Today at school was the MFT class, Pelvis 2. The second class on the topic of the pelvis in our 5 classes in MFT for this semester. Before class started, I asked the instructor if I could be the demonstration client, and she agreed. I found my practice partner for the day, and class started.
First up, our instructor reviewed with us on palpating the Iliopsoas. Combined of two muscles, the iliacus and the psoas major, the iliopsoas is the prime mover of hip flexion, that is, bringing the thigh up toward the torso. The iliacus is somewhat difficult to access, as it lies in the iliac fossa, the inner depression of the ilium, or the big “wings” part of the pelvis, but is much easier to access than the ultra-deep psoas major, which lies just anterior to the lumbar spine. It actually attaches to the anterior surface of the lumbar verterbrae, and lies behind the intestines and other organs of the abdominal cavity. To access the psoas major (and in about 40% of the population, the psoas minor), it is necessary to push the organs out of the way and slowly sink soft hands down to the muscle. These two muscles are responsible for a large amount of low-back pain, and working them can bring a tremendous amount of relief.
So, there I was on my back on the table, knees bent, while our instructor had her hands in my guts. The iliacus was easy for her to get to, and the psoas was, too, but what no one expected was the LOUD emotional outburst that escaped my lips. A loud, wordless cry came out, and I started breathing really fast. Thank goodness she didn’t just pull out when that happened, but stayed connected and present with me until I could control my breathing again, then she had me “push” her out with a deep inhalation.
I’m still not sure what happened, but I feel no pain in my lower back anymore, and have felt solemn, but light hearted since this afternoon. That was one of the most intense bodywork experiences I’ve had as the client before. Intense only barely begins to describe what happened. It’s like she reached in and pulled a cork out of a dyke in my heart, and let all the cruddy stuff drain out.
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