So many of the people I meet have learnt to live with something. It might be pain, lack of movement, poor sleep or being unable to do the things they once loved. They have reduced their expectations of what is possible, normal or OK for them. That's not to say that they are happy about it, usually quite the opposite in fact, but it has just become a fact of life and they believe that there is very little that can be done to change that.
But how many of us, even if we don't have anything hugely wrong with us, accept a slightly poorer standard of wellbeing? What happens when we put up with a little niggle thinking that is just part of being human? What happens when we accept 'kind of lousy' as our benchmark for 'normal'? 

If you have ever suffered from whiplash, you know how debilitating and painful it can be. It's not just the stiffness and the soreness (which is bad enough!), but it's also the pain you get when you lie down and sit up and generally try to move normally. You may have been a bit more fortunate in that your symptoms cleared up in a few days or possibly weeks, but for some people, the pain from the whiplash goes on and on. Many people start to get to the end of their tether and wonder if they will ever go back to living a normal life particularly if they are not getting any relief from physio or other conventional methods.

Most of us have had one or more moments in our lives when something just changed. We might have fallen in love, experienced something or realised something, and in that second a momentous shift occurred in our lives. It might have been a very obvious change for all the world to see or it might have been an internal thing that meant that you would never see the world in exactly the same way again. 
This happened to me when I discovered Amatsu and as this is one of the things I am asked about most often, I'd like to share                                                                   that story with you today. 

If you are like many of my clients, you may be in pain but don't know why. You haven't done anything to yourself and yet all of a sudden, you find yourself living with a pain that is affecting your life. Josephine Charlton is freelance PR consultant. She lives a busy and active life with her partner, two young children and a dog. A couple of years ago, she started experiencing pain in her knee. As far as she was aware she hadn't strained or sprained it. She hoped it would get better by itself but it was getting worse.
I'd like to share Josephine's story with you..

 This is a question that I get asked a lot when I’m treating! Although Amatsu is completely explainable in scientific and energetic terms, most of my clients have no idea why I am doing what I’m doing and how it makes them feel better. Why do I always check their pelvis even though they have a neck problem? Why are their big toes so important that I always check them at least twice? Why do I lift their arms and legs?  Although I try to answer as many questions as possible, during a treatment session I am concentrating on the person I am working with and can’t get into too much detail. So, for my more curious clients, here are a few explanations of why I’m doing what I’m doing!

If you are anything like most of my clients, you may have been suffering from physical pain for a while before you came across Amatsu. You have probably tried quite a number of approaches from the conventional to the complementary and may have spent a lot of time and money trying to get to the root of your problem. 
After suffering for a while, you were probably quite relieved to get an appointment at the hospital for an X-ray or an MRI scan feeling at least then, you would get some answers about the cause of your pain. But that doesn't always happen.

One of the hardest things to hear when you have been in pain for a while is that the scan/Xray hasn't shown anything. OK, it's a huge relief to know that you don't have something seriously wrong with you but once that has worn off ..what now? You are still in pain and no closer to knowing why. It can feel like a frustrating anti-climax. You may start to worry that doctors, colleagues or family don't really believe that you are in pain and that you are exaggerating your symptoms. You don't know which way to turn. 

I am a member of the wonderful Amatsu Therapy International and recently they have started posting daily questions, quizzes and facts on their Facebook page to keep practitioners on our toes and to remind us about the fabulousness that is the human body.(lf Amatsu has helped you please make sure you 'Like' this page and help us to tell more people about it!)

 One of their recent posts was about the Godai, one of the very first concepts I was introduced to back in 2008 when I started my Amatsu journey. It's so easy to move on from the basics and get caught up in all the more exciting stuff as you learn an amazing therapy like Amatsu, but I really wanted to share this concept with you as these basics really are the building blocks of what we do.

 Not only are these the building blocks of studying, the Godai happens to represent the foundation for a healthy life. It's only through having a strong base that you can grow and reach your higher potential. It's only when you come from a centre of strength that you feel able to explore, discover and dream better.

People often ask me how Amatsu works.

Even after more than five years of working with this form of therapy, I am still learning and exploring the answer!

 I think it's partly because one of the key factors is less about how it 'works' and more about how, by having a global view of the body (and mind in fact!), we can trace through clues to find the key area or areas that are causing the problem, the restriction or the pain and then deal with them.. It's like any form of problem solving really - by gaining information through asking questions, observing and feeling, by using previous examples and learnt knowledge, it is possible to start a process of deduction. This part of Amatsu is very practical and measurable. Does your head turn better and more freely to the right or left? Do you get pain mainly when you are walking or sitting? Are your muscles tighter on one side of your spine or the other?

But, say my clients, stop dodging the question - HOW does it work? How can your light touch, a press here and there with an elbow, a pull and stretch of my limbs... how does that make a change? Why do I feel better?
So today, I am going to attempt to explain a little more deeply...

Your alarm goes off and you twist over to turn it on to snooze. Aargh! You feel that oh-so-familiar stab of pain in your lower back. You lie back on your bed, but now you are awake. You might as well get up. You push yourself up to a seated position and sit on the edge of the bed for a minute before boosting yourself up to standing by combining a push off with your arms and and an ungainly lurch forwards. You're up, but you can't stand up straight just yet. You stand by the bed with your palms pressing into your lower back. You'll be alright in an a minute, you reassure yourself. But it's like this almost every morning. 

You feel better once you've moved a bit and the shower always helps. Some days you barely notice your back and other days you just move slightly differently and you get a sharp jab that reminds you that the problem hasn't gone away. It upsets you that you can't just relax and do things that you enjoy without fear that they will cause you pain.  It makes you feel old. You wonder if you will ever be free of this pain and if it will get worse.