Bodywork Bingeing
(Also spelled “binging.” I looked it up.)
So what am I referring to anyway?
Often in my practice, a client will ask how frequently to come in for bodywork. Or if it’s good to combine bodywork modalities in the same time period or better to just do one kind of therapy and one alone. Or if it’s okay to get massage in the same day as structural work (or chiropractic work or acupuncture or reiki or….. you name it. I’ve been asked about it!) So here is my answer…
I love sushi. I also love tacos. A mushroom ravioli with fresh grated Parmesan? Yum. How about soup dumplings (xiao long bao)? Yes please. Or how about a hearty lentil stew? Also yes! A freshly baked chocolate chip cookie? Yum again.
But. Would I want to sit down and eat all of these delicious foods during one meal? God no! Or how about over the course of one day? Still no! It’s just too much stuff, too many different flavors and textures that don’t compliment each other. I can already feel my tummy rumbling in protest just thinking about it.
I would much prefer to eat one of those delicious things. Let it sit for a while, digest and metabolize. Notice the energy this particular food gives me, or perhaps notice the sleepiness that comes over me after the last bite is consumed. Putting all of these foods together is a system overload that doesn’t end well. This is kinda why potlucks are so dicey for me. There are so many foods on offer and very few of them actually go together. (Or worse, you end up with 12 bags of chips and one actual entree!) It takes real forethought at a potluck to put together a plate that makes sense for my digestive system and won’t leave me gurgly and uncomfortable.
Do you get where I’m going with this?
Cramming in all kinds of bodywork during a day or a week, can have the same effect. It’s not our fault for thinking this would be a good idea. Many of us are steeped in a culture of More Is Better. Many of us also are not taught how to listen to the subtle signals of our nervous system. (Coincidentally, this is something bodywork can help us attune to….)
So when clients ask me “How often should I come in for bodywork?” or “Is it okay to see my chiropractor AND you during the same time period?”, I have a pretty clear answer: we need to give the body time to digest the work, integrate it, let it settle in and do its magic. Otherwise, we are veering into the territory of Bodywork Bingeing.
In practice, bodywork that fosters integration can look like this: an appointment on Monday with a chiropractor, an appointment with me on a Thursday (if you are dealing with an acute injury, otherwise waiting until the following week might be better.) Or it might look like a visit to your acupuncturist on a Tuesday and two weeks later, a visit with me.
Now, all that said, everyone has a different metabolism and a different need in any given moment. When I was in a car accident a few years ago, I was seeing two practitioners a week, spaced at least three days apart, to get my body back to a more ease-ful place. But when I’m not dealing with an acute injury, getting bodywork twice a month feels like enough to me. However, that also means that I’m doing my own self care like Pilates, rolling around on therapy balls, walking, stretching, napping, biking to work, etc. So the bodywork I get during the month is enhanced by all the things I do on my own.
If you ever find yourself asking the question, “Am I doing too much at one time?” I suggest you ask these next questions of yourself:
What did I notice after the last appointment?
How did I feel later that day or that week?
What did I learn about my body during the session or afterwards?
What did I take away as an “aha” moment from the session?
Is my body craving more input?
Does it sound wonderful and delicious to go to my next appointment or does it seem like a royal pain in the ass to take more time out of my day, drive there, look for parking, feel stressed about the things I should be doing instead….
If you find yourself feeling ambivalent about any answers to these questions — except for the last one! Not much room for ambivalence there... — I would invite you to slow it down. Space your appointments apart. Give yourself time to soak in the work and figure out what it meant on the inside.
See how it feels to take your time. We are encouraged to rush so much in this life. The body teaches us how to slow back down.
Enjoy!
