Why Holding Space?
As I was contemplating the message I wanted to convey with my practice I kept coming back to the concept of “holding space”. If you are familiar with alternative or holistic types of therapy you may have already heard of this term and there are a few ways to interpret this phrase. To put it simply, “to hold space” for someone is to meet them where they are in the present moment. Too often we get caught up in where we “ought to” be or what we “should” be capable of doing, instead of recognizing that where we are right now is just a starting point.
For my clients that can mean just about anything because I see clients for so many different reasons. But for example, let’s say that your pain level is at a 7 out of 10, and when you are in that kind of pain it is difficult to imagine what it might even feel like to feel better. It can be quite scary to consider that maybe a pain level of 7 is all you’ll ever feel from now on and you'll never get better and this is just your life now. Maybe you’ve tried everything else and myofascial release is a last resort so you’re not expecting much. Maybe you’re in so much pain that being your “best self” feels like a luxury.
For me, to hold space for someone, is to not take any of that too personally, and in doing so create a space for you to feel whatever you need to feel, physically and emotionally. As a myofascial release therapist, I am a facilitator, helping your body tap into its natural ability to heal itself. I am there to support you through the healing process, using the gentle pressure of my hands into the tissue, releasing the areas that have become hard or tender or otherwise “stuck”. I am also there to guide you through any frustration or emotion that may come up as well. I want my treatment room to be a safe place for you to express yourself in a therapeutic way that is not often afforded in other treatment settings.
Healthcare today has relied so much on pain management through medication that it would prefer its patients to not feel at all. In reality, our pain is meant to be a message that something isn’t right. To not feel at all is no way to live. My goal is to hold space for you to feel the pain or discomfort without fear of injury, so that we can together get to the root cause of it, so that pain management is no longer necessary.
I hope you allow me the honor of holding space for you in the near future.
