The Spark

Image by Cristy Cross Photography

After I had my first child, I was lucky enough to find myself in the hands of a fee-for-service pelvic Physical Therapist. I say lucky because her methods of treatment were not constrained by insurance companies. I received very well-rounded care that took into account the whole patient, not just individual parts. Dr. Laura implemented treatment protocols which were likely considered non-traditional, and shared her own story of how she ended up practicing the way she does. Laura and I talked a lot about “stuff” that bubbles up, especially during pelvic treatment. In my own appointments, she asked a few very challenging questions. Attempting to answer those difficult questions, paired with some big improvements in my symptoms, made me realize there’s another gigantic aspect to illness/injury that most of us don’t acknowledge. What was happening in my life when I became injured, what feelings or memories arise when we address that injury, and the most uncomfortable question: “What do you get out of being sick/injured?”

That was a sensitive one, to say the least. Luckily we didn’t start our first appointment off with that! My knee-jerk reaction was to become defensive. “I didn’t get sick on purpose! You think I like having this pain/these symptoms? Yeah, bloody diarrhea is a great ice breaker at parties!” Although I was a pelvic PT patient to address stress incontinence, naturally my 25-year history with Ulcerative Colitis and IBS came into discussion. You know, same anatomical neighborhood and all.

I talked about the embarrassment as a pre-teen, the hospitalizations, the slew of medications, and the familiarity with all public restrooms. She brought up emotions associated with certain diseases (such as my own), the root chakra, and pertinent memories from the time I was initially diagnosed.

Unfortunately, Dr. Laura moved out of state, but her impact on my life was profound. How does our state of mind, the events of our past, the emotions we experience, manifest physically? The mental aspect may be easier to grasp, but our rational minds have a tough time considering the emotional component of physical aches, pains, and healing processes.

Months after completing my PT with Laura, I was scrolling through a Facebook group for Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT, aka “Tapping”). FYI if you haven’t tried tapping, I highly recommend it. A member had asked participants to list their favorite self-help books. I copied and pasted a few titles into Amazon and ended up purchasing The Emotion Code.

Like most books I own, this one sat for a few weeks, ahem, months, before I cracked it. When I finally did, I couldn’t believe it. The EC was so similar to what Dr. Laura and I worked on; but this was a much simpler, less clinical method. I could do it on myself, and after some practice with muscle testing, I did.

I wish I could say I signed up for the courses immediately after reading the book, but I returned it to my nightstand where it sat for many more months. Occasionally I would pick it up, but it wasn’t until 2021 that I researched a practitioner to work on me. I wanted the full client experience, and Corie did not disappoint. She helped get to the root of my 30-year battle with Ulcerative Colitis and in the process, brought joy and patience back to my roll as a mother. I found myself enjoying moments that normally would have resulted in frustration or tension. I even had Corie work on my children. My eldest was having problems with anxiety; his mood swings were gaining intensity and often resulted in full-on meltdowns. The difference in his attitude was obvious after each session with Corie.

I was onto something. I wasn’t sure yet how or when I would make this healing a bigger part of my life, but I knew I wanted to.