Early on, when I had just started using Network Chiropractic in our office, I had a patient that came to me after his first few visits reporting that he kept thinking about the death of his child. His child had passed away 25 years before. Though he could think of no physical trauma he had experienced in his neck, he started care with chronic neck pain and his cervical x-rays showed degeneration. As he released the tension from that area, he revisited the stress that had caused that tension in the first place.
People talk about how trauma is “stored in the body”. It is not a mysterious cloud of dark energy floating inside you. Gabor Mate says, “trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.” During an overwhelming experience, when it isn’t safe or possible to achieve self-regulation, the instinctive survival impulses driven by the brainstem and limbic system- to mobilize, run, cry and reach out for support, defend or express- become inhibited. When these protective responses can’t compete, the stress response cycle remains unfinished, and the body holds onto patterns of bracing, shallow or restricted breathing, elevated stress hormones, and chronic muscular tension. What is called “stored trauma” is not the memory of the event itself, it’s the physiological imprint of the unresolved survival responses. As my patient released the tension patterns that had been stored in his body since his son’s death, he connected to what created those patterns. I have found, over the years, that some people recognize where their tension originated and some release without connecting with a particular event.
Fascia is the body’s hidden operating system. It is a vital, three-dimensional web of connective tissue made of collagen and fluid, surrounding and supporting muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels. It’s a memory tissue. Stress, trauma, repetitive thought patterns and chronic emotional suppression all leave residue in the fascial network. Fascia is innervated by interoceptive nerve fibers that track emotional state. Fascia is a dynamic, tensile and sensory rich network that governs how force moves through the body. It stores elastic energy, distributes load and shapes movement quality far more than isolated muscle fibers do.
So what? What are we to do with this information? First, recognize that your body is not made up of muscles that work in isolation. Your plantar fasciitis may be coming from somewhere else in your body! Tennis elbow is not just about your elbow. Make sure that you think of your body as an entire system that works together. Incorporate exercises as part of your wellness regime that address the body as a whole and work to release the fascia. This includes disciplines like yoga and tai chi or qi gong.
Fascia is very vascular and affected by your level of hydration, so make sure to drink plenty of water!
Fascia is best addressed with gentle movement, ease and slow breathing- letting the body know it is safe. Avoid “aggressive” stretching – particularly if it might make you restrict your breathing! Instead, hold the body in supported prolonged stretches, such as with yin yoga. While there is a time and place for foam rolling, it is not the solution for releasing all tight fascia. I have recently started using a vibration plate machine that utilises vibrational movement to increase circulation and lymphatic drainage through the body. Our latest wellness tip video describes how this can be incorporated with slow standing stretches to release the fascia in different areas of the body.
Network care addresses how the body is holding tension in the fascia. With a network entrainment, the fascia changes- posture, breath, mood, and physiology shift instantly because the entire network recalibrates itself. Have you ever noticed that you’re taller after a visit and had to change the angle of the rear-view mirror when you got in the car to drive home? Fascia connects directly to the vagus nerve, sympathetic chain, diaphragm, pelvic floor, gut wall and meninges. When fascia is tight, dehydrated or restricted, it sends danger signals to the brain, increasing sympathetic activation. When it is unrestricted, the vagus nerve becomes more responsive, heart rate variability improves, and the immune system shifts toward regulation. When fascia is released, the individual may experience a change in emotional state, digestion, pain perception and mental clarity.
Fascial health is a predictor of mobility, balance, metabolic function, cognitive clarity and overall vitality- making it a significant factor in how the body ages. Make sure you take care of your fascia- stretch gently, breathe, hydrate, and get in for regular Network Care!