Embodied Transformation: The Gift of Reorganizational Healing

Medicine is often defined as a restorative process—one in which the goal is termination of a condition and returning someone to their pre-sickness state.  Of course, there is a time and place for this.  But what if that original state was maybe “less symptomatic,” but still had low energy, mood issues, low motivation, and a variety of health issues.  Why would we want to return to that state?  Rather than conforming to this model, Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) fits into a model of healing called Reorganizational Healing (ROH).

In 2009, The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine (JACM) published an article called, “Reorganizational healing: a paradigm for the advancement of wellness, behavior change, holistic practice, and healing.”  In this article, NSA is detailed as creating increasing complexity and advancement of how the nervous system regulates stress, changes neurological tension patterns while increasing the ability to thrive and flourish.  NSA as ROH focuses on self-awareness, understanding and experiencing one’s core nature as well as how to use the most effective organization strategies in someone’s healing process.  NSA as a ROH process is the juncture between health care and personal development.

How does this happen?  As you move through NSA care, you are increasing the complexity of how the nervous system functions.  This is visualized through a respiratory wave and eventually a SomatoPsychic wave.  These increasing levels of neurological complexity have been highly researched and are described as having the mathematical configuration of a central pattern generator (similar to actions such as walking and swimming).  As the nervous system learns increasingly complex ways of adapting to the world, body awareness increases along with an escalation of healing experiences and state changes (state changes are important—as when you change your state, you shift your perspective of life experiences).  What mechanism drives this process?  As specific NSA contacts are made during each adjustment, the brain is able to self-regulate patterns of defense and stress.  The energy that has been stored to support defensive posturing dissipates and becomes available for organizing consciousness and the body.    

As detailed in JACM, NSA creates an embodied approach to transformation—it is not just the mind, and not just the body that is changing.  It is a mind-body shift.  As the mind-body connection heals, becomes more fluid, and is enhanced with increasing complexity of nervous system signaling, other healthy lifestyle practices are enhanced.  These include self-initiated positive lifestyle changes (exercise, nutrition, meditation, and time in nature) and self-reported spiritual changes (awareness of needed changes, connection to those around you, increased feelings of peace, love, and abundance).  While neither are a direct focus of care, the by-product becomes an individual deeply connected to their body and supporting their mind-body with self-care practices.  Studies have now shown the profound effect both structure and neurology has on behavior and perception.  So, as the health of one’s structure (spine and supporting structures) improves, the ability to make healthy choices and quality of life advancements is enhanced.

Most people try to make changes that involve making a new decision or choice and using motivation to stick with it.  With just trying to change the mind, and not having a supportive structure (structure and neurology) backing that change, it is very difficult to make a long-lasting change.  In a different perspective, when a mind-body shift is made, or the new consciousness is embodied (the mind-body has made the change), now the entire being is supporting the shift.  

Over the last 40 years, NSA has evolved to develop advanced practices that support the emergence of embodiment.  Somato-Respiratory Integration (SRI) was also developed to support embodied state changes (changing the physical and mental state) that focus attention, body awareness, and movement for the nervous system.  When the stage of healing or state someone is currently existing in is acknowledged and embodied, the brain and body can learn from it and move into a different state of consciousness.  The mind-body can then access information that can fuel further healing. 

NSA as ROH relates to the self-organizing nature of human beings, especially as individuals develop new strategies of function, behavior and flourishing at higher levels of complexity.  ROH recognizes that we all have specific ways that work best for us as individuals to create embodied, sustainable change and growth.  To create sustainable change, we need to become aware of these strategies, accept them, and then fuel those strategies with the available sources of energy as defensive physiology is released.  

Two of the most important strategies people can learn are their Triad of Change and the Season in which they are currently existing.  The more you understand about yourself in relationship to these strategies, the more we can support you in your healing journey.  In the next few months, we will visit each of these strategies.