Stress affects every aspect of modern life. Debilitating and harder to diagnose than other ailments, stress produces havoc on
body. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually and ruins our health and relationships. More than 4 in 10 of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress and as many as 9 in 10 of all visits to doctors' offices are stress-related. Stress is your body's reaction to any situation. You know that you are stressed when your body sends you a signal, a cue. Even though there is "good" stress called eustress your body's adrenal system is activated same as when there is "bad" stress called distress.
Idiopathic scoliosis from a bioenergetic perspective is a stress reaction that can be overcome. As a Bioenergetic Analyst and Stress Consultant I have seen many stress reactions to life experiences overcome. The most exciting and rewarding one has been seeing scoliosis clients' spine straighten as they overcome their original stress reactions.
The focus of this anecdotal research article is to provide perspective on etiology of idiopathic scoliosis from a bioenergetic view of stress. This anecdotal research article comes from clients' sessions and with their approval we offer our findings here for your review.
Our research begins with four questions. First, is there evidence that idiopathic scoliosis is an energetic condition? Second, what major issues promote its development? Third, what personality and character structure is associated with this stress-related condition? Fourth, what energetic and therapeutic conditions will cause lateral curvature and rotation of spine to straighten?
Incoming complaints of "who am I?"; twisting and turning to others' expectations; need for approval and acceptance; fear of rejection; fear of failure and statements such as: "I don't know what is real for me anymore" is confirmed by observing that even though scoliosis clients want to feel, they deny, stay away from, and resist their feelings.
Scoliosis clients' also resist accepting their body. They control and resist letting go of, and surrendering to their feelings, by talking themselves into and out of situations, with their ideas and behaviors.
Scoliosis clients' fear surrendering to their feelings. They tend not to trust. They avoid living in present by recounting past and preparing for future, and by analyzing each situation to determine outcome and their role in outcome.
Fear, hurt and anger keeps them from making contact with others, and with themselves. An inability to accept this becomes critical when they feel tired, and when chest, throat and neck are tight.
Scoliosis clients are emotionally frozen. They are very negative and tend to complain a lot. They resent being dependent and being depended on, and yet they need approval and acceptance from others. They exhibit low self-esteem and fear of needing and being needed. Fear of hurting and being hurt is intense and apparent when they insist on controlling what they feel and how they express themselves.
Even though scoliosis clients are negative, they resist getting into negative feelings for fear of goofing and hurting self and others. "I am impatient, I want to make it all right for me now" is said frequently.
Scoliosis clients are frustrated, sad and angry with themselves and with others. They fear and are challenged with desire of getting what they want. "I am always a reactor, I back into success, I want to initiate and I am afraid I will fail." They have difficulty getting in touch with need to get what they want. "I want to do for me, for no one else anymore. I react or run, I never say this is for me and stay there. I have difficulty supporting myself."
While making these statements, scoliosis client begins to feel like a small child taking his/her first steps, and remembers mother leaving. Intellectually scoliosis client knows that a step must be taken now. Several minutes are taken to execute this, all while there is a concern with "step to where?" The scoliosis client then begins to see and say things symbolically, which reveals (to this bioenergetic analyst) scoliosis client's schizoid character structure.
Scoliosis clients' physical attributes tend to support this. From a bioenergetic perspective their physical attributes exhibit schizoid and oral character structures. The chest is small and pelvis is locked. Energy, which is mainly in head, neck and throat, is locked. These defensive physical attributes are stress-related survival reactions, and can be overcome.
Scoliosis clients are arrogant. They are very intelligent and employ intellect as a defense and resistance against needing. Being verbal helps them stay away from their feelings and from being aware of who they are and what they want and need.
Their tendency to struggle between "don't tell me who I am" and "tell me if I am right, and that I am right" makes situation complex and their feelings fragment. Evidence of this fragmentation can be heard in statements such as "I don't know who and where I am." Their concern is about "if I let go of my holding in my chest and throat, there will be a void and then what will I have?"
