What is Somato-Emotional Release?
 
We all go through emotional pain. We have all had experiences that have been so overwhelming that we can’t process them at the time. Or, we didn’t have the tools to resolve them, so the safest thing to do was to (non-consiously) lock those feelings in a box never to be felt again. But, sadly, we don’t get to carry this box around for free. There is a price to pay for hauling those locked up feelings around. That price comes in the form of anxiety, fatigue, digestive issues or any other low lying chronic ‘can’t quite put your finger on the root cause’ type of problem. Somato (meaning body) emotional release, developed by Dr John Upledger, is a way to release the charge of those negative emotions from your body.
 
How can an injury have an emotional element?
Lets say you fell off your bike when your were little.  If an attuned or empathic caregiver attended to you, listened to your pain and supported your needs then you should very quickly heal from the physical injury. But, if you were told you were stupid for falling off, or told boys don't cry, or your caregiver was angry with you, then you should heal from the physical injury of the fall, but you may carry the emotional blow. Years later when your knee keeps playing up and you can’t get any relief, a visit to a somato practitioner may reveal the long held memory of the emotional injury.
 
How does an emotional blow get released from the body?
Somato-emotional is a branch of craniosacral therapy that release doesn't separate mind from body. It is a gentle hands-on approach that also pays attention to the emotional body. When you visit a somato practitioner, you may find that a memory, image, or feeling springs into your mind when they have their hands on your body. These images are a communication from your non-conscious mind - that part of you that very wisely locked those feelings of guilt, anger or shame away. Your therapist will be able to help you connect in with those lost feelings and either release, transform or express them, then changes will be felt in the tissues of your body. The therapy is led by you, which means that you don’t have to talk about anything that you don’t want to, you can go at your own pace. Your body has an inner wisdom that knows when the time is right, and when it is safe to release long-held emotions.
 
Who would benefit from this therapy?
Literally anyone! But here are a few examples:

• Babies; we work with a lot of babies and they often go into an emotional release because that journey earth side can be difficult.
• New mamas; they would really benefit from this therapy because all the focus is on getting that baby out safely, so of course all of her emotions get buried until she feels safe to release them. I have worked with women who have processed a birth trauma years or even decades after the actual event.
• If you find yourself bursting with anger and it surprises you and everyone around you; Unexpressed emotions are like a pressure cooker and sometimes they just burst out. It might be worth exploring the root cause of the outbursts.
• If you have unexplained depression, anxiety, or chronic fatigue; Sometimes we find that buried emotional pain is a factor in your nervous system being on high alert or in chronic issues.
• If you came from a family where emotional health wasn’t valued; Our parents were often doing the best they could with the tools they had. Sometimes, achievement or being of service was valued over our feelings, or they simply had never been shown the value of emotional health from their own parents.  
• It is especially good if you have already tried osteopathy, chiropractic or acupuncture but still cannot get to the bottom of your pain or ailment. In fact, clients often call us when they have already seen 2 or three physical therapists, and this tells us that there is an emotional factor that needs taking care of.

It is clear that some symptoms cannot be fully resolved until the emotional component has been explored, freeing the client from the effect it is having on their life.
 
What the mind represses the body expresses.
Many of us anaesthetise our unresolved negative emotions with work, food, shopping, scrolling, porn, busyness or drugs. Most of the time we are not even aware that we have pain or that we are numbing our pain. Distressing emotions from the past can be a factor in a variety of health problems or behaviours.
 
We won’t try and talk you out of your feelings, or make you ‘positive affirmation’ your way through them. We will give you the judgement-free space to connect to those lost parts of yourself, release the load from the repressed feelings, freeing up energy to live your life full of authenticity and vitality.
 
Alison is a registered acupuncturist and co-owner of Blossom Natural Health in Chelmsford. She has been specialising in fertility and women's health for the last 20 years, and is the fertility acupuncturist for Bourn Hall fertility clinic in Wickford. She loves combining acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy and somato-emotional release to help her clients with stress, digestive issue and pain relief.

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Why would you want to look after your gallbladder?
 
If we look at the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine we see that the organs work in pairs. One organ has a more yin quality and the other more yang. This reciprocal relationship means you can use acupuncture or acupressure on one of the organ points and it will also have an effect on it’s paired organ.
 
The liver and gallbladder organs work closely together. You can see here the link with modern medicine because the liver produces bile and the gallbladder stores bile to be secreted to help you break down fats. So, both organs have an important role to play in digestion. It also nourishes your tendons and connective tissue, so is important for your musculo-skeletal health. As well as it’s physiological function, the gallbladder is also thought to help us with decision-making, courage and flexible thinking.
 
What knocks the gallbladder out of balance?

• Diet: We know that the gallbladder helps us to break down fat, so if we give our body too much fatty food then it will become sluggish or overworked. Aim for the healthier fats - coconut oil, avocado oil or olive oil. Add more green food to your diet, like avocado, green leafy vegetables or broccoli. Try more tart foods like a slice of lemon in warm water, or adding a splash of apple cider vinegar and sauerkraut to your salad. And the obvious one - avoid too much alcohol (sorry).
• Movement: The gallbladder energy helps to nourish your tendons. Excessive exercise will prevent the tendons from recovering. Not enough exercise means the tendons become stagnant. Finding that goldilocks point of moving your body without overdoing it will support your connective tissue.
• Feelings: We have learnt from Chinese medicine that the liver and gallbladder prefer a smooth flow of qi - and this includes the smooth flow of emotional energy. Unexpressed, unresolved or repressed anger in particular has a negative impact on the liver and gallbladder. We should have access to a full range of emotions and anger is no different. We need anger to protect us or our cubs. But anger should be like fire, we should feel it, express it then it is released. When we feel it and repress it it becomes held in the tissues of  our body. Explore your relationship with anger, in my practice I especially think this is important if you are a woman. How did your caregivers express anger. What happened when you were young and you expressed anger. There are different ways to connect to and express your anger. Not every way will work for everyone, but some examples are journaling, dancing it out, or talking it through with a trusted friend or therapist.
• Sleep: Burning the candle at both ends also upsets the gallbladder energy. According to the ancient Chinese body clock, 11pm is the time when the gallbladder is most active. If you can be in bed by 11pm - you don’t need to be asleep, but being horizontal will help - your gallbladder can get on with its repairs. In general, if you improve the quality of your sleep you will make better choices. I certainly don’t crave healthy food when I'm tired.  
• Play: As well as a time of day, all of the organs have a time of year when they are more active. The energy of the liver and gallbladder rises during spring. This helps to lift us out of our winter hibernation. But spring also refers to the spring time of your life - that time of no responsibilities and wild abandonment. Forgetting to play, or not knowing how to play because we were made to grow up too soon, can dampen our liver and gallbladder energy. Be playful, whatever that means to you. Maybe jump in the waves or puddles, take your shoes off on the beach or dance in the kitchen.

 

​Whereabouts is GB21?
 
Your actual gallbladder organ sits on the right hand side of your body, roughly if you were to draw a line from your nipple to your belly button it would sit at the bottom of your ribcage. The gallbladder meridian has 44 acupuncture points along its channel. These wrap themselves back and forth around the side of your head (which is why we use this point for migraines), then travel down the side of your body to your 4th toe. We are going to look at a point called gallbladder 21, GB21 for short, or more poetically known as ‘Shoulder well’.
 
You know that point that you intuitively massage at the top of your shoulders? Well that is GB21. You don’t need pinpoint accuracy, you can intuitively feel for a tightness or tension around that area. If you work at a desk keep a pot of a natural oil at your workstation - coconut oil is perfect because it doesn't contain any other ingredients and you can use it for so many things. Use the oil to massage around GB21 or into any other tight spot at the top of your shoulders. Of course, it is much nicer if someone else will massage it for you, but self-care is just as nourishing.
 
 Why is GB21 related to stress?
 
The gallbladder channel is there to help with the smooth flow of qi (energy) from the head and neck down the body. If we are stressed, over thinking or spending too much time on a screen we can get stagnation in the gallbladder channel as it is unable to descend the qi. That tension headache, eye strain, or emotional tension may be a blocked gallbladder meridian.

What other symptoms can you use GB21 for?

It is particularly good for:

• Tension headaches
• Sore neck
• Upper back pain
• Stress relief
• Indecision
• Low mood
• Anger or frustration
• Promotes labour
• Supports breastfeeding
• Shoulder pain after liver or gallbladder surgery

 
Pregnancy precaution
 
As you can see from the list, you must not use this point if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. This is one of the points that we use if the baby is full term but mama may need a little oxytocin or relaxation to promote labour. But definitely use it if baby is earth-side and mama needs some support with breastfeeding as it relaxes the muscles of the back and chest and relaxes mama which can help promote breastfeeding.
 
Leave a comment below if you already intuitively massage this point, or if you have thought of trying acupressure but were worried about getting it wrong.
 
Alison is a registered acupuncturist and co-owner of Blossom Natural Health in Chelmsford. She has been specialising in fertility and women's health for the last 20 years, and is the fertility acupuncturist for Bourn Hall fertility clinic in Wickford. She loves combining acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy and somato-emotional release to help her clients with stress, digestive issue and pain relief.
 
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What are the benefits of castor oil?

You may have heard of castor oil as something women used to take to bring on labour. Luckily, you don’t have to drink castor oil to gain its benefits. It is applied on to the skin and the natural compounds in the oil help it absorb through the layers of the skin. This is thought to promote the circulation of  blood and lymph, reduce scar tissue, improve digestion and reduce inflammation.
 
Why would you use a castor oil pack?
 
There are many symptoms that might benefit from a regular castor oil pack practice. Menstrual issues such as painful periods, irregular periods, heavy periods, clots or PMS may all benefit. And menstrual difficulties are often present when there are fertility issues. Castor oil on it’s own probably won’t improve your fertility, but in conjunction with other lifestyle changes it may help balance your hormones and reduce stress. You can also use castor oil to help improve digestive issues such as constipation, diarrhoea or IBS, or to improve insomnia, reduce the appearance of scars, or reduce inflammation. In this part of the world there is a lack of ceremony around having a hysterectomy - a castor oil pack can be a way to heal from the physical or emotional impact of that journey.
 
What equipment will you need?

• Good quality castor oil, ideally in a glass bottle
• A natural, ideally unbleached flannel
• Paper kitchen towel
• An old towel that you don’t mind sacrificing
• Old pyjamas
• A hot water bottle
• A glass or bpa free container to store the flannel in the fridge

 
 How to do a castor oil pack.

• You will need to set aside about an hour - I do mine before bedtime
• Put the kettle on
• Get your old pyjamas on and maybe some warm socks
• Place the flannel in a pan and soak it with the oil so that it is soaked but not dripping
• You don’t want to put cold oil onto your body, so gently warm it in the pan, but remember, it is oil, so it will only need a few seconds
• Fill your hot water bottle
• Place your soaked flannel into the container that you will be using to store in the fridge in-between applications
• Take your soaked flannel in its container, kitchen towel, hottie and old towel and get comfortable on the bed or sofa or wherever you can get some peace for an hour
• If you are experiencing menstrual difficulties then place the flannel over you womb area - just above the pubic bone (it sits just behind your bladder)
• If you are using it for liver health, sleep or digestive issues then place it over the liver -  on the right hand side of your  torso towards where the ribs end
• Place your old towel over the flannel. Don’t be tempted to use cling film as you don’t want any plastic to also leach into your body
• Place the hot water bottle over the towel. Warm is better than hot.
• If possible, leave your phone out of reach and get your Zen on. You will get more out of it if you aren't replying to emails or mindlessly scrolling. Maybe some music will help if you have an anxious mind, but probably stay away from real life murder mystery podcasts.
• When it is time to finish - an hour would be great but half an hour is better than nothing - remove the towel and flannel. Use your kitchen towel to wipe any excess oil from your abdomen. Pop the flannel in its container and store it in the fridge  (this can be used again and again until it begins to smell, just add a little more oil for each application).
• A word to the wise - I put my castor oil stained (it doesn't wash out) old towel in the airing cupboard with my sheets and ended up staining some sheets, so store your old towel away from anything it might touch.

 
 
Sounds like a hassle right?
 
I first heard about castor oil packs decades ago, but I thought that it sounded too complicated and a right faff. Once I did my first pack I realised that I could do all of the preparation in the time it takes me to boil the kettle. And it is well worth any effort. How often you do it is up to you, you will have to do it regularly enough to make a difference, but not so much that it becomes a chore. Once a week would be amazing.
 
When not to use a castor oil pack
 
As with anything you read on the internet, this is not to replace medical advice. If you have a health concern or symptoms that are persistent then go and see your GP.
If you are trying to conceive then only use the pack during your follicular phase (from your period until ovulation).
If you are on an IVF protocol then do not use a castor oil pack - it can improve your body's ability to detoxify, and you want those drugs to stay in your body, and no research has been done on castor oil in conjunction with IVF.

The power of rest
 
Applying a castor oil pack is another tool for you to use to show your body that it doesn't have to be a doing machine. There is value in resting - even if that value lies in filling your tank so you have more resources to be of service to others. And if you are of the age where you have a daughter who has started her menstrual cycle, then you can model the power of rest, or you can show her how to honour her cyclical nature with a castor oil pack all of her own.

Leave a comment below to let me know your experience of using castor oil - I hear that it can also be used as a skin and hair care product. Or let me know if this has inspired you to give a castor oil pack a try. 
 
Alison is a registered acupuncturist and co-owner of Blossom Natural Health in Chelmsford. She has been specialising in fertility and women's health for the last 20 years, and is the fertility acupuncturist for Bourn Hall fertility clinic in Wickford. She loves combining acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy and somato-emotional release to help her clients with stress, digestive issue and pain relief.

Why do acupuncturists shift their self-care during Spring, and how can you do the same?
 
We can look to the ancient practice of acupuncture and to the most modern research to show that we are not separate from nature, we are nature. We are made up of more microbial cells, such as bacteria, virus and fungi, than we are human cells, so we are more bugs than we are human. It is important that we live in harmony with our environment and that we would adapt our self-care during the different seasons.
 
Which organ do acupuncturists pay attention to during the spring?
 
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), each organ has a time of year where the energy of that organ is more active. As we enter spring, the liver energy begins to rise, which helps to draw us out of our winter cave. The function of the liver is slightly different to the findings of modern medicine, but there are similarities. In TCM the liver is thought to support digestion, store blood, influences the smooth flow of qi (energy), and is reflected in the eyes, tendons and nails.
 
Are you are often in ‘full Hulk’ mode?
 
Even though any part of the body can hold any emotion, unexpressed or unresolved anger tends to be held in the liver. When the liver is in balance we are able to practice flexible thinking and confident decision making. When the liver is out of balance we are more likely to feel frustration, irritability or resentment. For women especially, we are brought up in a culture where expressions of anger may have been deemed inappropriate, or it may have been unsafe for us to show anger, so instead of having our anger rage like a fire and burn out, the embers are constantly glowing in the background.

How do I know if my liver needs some love?
 
An imbalance in your liver energy may look like digestive issues, bloating, IBS, constipation, depression, or insomnia - especially if you are waking up between 1am-3am. For women in their fertile years, menstrual disorders such as painful periods, heavy periods, clots, PMS, tender breasts, or issues with your fertility may reflect an overworked liver.
 
How can I bio-hack my liver back to health?
 
Rather than any quick tricks, your path to healing may require time and consistency. Do you remember that we said the liver was there to help us with the smooth flow of qi - well there are a few different ways that we may be accidentally causing blockages that create stagnation, but there are many attainable affordable ways we can get that stagnation moving.
 
Pandemic posture

​Most adults and children are working or studying from home (lockdown #3 here in the UK), so we are  probably moving much less than we normally would. We may be missing out on a walk to the train station or school. We are possibly missing our yoga or gym class. After telling our children the dangers of too much screen time we are now telling them that all of their lessons and social life will be through a screen. So, we need to move more to counteract the physical stagnation. As we have been in hibernation mode during winter, it is better to emerge with gentle movement rather than a full on exercise regime. Walking, stretching, yin yoga (Yoga with Adriene is free on YouTube) are gentle ways to bring nourishment to the tendons and oxygen throughout the body.
 
Volcano vibes

All emotions are valid. You cannot be human without access to the full spectrum of emotions. If you find that your anger bursts out of you and frightens you and everyone around you, then it might be time to pause and sit with your feelings. If you find that you are resentful, saying phrases like ‘it’s all-right for you’, then take a moment to reflect on your unmet needs. With our modern life it is easy for us to start running on empty, reaching burnout and juggling too many balls. Are you needing support? Do you want to feel appreciated? Are trying to be everything to everyone so that you feel worthy? Do you have unresolved anger that you could talk through with a friend, express in a journal or process with a therapist? Feeling your feelings in a safe space, without any judgement will free up resources for you to live with more vitality, and your liver will thank you for it.
 
Don’t forget to play

The spring years were those childhood years when we had no responsibilities and lots of wild abandonment. Some of us were asked to be the caregiver at a young age. Some of us were made to do adult things while we were still children. Sometimes we need to grieve the loss of a childhood we should of had. Or maybe the responsibilities of adulthood or parenthood have got in the way of play. We can honour our inner child by taking them out to play. Spring is a great time to tap into the joyful child-like energy and dance, draw,  grow sunflowers or jump in the waves.
 
How to deep clean your liver

You don’t have to do anything because your liver does it’s best deep clean while you are sleeping! The quality of your sleep matters, so make it count. You know what I’m going to say - reduce your screen time before bedtime, leave your phone out of the bedroom if possible, or invest in some blue-light blocking glasses if you have to look at a screen before bed. Try to have your last meal 3 hours before you go to sleep, its quite hard to wind down when you are busy digesting food or your news feed. If you find that you often wake up between 1am - 3am then your liver is probably too busy processing.
 
Why does your skin care routine affect your liver?

You already know the importance of optimising your nutritional status.
Now that spring is approaching, you are starting to add more green food to your plate. You know to minimize processed foods, trans- fats and sugar. But the products you put on your body also have to be metabolised by the liver. Some of the products that we put on our hair, skin and nails is absorbed into the body and this is then another thing that your liver has to clear.  Go for more natural products - although beware of ‘greenwashing’ where a company will put a natural sounding word on the label even though it is full of harsh chemicals!
 
Women are not little men

If you are in your fertile years then your hormones will run on a cyclical monthly cycle. Oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone all rise and fall during the month. Running at 100 miles per hour throughout the whole month will raise your stress hormones such as cortisol, and tell your body that now is not a good time for a pregnancy. This may reflect in changes in your periods or it may affect your fertility. You remember that anger and irritability are often stored in the liver? Well, that PMS might be your body telling you that you need to stop, to rest and retreat while you are on your period so that you can get back to wonder woman duties around ovulation.

Acupressure

I can’t talk about Traditional Chinese Medicine without throwing in a really useful acupuncture point called Liver 3 which is in the flesh between your big and second toe. You can easily massage it yourself (although it’s much more therapeutic if someone else does it for you). Imagine there is a pool of energy underneath the skin and you are gently drawing it up with your massage, then imagine sending that energy to your liver.  And while we’re talking all things TCM, even though the sun starts to beam at this time of year, it can still be cold, and that wind is thought to bring pathogens into the body. So don’t strip off all of those layers yet; make like grandma and pack a scarf in your bag so your neck doesn't catch a draft.

Liver love

So, if you have never paid attention to how much your liver actually does for you day and night, then spring is the perfect time to give back some of that love. And if this blog was too long, then here are the bullet points.

• Feel your feelings
• Move your body
• Move your emotions
• Reduce the sugar
• Eat green things
• Sleep, a lot
• Use natural skin care
• Don’t forget to play
• Wear a scarf
• Use castor oil
  
  

Leave a comment to let me know if you are already practicing liver love, or let me know any traditional remedies you swear by. 
 
Alison is a registered acupuncturist and co-owner of Blossom Natural Health in Chelmsford. She has been specialising in fertility and women's health for the last 20 years, and is the fertility acupuncturist for Bourn Hall fertility clinic in Wickford. She loves combining acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy and somato-emotional release to help her clients with stress, digestive issue and pain relief.

Photo by Rowan Heuvel on Unsplash