Case Study: Anne

“Anne” is a 40-year- old emergency-room nurse with chronic neck pain.  During our bodywork session the subject of stress comes up, and I ask her how she is with it.

“Excellent," she quickly states, “stress is good for you.”

Her shoulders have tensed, however, with this declaration and so I gently probe further.

“What’s good about stress?”

Arms now rigid, jaw clenched ever so slightly, she responds, "Everyone agrees that a little bit of stress is good for you.”

Lightly touching her neck area, I ask, “Eoes this part agree?”

Anne’s shoulders immediately drop and she quietly whispers, “No," and saying that the stress at work is becoming unbearable. 

Further use of BodySpeak reveals the emotional organization behind those rigid shoulder muscles: one must be tough in life to survive, face adversity head on and not ask for help.

By bringing this belief system to consciousness, Anne now has more choice in her life.  Whereas before she barred herself against stress, she now has the opportunity to choose whether she wants to continue in this way of being.

—Jo-Ann Svennson