I had such pain between my shoulder blades that twice, ten years apart,  I had x-rays taken of my back thinking the vertebrae in my spine must be disintegrating. The doctor reported back that my spine was fine.  I knew something was wrong, it was just the x-ray couldn’t see it.

Two years ago when I was at the Kiloby Center being treated for PTSD, I had a  big release of that energy through my back and it’s never hurt since. Occasionally I’ll have a mild feeling of sensation through my neck and upper back but that activated cloak of energy isn’t needed anymore. I have healed and released the trauma it was protecting.

I don’t need to protect myself from the world in the way I had before.

Many of us have protective energy in the back of our neck, shoulders and upper back. The muscles in that area tense and contract. Our shoulders move up toward our ears and hunch forward a bit, protecting our vulnerable heart.

Tune into your own experience in your body. In this moment, do you actually need to protect yourself? We may need to reassure our nervous system like it is a child. “The danger is passed, we can relax now. Take some deep breaths. Let the muscles soften.”

Our nervous systems are always on the ready. Our primitive brain and fight/ flight/ freeze survival system are lightning fast and we can count on them. The most effective way to protect ourselves is actually to let our guard down when it’s not needed. That way our system is calm, rested and ready to respond.

This is an excerpt from a recent workshop Calming the Nervous System. For the full video, sign up for our newsletter or email [email protected].

 

 

 

Protecting Your Back
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