As I’m sitting in my office looking at the amazing rain Cape Town is having this morning, I’m reminded of a song sung by Afrikaans singer Elizma Theron with the deep lyrics: “Ek wil huil as dit reën, want dan huil ek nie alleen….” (translated as: I want to cry when it rains, because then I’m not crying alone…). In today’s post, we’ll have a heart-to-heart about your cropped up emotions you do not dare to share with anyone.
We all go through difficult situations in life; sometimes it is caused by our own decisions, but at other times it happens to us outside of our control. As humans, we have been created to deal with difficulties in life, but when difficult circumstances prevail and it feels like there is no end to the problems and no breakthrough in sight, then we tend to become discouraged, negative, depressed and helpless. In short, we become emotional and when you are at such a difficult place in your life, the last thing you feel like doing, is to talk to people about your problems and then you tend to withdraw from others and you become isolated.
In our isolation (that we often cause ourselves by withdrawing from others), we tend to feel lonely and as if nobody cares and then we begin to feel sorry for ourselves. If that is where you are today, let me begin by saying that you are not alone. There are many of us at the exact same place in life. Have hope; you are not alone. Secondly, I would like to tell you that where you are right now, is totally normal and there is nothing wrong with you by feeling the way you do. It is natural for humans to withdraw and isolate themselves when they are experiencing deep hurt and especially prolonged hurt and difficulty.
However, just because it is natural does not mean that it is beneficial for us. When you feel alone, hopeless, miserable and deeply hurt, then it is the best time to reach out and make contact with somebody. It may be a friend, a family member, a spouse, a colleague or a professional counsellor, but reaching out is a good first step.
If you are anything like me, though, you may not want to reach out, because usually when you reach out, you are forced to face the hurt or the difficulty and you have to speak about it. That is not a desirable approach for many people, but have you ever considered reaching out and connecting with another human being without necessarily speaking about your problems, difficulties and hurt? Maybe you have, maybe you have not, but let me provide you with a healthy alternative you may want to consider as a first step in dealing with your life circumstances you feel stuck in at the moment.
Consider reaching out to another human being by scheduling a therapeutic reflexology session for yourself; after all, in the midst of all your difficult life circumstances, you deserve to be taken care of by an empathetic healthcare provider. When you go for a therapeutic reflexology session, you do not have to speak about your problems, your difficulties, your life circumstances or your hurt. You may tell the therapeutic reflexologist that you are not there to talk about anything, but just want to relax with your eyes closed and receive a relaxing therapeutic reflexology session. You may not have considered this approach before, but it is a very effective way of overcoming your isolation while physically and emotionally benefitting from a recognised healthcare modality.
Therapeutic reflexology is totally non-invasive so you do not have to get undressed (other than your shoes and your socks), it is very relaxing and you do not even have to talk during the session if you do not feel like it. Therapeutic reflexology is not “talk-therapy”, it is a physical therapy that will enhance relaxation and your body’s ability to balance itself from the inside out; and yes, that includes balancing your emotions that may be all over the place.
I have been practicing reflexology for the past 16 years and have worked with hundreds, if not thousands, of people, many of them after a traumatic event and it is not strange for them to experience emotional relief and release after a reflexology session. I have worked with many feet and by merely providing a relaxing reflexology session on their feet, often results in tears spontaneously flowing from a person’s eyes without a word being spoken. Why you may ask? Well, because if you are experiencing deep emotions and you are not effectively dealing with it (and very few people actually do when they are in the midst of a difficult life situation), the emotions are stored somewhere in the body and by receiving a non-invasive therapeutic reflexology session, the stored-up emotions are released.
Does this mean that the therapeutic reflexologist will counsel you? No, counselling is not part of the scope of practice for therapeutic reflexologists, but if you want to talk about what you are experiencing, the therapeutic reflexologist will gladly speak to you and if it is felt that you need professional counselling, a relevant referral will be made. However, it remains your choice whether you want to talk about your emotions or not. The therapeutic reflexologist will not force you to talk about your feelings, emotions or thoughts, but it does sometimes happen that when a person experiences an emotional release as a result of physical therapy, that you may want to talk about the experience; even if only to understand why you are teary.
The therapeutic reflexologist is a professional healthcare provider so you do not have to feel ashamed if it happens and you do not have to fear that you will be embarrassed; you will not. Caring for patients and their holistic wellbeing is what therapeutic reflexologists do; that means caring for you physically, but also with any emotions, you may be feeling.
Therapeutic Reflexology is a wonderful physical therapy that assists the body to heal itself or at least balance itself; both physically and emotionally. If you have not tried it before or if you just want to experience it again, do not hesitate to contact a therapeutic reflexologist for a relaxing session.
You do not have to cry alone and you do not have to experience all of life’s difficulties and hurt alone; relax with a caring therapeutic reflexology session!
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Christo A. Scheepers: Therapeutic Reflexologist
Dip.T.R.(Cum Laude) [IARAMT]
AHPCSA: A11945
Pr. No.: 1080000737453
Tel. 072-800 7243