Integrated Floorwork Sessions take place on heated mats on the floor and involve a lot of being stretched and moved by the therapist. The client stays fully clothed for this kind of session. Floorwork gives us an opportunity to address particular areas of tension in the hips, pelvis, legs, and low back specifically.
Inspired by Thai massage with its unique positioning of the client to allow for deep stretching, Integrated Floorwork Sessions involve holding passive stretches long enough to engage not only the muscles but also the fascia－the connective tissue that surrounds the muscle and influences how the muscle operates－as well as the nervous system. Proprioceptors in the joints get a "workout" in these sessions, which can be a key part in resolving the effects of stress and trauma because of their role in developing a stronger sense of self via the brain-body connection.
With the extra space available without a massage table in our way, there is lots of room to do some fun and playful things that help with stress reduction and trauma resolution, such as:
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exercises that help us land more fully in the here and now (referred to as grounding)
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body posturing and/or movement to help express internal states (embodiment)
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spatial exercises to discover one's boundaries and sense of autonomy
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exploration of one's body sense with proprioceptive input
Whenever we begin to work on releasing long-held tension in the fascial system, we also begin tapping into the deeper issues behind the tension.
Sometimes these things come as memories, images, sensations, movement impulses, or emotions that are tied in with the physical tension, often without us realizing it at first. We want to welcome those things as they come up, because they often hold the biggest clues as to the reason for the pain. We work to create a safe space, full of compassion and curiosity, where unresolved events and emotions can be sorted through and integrated into your fuller sense of being, instead of fragmented and painful. Of course this can take several sessions, as resolving emotional issues or the effects of trauma or prolonged stress is not quick work; deep work never is. But progress is usually felt at each level of healing, which provides the encouragement to keep going. You can read more about the stress/trauma work that is integrated into sessions here.