Trigger Point Testimonials
Testimonial One
I felt joy coming to Esalen for my 2nd time like coming home. I learned about shifting between the four bodies and consciously choosing what emotion or body I want to be in. I am responsible for my feelings at all times and I don’t want to give that control over me to anyone. I have strong loving female role models now and a vision of the woman I am becoming. I have been working with presence and stopping my mind when it starts to run stories about past or future that do no serve me.
Gestalt work – yes! The workshop was incredible and it has changed my life. Transformational. The instructor’s level of expertise from loving guidance, professional expertise, and knowledge to his leadership in guiding the groups. Just wonderful.
Transformational! Life shifting. Esalen provides the environment and the freedom for this type of “cutting edge” work to be safely and effectively explored. This workshop has been an inspiration and opportunity for profound growth – spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally and with love and care of the true master.
Very moving and powerful experiences. I came in with a great deal of fear of my own ability to release and consequences of it, but was able to process some very old trauma energy, release, it, and be free of it (and able to breathe freely in ways I haven’t for 30 years). Also I became much more comfy with and less triggered by others’ emotional and physical energy releases.
This past week has been filled with loving, opening and integrating experiences. I felt completely safe and free while I was here. I imagine my stay here at Esalen is going to have an extremely positive effect on my quality of life. I will be back!
Arthur’s ability to see through the facades and get to the heart of what is really happening, allowed me to face myself honestly without fear. As a result, I saw my detachment from my own experience—how I remain superficial to avoid really feeling, out of fear that I might be called upon to expose more of myself than I want to, or I’ll lack proficiency and appear ‘stupid’. The reason this was so effective for me is that I given tools that helped me embrace failure as an acceptable part of my learning experience, not the means to an end. In the past, I have quit when these feelings arose. Now I have effective tools to work with the ever changing tide of emotion within my soul and allow the process to be part of my learning.
Informative: The additional anatomy, particularly emphasis on the ‘layers’ of muscles and how consistent work slowly reaches through the layers to provide deeper levels of release and healing.
Helpful: I gained a true understanding of ‘shifting’ energy in this class. I imagined I understood it following the Esalen course, but in this class it really became clear. There was a “Eureka” breakthrough for me regarding what energy IS, and how I ‘choose’ to manifest it.
Enriching: The most enriching aspect of this course has been the trust I developed in my own experience and within my being, and the community of body workers in the class. Walking this path, exposing my deepest self, my hidden self, and sharing my truth (especially when it was difficult) has enriched my existence. All five senses have been enlivened with heightened awareness.
Arthur: in the esalen bookshop i picked up a new copy of on the edge of the future/esalen & the evolution of american culture and was reading the afterword by mike murphy -- which reminded me of my experience in your rockin Trigger workshop --"we wanted to do more than illuminate facts already given, esalen leaders wanted to postulate new facts and horizons..."thanks for expanding my horizons and sharing your spirit in the way that you teach.
"I have had the pleasure of experiencing many life lessons this year. My trigger point release work is really growing. Clients that have come to me for well over fifteen years are releasing and being comfortable with this type of energy work. I have been learning alot this year in many different avenues of my life. I can sense that I am more grounded.
I had a marine yelling at the top of his lungs ( he kept clearing his throat when he first walked in the door) I knew something was wanting to let go. He usually comes in for relief from migraines. Craniosacral therapy has really helped, but this day, I could tell there was more pressure on him than usual. What a voice. It was a great moment to experience that energy move. After the session I had him curled up in a blanket ( a very big Marine) so content and relaxed, while I worked on his wife. I find that dialogue when needed is so important and I am sensing so much from having patients with each person and letting them come to their own reality of what is going on in the present moment. I believe that I am achieving this work with some clients because the neglect to be in the present moment. When they feel or hear themselves in the different bodies, it is the present right now realization of where they are! "
Testimonial Two
As the superior Femur was being worked on, my shoulder
started to jerk around. 
After about a minute of this, the practitioner
pressed the shoulder down to restrict its movement. I felt anger welling
up in me. I was surprised that a trigger point in the hip would facilitate
energy moving in the shoulder. Without staying in my Mind Body, I just
stayed present with the anger in my shoulder and let out the sounds I
felt were expressing the energy. I felt the energy move and release out
of my body. It felt freeing to let out my previously-stuck anger. The
practitioner said “stop” and although I was disappointed
because I wanted to continue moving the energy, I felt in control, being
able to stop it at my choosing.
Part A: One day we did TPR on the intestines and organs. My lower abdominal area felt sore while I was repeatedly triggered at my level 4 comfort level. I felt energy moving around as if I was getting circulation in the abdominal area as I could not remember getting before. Two days later, I started experiencing diarrhea. For the next day and a half I felt I had flu like symptoms (diarrhea, achiness, weak) yet didn’t really have a fever. My body was just warmer than normal. I then felt healthy while the diarrhea continued for three more days. I did some palpation on the lower abdominal area, and it was no longer sore! I think I cleared energy and toxins out.
Part B: I had my Psoas worked on two days after the diarrhea started. My lower abdominal area was still sore but the practitioner went around it and got to the left Iliopsoas. I felt tingly, circulating energy radiate from the TRP, about a foot around that area, and down my legs. I then walked around and found it difficult to walk in a straight line. So, she worked on the right Iliopsoas. I felt energy going all over and started waving my arms all around and in a random flowing pattern. It felt like a freeing feeling energy got loose and wanted to move! I had an epiphany that I didn’t have to hold onto this energy anymore so I said, “I don’t have to do this anymore”. I was encouraged to say it louder and louder. When my voice started to become audible to the entire room, I decided that it was okay to let “the world” hear my decision. I quickly got past the fear and let it out loudly. It felt like I was being let out of a cage. I didn’t have to hide it anymore, and I was validating my own decision. The energy went down my torso and I pushed it out with a pelvic floor push, and my hands pushing towards my feet. It began to subside. The practitioner then asked me if I wanted to stand up and walk around. I did. My hips wanted to move all around and back and forth. They felt like they were just flowing freely. I followed it wherever it led me. When I expressed that the energy was flowing, she replied, “You are flowing”. That felt so great so I repeated it. I am the energy. I am not separate from it. At one point I recalled being in labor and standing while wanting to push. I expressed this but the practitioner didn’t respond. The feeling soon dissipated. Looking back, next time, I will take the initiative to say that this is what I want to do, and if the practitioner is comfortable, do it. After all that, I felt more empowered; more centered. Yey!
Testimonial Three
The day that I have been waiting for has come. Abdominal
day was the one muscle 
group that I feared. I had two surgeries on my
abdomen when I was about 7 months old. One of the surgeries was for hirschbronz
disease and the other was my colon was backwards. My whole core had been
opened and reconstructed and not until 22 years later has that compressed
energy been released.
My partner applied her hands on my abdominal to start the circular motion strokes
and instantly I felt this sadness. I was present with the energy as it flowed
through my body. I asked permission to enter the sadness. Then this sound came
out of my body and started to voice itself. To me it felt as if this balloon
deflated in my stomach and all this hot air was forced through my body and
through my mouth. Once the voice was out my body started to tremble. The trembles
turned into spasms, my legs shook uncontrollably, but I was aware of what was
going on. My screams sounded as if I was 7 months old again. The more I think
about it, when I look back to where or who I was on the table I see this baby,
and the baby was I.
All the energy was coming to the surface of my skin. I was sweating all over
my body. I think I lost 5 pounds of water in this release. I was asked to stop
so I could check in with myself to see where I was and how I was. Well, I was
buzzing all over, covered in sweat and feeling little aftershocks throughout
my legs for about 10 more minutes. Then all of a sudden this laughter came
over me. I felt this incredible sensation of joy in my face and jaw. I couldn’t
stop laughing, I didn’t want to, but it just surprised me how my body
could go from fear to laughter. It showed my how unpredictable my energy is.
Even as I think about this incident my body remembers the energy release very
well. I feel this fear in my chest and my stomach and it feels good. Where
the fear I had before wasn’t explored. Now I thank and recognize the
fear and work with it like any other feeling.
Testimonial Four
Coming to terms with myself
Q: Are the people in my life that I care about, here for me?
I had been asking myself that question for some time. And the more I kept asking it I found myself becoming more distant. From friends, family from myself. Before I knew it I was finding myself unfocused, had feelings of loss direction and not knowing what I was doing with my life. Anger and sadness were the main emotions that would come up. Although I hid my anger from myself, not wanting to express it, only to believe it to be this mass destructive monster that wouldn’t stop until the things around me were destroyed. My mind, trying to cover up what’s really wrong by saying I’m fine, nothings wrong, you just want to sleep, or you want to eat. Telling me everything but the truth.
The day that we started we trigger the QL was when the truth was revealed. After my right side had been worked, I was very in my spiritual body while my left side was being worked on. My right side took me right out spiritual body by bringing me to my physical body. “I hurt, don’t forget about me.” My right side was telling me. I felt sad and then started to cry. “I haven’t forgotten about you, I know your there.” I then felt this warm glowing feeling cover my body. “I shine, I glow, I’m beautiful.. I love myself.” “I love you Sal.” Love filled my body with warm energy from my center shooting out to every limb. I gave myself a nice long hug. It felt so good to just love myself. I found myself to be right where I wanted to be. I felt alive, aware, I knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. It felt so good to be free of my bullshit movie that my mind was feeding me.
A: How can I expect others to be there for me, when
I’m not even there for myself
Final answer... just love yourself