Dear, Reader,

For the last several months, I’ve gotten myself hooked on deep tissue massages coupled with sound therapy. I’ve had plenty of sporadic massages over the course of my life and they were all great experiences, but I often found myself unable to fully relax. I would end up chatting up the therapist, asking questions, offering positive feedback. Enjoyable conversation, but there was a part of me that wished I could just settle into the experience more.

Around March of this year, I scheduled a random massage at a place in town. At the end of the session, the therapist asked if I wanted to combine my next one with sound therapy. First, I almost NEVER schedule a follow up appointment. I typically wait until my body feels bad and then I schedule it. (Very proactive approach). Second, I wasn’t sure what I’d get out of sound therapy.

If you’re unfamiliar, sound therapy is a wellness practice that uses specific tone vibrations from instruments like gongs, tuning forks, and singing bowls to promote relaxation. Sometimes it’s done as part of a group and sometimes it’s individual. I’d experienced the former. It was relaxing overall, but I didn’t have a profound experience with it like some people seemed to. So when he suggested it as an option, I was like, “eh, no thanks.”

Right before my next session though, I changed my mind and I am sooo glad I did. Something legit shifted inside of me. There were tears and full body shudders like I was releasing something that my body had been holding onto for years.

Now listen. When it comes to this kind of stuff, I’d say I’m about 50% woo woo and 50% give me tangible proof and empirical evidence about why this works. When I experience something, I don’t question the legitimacy of the experience, but I’m always curious about it.

My curiosity doesn't actually help me with the how though. I love that our culture encourages women to listen to our bodies, but also. What does that even mean? Gurus spout this stuff off as if it’s self-evident knowledge. I can intellectualize my experience. Tell me how to experience the experience.

Turns out that no one could tell me how, because there's no instruction for it per se. I spent most of my life viewing my body as something to control and bring into submission. Track it, fix it, override it, ignore it. Even my self care sometimes looks like management. But with the sound therapy, I didn’t think my way into it. I didn’t analyze or conjure the tears. For once, I wasn’t managing myself. I was just in it, visiting myself.

I say all this to encourage those of you who spend a lot of time in your heads. If you’re proficient at analyzing your thoughts and feelings and then turning them into neat little packages, that’s a great skill. However, it’s worth considering that there are other avenues to understanding yourself.

You don’t necessarily have to schedule a sound bath this weekend, but next time you catch yourself narrating an experience instead of actually having it, pause and notice it. Do you feel compelled to fix it? I have a girlfriend who I often leave VMs to simply to say, “I’m experiencing xyz, and I just need to say it outloud…” No fixing required. No advice needed. Just visiting with my experience.

With you in the unraveling,

Kara

P.s. If you are interested in a sound/massage combo and you live in the Harrisburg/Lancaster, PA area, I can’t recommend Joseph from Tone enough! You can book him HERE.

DISCLAIMER: The content in this email is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional mental health, medical, or other advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a licensed healthcare provider or mental health professional with any questions you may have regarding your well-being. Never ignore or delay seeking professional help because of something you read in this email or on my website.