Our optimal state of health – wellness – is not merely about being pain-free and disease-free. And our ultimate desire – living a happy, fulfilling, or authentic life – is not defined by physical wellness alone.
For most of us, wellness, happiness, and fulfillment are the results of living a well-informed, purposeful, authentic life. The choices we make and our execution of these choices, above all else, determine our destiny. Our ability to collect the best information, move forward appropriately based on self-awareness, and stay focused on the essentials requires presence.
Presence requires us to be awake, available, and curious in the moment, rather than distracted, defended, and locked in past reference points. Being present allows us to be the best version of ourselves – resourced in our sense of empowerment, creativity, and connection with those around us.
Our biggest hindrance to this state of presence is trauma. Trauma keeps us locked in the past, repeatedly enacting outdated unconscious defenses, rather than being conscious in the “here and now.”
When living through the filter of trauma, choices seem limited, distractions are abundant, and danger is around every corner. These defenses – the postures, movements, sensations, behaviors, feelings, thought patterns, etc… were our body’s momentary responses and ensuing adaptations to the challenge of keeping us safe in a time of threat. They were the best solutions we could come up with at the time.
Unfortunately, those same patterns that kept us safe, later become the structures that keep us stuck and in pain, escalating the stress response in the body. And now, even medical science recognizes that the daily stress we experience is the most powerful driver toward chronic disease, pain, and unhappiness.
It is important to note that stress is not based on the events around us, but rather how our bodies respond to those events. And present-time stress responses are amplified by trauma we carry from past experiences.
When the body is stressed, it takes blood away from the part of the brain which is creative, thoughtful, and insightful. We no longer have access to the sense of feeling safe, the abundant menu of available choices, or the feeling of intimacy and connection. The importance of safety, access to creativity, and connection with other can not be overemphasized.
A groundbreaking 75-year Harvard study found that the greatest predictor of good health as we age is the quality of connection with the people around us. Trauma and elevated stress levels are a formidable opponent to this crucial element of health and wellness.
Releasing defense patterns from the body through hands-on and hands-off modalities allows the system to become more alive in the present, both literally and metaphorically. Physiological and neurological changes occur that allow the system to come back to a more neutral, expansive, open state of regulation, rather than being over activated, defensive, and hyper-focused. Blood returns to the neocortex, switching us out of reptilian survival, restoring insight, creativity, wisdom, maturity, and presence.
Postural and movement patterns release out of their twisted, closed-off, protective shielding, allowing for organic, interactive expression and interaction. Unaddressed pain and physical dysfunction resolve, freeing us to focus on the joy of embodiment and the unfolding of greater possibilities in our lives.
Argonetics sessions can be hands-on, hands-off, in person or online. As we are all unique beings, with unique pasts, on a unique journey through life, sessions are designed to meet the needs of each client individually. Call or email to check current availability.
-Dr. Rabineau
Dr. Jason Rabineau 