have a disappointing session. But if you allow your body to move instinctively, it will naturally become attuned to the spinal energetics energies, and you’ll have a much more fruitful session.

Everyone is different, and every session is different. So, you may feel amazing, deeply seen or energised. Conversely, you may feel a bit tender or drained while your system integrates the changes. Whatever you feel is the result of a deeper mind body connection. However you feel, it’s important to drink lots of water and take it easy for the rest of the day. Please be aware that your system might take a day or two to completely integrate the changes that can occur during a spinal energetics session.

Note: Your symptoms (e.g. pain or discomfort) may temporarily intensify after a session. This is actually a good sign because it shows your mind-body connection is deepening, and your body is confirming we are on the right track. Rest assured that the session hasn’t made your symptoms worse, you are simply feeling them more deeply than before.

Well, it depends on the current condition of your nervous system and what you want to achieve. A chiropractor or physiotherapist would probably recommend a course of 6 to 10 sessions to treat a physical issue. Spinal energetics works at a subtler level so can achieve results faster than this.

I don’t offer single sessions to first-timers because some don’t feel much during their first session, so they give up. It can take 3 or 4 sessions for your mind-body connection to deepen enough for you to connect with your issues and activate your body’s innate intelligence and healing capabilities.

One week between sessions is advisable. Weekly sessions are recommended initially because it helps to build momentum. If you want to continue your healing journey with Spinal Energetics, you may want to move to fortnightly or monthly sessions. As with any kind of therapy, you are your own expert, so please listen to your body’s own innate wisdom, and you will know what frequency is right for you.

Yes, they can be, because physical distance has no bearing on the effectiveness of the connection or the healing. Some people can relax and let go more during an online session in the comfort of their own home, and others prefer being in the presence of their therapist. The main difference between an online and in-person session is that (unless you have your own massage table) for an online session will be lying on your back instead of your front, but some people prefer that anyway.

Spinal Energetics is suitable for most people, but NOT those with Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Epilepsy/Seizures, Severe Asthma, Heart Problems or Aneurism. It is also NOT suitable if you are pregnant or have given birth in the last 6 months. It’s not suitable for children under 12. If you have any doubts or questions, please Contact Me.