GREEN LIGHT REFLEX (STRESS) – This involuntary reflex pattern contracts all the muscles of the back of the body. It is triggered hundreds of times a day, and when the stress is long-term, the muscles stop relaxing. Signs of this habituated pattern include low back pain, neck stiffness, tight shoulder muscles, and tight hamstrings. The back pain caused by this habituated pattern is commonly diagnosed and treated as degenerative disc disease, arthritis, and osteoporosis of the spine. Hanna Somatics views lower back pain and tight shoulder muscles as a functional problem requiring relearning.
RED LIGHT REFLEX (ANXIETY) – This involuntary reflex pattern contracts all the muscles of the front of the body. It is triggered by negative feelings such as fear, worry, apprehension, and sadness. Emotional traumas, even those experienced in childhood, can have a lifetime impact on posture and breathing. Signs of this habituated pattern include rounded shoulders, the head extended forward over the body, sore neck and shoulder muscles, a dowagers hump, a contracted abdominal muscle, shallow breathing, depression, digestion problems, constipation, and erectile dysfunction, all as a result of habitually contracted muscles. Shallow breathing is the most serious and least noticed symptom of this habituated pattern. Dr. Hanna theorized that shallow breathing is a cause of heart disease.
TRAUMA REFLEX (INJURY, SURGERY) – This pattern contracts the muscles of one side of the body in response to injury. It is a protective response. Someone with this habituated reflex pattern has usually broken a leg or sprained an ankle at some point in their life, and they shifted their weight to the opposite leg. But even a simple fall that goes unnoticed can cause the muscles of one side to contract. Childhood injuries commonly show up as pain in adulthood. When one side of the waist becomes chronically contracted, it pulls the pelvis and rib cage together on that side - which also squeezes the vertebrae on that side - causing a curve in the spine that is diagnosed as scoliosis. Over time, the body will compensate for the imbalance by tilting the head to the opposite side, causing an "S curve" scoliosis. Common complaints caused by the habituated Trauma Reflex are neck pain, shoulder pain, and hip pain. Signs of this habituated pattern include scoliosis, one shoulder lower, one leg shorter, and a slight or pronounced limp, all as a result of habitually contracted muscles.
Private Session(s) – Target your unique chronic muscular pain with hands-on work. Restore function to spine and joints that you hadn’t even realized you had lost. Learn how to reinforce the private sessions to maintain your own comfort.
Workshop Series – A gradual, progressive approach to reducing the effects of stress, anxiety and injury as you are guided through slow, gentle movements. Relax muscles and relieve pain. No stretching. No force. No postures to hold. Learn how to maintain the comfort you’ve achieved in the workshop.
Where Comfort Hides – Follow the step-by-step, clearly illustrated instructions that target the muscular patterns of stress, anxiety, and injury. Improve on your own at your own pace.