When Amatsu doesn't work straight away: Philippa's Story

If you have been in pain for a while, chances are you have tried a few different things. After seeking help from your doctor you may have started looking elsewhere to complementary therapies, yoga or Pilates. But what do you do if you don't see results quickly? You can start feeling frustrated, depressed..and it is costing you a lot of money. Philippa is an education consultant who came to see me suffering from severe hip pain.

This is her story:

“I had been suffering with really debilitating hip pain for almost 2 years.I couldn't move easily, I couldn't dance, and I couldn't garden so all the things I do normally, I just couldn't because it was too painful. Even walking and riding my bike uphill hurt me. The worst thing was that I couldn't turn over in bed. I had to wake up, sit up and turn over and go back to sleep again so I never got a decent night's sleep.

I had been to the doctor and had various Xrays and they had assured me that there was nothing structurally wrong, it was a muscular issue but nothing seemed to shift it. I had already tried osteopathy and acupuncture and was having private Pilates sessions which were having some effect but it wasn't enough. I was doing yoga which was really nice while I was doing it, but the effect didn't last. I just felt like I needed to stretch all the time. I am an active person and I felt as though I couldn't be as active as I used to be and that was horrible.

I had no hesitation about trying Amatsu as I had had a taster session with Lorna which I really enjoyed, and my partner, who also had a session with her, came for a number of treatments and said that Lorna had really helped his shoulders and back. He suggested to me that I should to see if she could help me too.
I suppose that the price was an issue as I had already spent so much money on alternative therapy and Lorna's was at the top end of the price range I had paid. I also knew I would need probably a chunk of sessions, but with the encouragement of my partner, I knew I had to go for it was my health and because nothing else was working.

WHY DID I STICK WITH IT?

I was coming to see Lorna weekly for a while (with a break for Christmas), but it was about four months before I felt a big change. All I knew at the beginning was that it was a really delightful treatment. It felt so good and I nearly fell asleep loads of times. Even just that was worth it to begin with! I would go home after a session and feel 'Yes, this is it!' and then it wouldn't be and the pain was still there. In fact, there were times when the pain felt worse. But I just kept hoping as Lorna seemed to have faith that something would happen in the end even if it took time. My partner also had faith in her so I just kept hoping.

The thing is I just love Lorna's therapy and I also felt that she held me in mind. I always knew she had been thinking about me. She never promised anything, but she asked a lot of questions about my past health and injuries. She would always come back the next time with other thoughts, suggestions and things to try. We'd discuss it and I would go away and try things. It felt reassuring and very caring. That part was so important to me and I think my partner got that from Lorna too. Once you give yourself over to that feeling of being held in that way, it feels so good. I don't see how I could ever stop coming for sessions now!

I have had chiropractic and I really didn't like having my neck clicked. The sessions were so quick and purely physical. Amatsu isn't like that. It is so subtle and quite often I don't know what Lorna is doing. There is something deeper about it, a sort of emotional holding. It feels as though she puts something of herself into the treatment. For some extraordinary reason that I cant explain, the sessions are so divine, even better than a massage. I never want to get off the couch!

It was about 12 sessions and about £800 before we had a breakthrough. Lorna asked me, out of the blue it seemed, if I clenched or ground my teeth and I said yes. Lorna realised that the pain in my hip was originating from my jaw and once she started working there, things started to improve straight away.I still get the occasional twinge and I have to think before I lift a box now, but that debilitating pain has gone. I can walk everywhere, I can go dancing and can ride my bike. I can get full pleasure out of yoga and swimming. The biggest thing is that I can now turn over in bed. I don't feel debilitated any more and I can sleep!

I would recommend Amatsu to someone who is willing to prioritise their health over their entertainment. It wasn't cheap but I had already spent a total of around £3000 on other approaches and treatments by the time I came to Lorna. You might have to sacrifice meals out or your nights in the pub, but your health is worth it.”

So Amatsu isn’t a miracle cure then?

You may think that it is strange that I am posting a case study about a time when Amatsu didn't work straight away! The thing is, although most of the people I work with feel better very quickly, that isn't always the case. Sometimes, a person's pain is complex and has more than one aspect. Sometimes, I need to ask a client to trust me and have patience with the healing process as I work like a detective, hunting down clues and crossing off the usual suspects so that I can find the true culprit!

As Philippa mentioned, by the time most people come to Amatsu, they have usually spent a lot of money with other therapists trying to get to the core of a problem. I know that it's easy to lose heart or chop and change treatments or therapists hoping to find the elusive answer. Maybe I can't tell prospective clients that Amatsu is a miracle cure, but I can say that is the very best method I have come across to get people out of pain.

My Amatsu training has taught me that our body has its own unique history - layers and layers that make up who we are. Our hobbies, accidents, habits, diet, work and emotions all write that story and sometimes the unravelling of that story is a journey with clues, red herrings and false starts. I appreciate that it can be difficult to keep the faith in something when it doesn't appear to be working quickly. It's one of the reasons why I always initially suggest weekly treatments for at least 8 weeks to begin with. While results often come more quickly than that, I want my new clients to understand that quick fixes are rare and if they come, they may not last. I am deeply grateful to Philippa for trusting me and sticking with me long enough so that we could make lasting change.

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