Somatic Anatomy

Cells, MoleculesAtoms

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.corr)ljerry McBrO]

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M any of usknow first-hand the

transformationalpower of massageeducation. It tendsto catapult us intopersonal growth sodeep that it oftentakes root in our bod-ies long before we rec-ognize it. We may beginschool to study massage,but soon realize that weourselves are the study. Ourbodies become our walking, talk-ing laboratories. And the more weexperience personally, the morecapable we are of guiding ourclients through their internalprocesses. A massage practice maynot line the pockets with riches,but it can certainly enrich theheart and soul.

Somatic Anatomy is not intend-ed to be an anatomy lesson somuch as an invitation to explorean embodied understanding ofanatomy and physiology, to inte-grate thinking with feeling, and tospin the wheels of motion so thatyou, too, can more fully embodythe riches of somatic process intherapeutic massage.

A traditional study of anatomybegins with directional terms thatlocate the body in space. Then itdrops, as we will here, to a micro-scopic level, examining the build-ing blocks of the body—the cells,molecules, and atoms. Before delv-ing into this microworld, we willlook briefiy into the infinite cos-mos of subatomic reality with theintent of illuminating topics thathave implications in both energywork and cellular processes.

Quantum Properties

I t is mind-boggling to considerwhat we are actually made of

Each body is a universe unto itself,composed of millions upon mil-hons of cells. Each cell is made up

of trillions of molecules that housean immeasurable number of atoms.

Although an atom contains sub-atomic particles (protons and neu-trons in the nucleus, electronsorbiting the periphery), it is pri-marily empty space. To conceptu-alize the space between particles,imagine this: if the nucleus of anatom were the size of a marble,the atom's diameter would beabout the circumference of a base-ball stadium. The nucleus is about10,000 times smaller than theouter orbit of electrons. Whenconsidering the vast distancesbetween subatomic particles, com-parable to the enormous expansesbetween planets, we realize thatour bodies actually consist of far,far more space than substance.

Is this spacious "quantum body"what people experience duringtranscendent experiences in whichphysical boundaries seemingly dis-solve into light and energy? And ifthe quantum body is primarilyspace, then what are we puttingour hands on during massage?

We all feel density and volumein tissues, recognize the separate-ness of bodies, and instinctivelylearn to live by the laws of gravity.(Even if you fight this law, italways wins.) In fact, the very

foundation of medicineand science is built onthe 300-year-old lawsof Newtonianphysics. Historyrecounts many a taleof centuries passingbefore scientific find-ings take a place in

textbooks and popularculture.Early in the last century

came quantum physics,unveiling a revolutionary,

invisible cosmos that operatesunder a set of laws totally differentfrom the laws of gravity. In themagical universe of quantum reali-ty, matter behaves not according togravitational forces but as energeticwaves. Subatomic particles (calledquanta) exhibit properties that defythe time-space continuum. A quan-ta exists in two realities at once,being both a particle and a wave.Quanta can travel faster than thespeed of light and exist simultane-ously in more than one place.

This quantum universe is bestdescribed as a shimmering, vibrat-ing sea of virtual energy packets,appearing one minute and disap-pearing the next, morphing intowaves so quickly and simultane-ously as to create the illusion ofdense matter (see Figure 1, page60). The most mind-bending of allquantum properties, one that mayhave the greatest relevance tomassage, is that by the very act ofobserving the quanta, the observerinfluences their flux state. Theymay appear as matter, or as anenergy wave, or not at all.

This discussion begs many ques-tions. By the very act of observingour massage clients, are we chang-ing their reality? And if our tissuesfunction under both the laws ofgravity and of quantinn physics, dowe affect both levels simultaneous-ly, or do we address them sepaiatelywith polarities such as deep-tissuemassage and energy work?

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Figure I. An atom's dynamic wave and particle activity.Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.comlOlga Kolpalcov.

Cells

Quantum reality meets thephysical plane in the cells—

the smallest unit of life. Eachhuman body has about 60 trillioncells. Our cellular collective evolveda cooperative strategy for survivalin a single body, differentiatingaccording to function then group-ing according to divisions of labor.

It is miraculous that our vast arrayof cells can function together sosmoothly. Physiologists generallyattribute this incredibly efficientcoordination to one master con-troller—the hrain. Yet, currentresearch findings about the proper-ties of neuropeptides and cellular

Exercise I

functions chipaway at tliis top-down paradigm,revealing a bottom-up bioenergedccellular syn-chronicity thatsome biologistsdeem our collec-tive cellular intelli-gence.' Cells arehomogenous innature, eachendowed with thesame three parts: amembrane, anucleus, and cj^o-plasm (cell fluid).The jellylike mem-brane is speckled

widi protein molecules that functionas revolving transport channels forparticles moving in and out. Thenucleus houses the genes. The cyto-plasm provides a fluid environmentin which a group of organelles canyout system functions that parallelthose of the body's organs.

Exercise I. Cellular Touch'• Have a partner get comfortable.

Ask where she wants touch, thengently place your hands there.Use full-hand contact, shapingyour touch around the contoursof your partner's body {seeExercise I, left).

• Sense the boundary where yourskin meets her skin.

" Shift your focus below theboundary, sensing the fluids andcells in both you and your part-ner. Imagine cradling millions offluid-filled cellular sacs with yourhands. Notice any subtlerhythms, as though your handswere floating on a quiet sea ofcellular activity.

• Explore cellular touch for at leastten minutes.Then, share feedback.

Primitive Intelligence

Physiologists often depict thecell nucleus as a CEO, the man

behind the curtain, so to speak,pulling levers on a huge genomeswitchboard. Yet the fact thatgenes cannot turn themselves onand off dates this paradigm ofgenetic determinism. Epigenetics,the study of how the environmentaffects gene activity, may betterexplain the process.

The basis of epigentics is that acell functions like a miniatureecosystem, continually evolving ina whirl of complex metabolicprocesses, adapting to environ-mental factors in ways that canchange gene expression in newcells. A single cell relates to itsenvironment through the millionor so receptor sites located on itsmembrane.* At any given moment,a flurry of charged particles landson these many sites. The mem-brane exhibits a primordial intelli-gence to selectively choose whatpasses through it, seeming to readits surrounding energy field byextending receptor sites out likeliquid tendrils that engulf selectparticles for the cell's metabolicneeds-

System-Wide Coherence

N ot only does a single cell dis-play a primal intelligence, hut

our multitude of cells, tissues, andorgans function with a system-wide coherence. All parts instant-ly and dynamically coordinate andresonate with all other parts. Thissynchrony can be compared to agood jazz batid in which all theplayers listen and respond to thegroup with immediate yet sponta-neous improvisations.*

What coordinates system-widecoherence? Given the complexityand constancy of chemicalprocesses occurring within our seaof cells, nerve conduction {movingat top speeds of twenty meters persecond) would be too slow. Incomparison, electromagnetic fre-quencies (moving the speed oflight at 186,000 miles per second)

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waves. Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com/Ronnie Cotneau.

are much better suited for the job(see Figure 2, above).

Some theorists conceptualizethat cells are telesomatic, display-ing a predisposition for nonlocalharmonization. Nonlocal meansthat the consciousness of onebody affects another body over adistance. Research on nonlocalabilities includes topics such asremote viewing, the healing powerof prayer, and the synchronousresponses of cells far removedfrom a body.̂ For example, whitecells taken from a test subject, pre-served in a cell culture, and thenmoved eight miles from tbe sub-ject, were found to display thesame aroused electrical responseas the test subject did while view-ing erotic pictures.^

Molecules and Metabolism

The role molecules play inmetabolism may shed light on

cellular coherence. Molecules, thebuilding blocks of cells, bond indiverse combinations. Thesebonds are continually brokendown and rebuilt in an ongoingchain of chemical reactions thatconstitute metabohsm. It is stag-gering to realize that a single cell

can undergo up to 50,000 chemi-cal reactions per second.

All chemical reactions are trig-gered by a constant exchange ofelectrically charged molecules cir-culating within the body andacross cell membranes. It is hardto imagine that this magnitude ofchemical reactions and whirl of

molecular activity could be coordi-nated by the nervous systemalone. Surely, electromagneticfields generated by tissues andorgans have a far greater biologicalpurpose than being mere by-prod-ucts of cellular activities. Thesefields may prove to be the verymechanism by which the bodycommunicates with itself.

Atoms

Molecules are made of atoms.Early models of an atom

depict it as a mini-solar system,v^th a central nucleus of clumpedprotons and neutrons in the middlesurrounded by elliptical orbits ofelectrons in the periphery (seeFigure 3, below). A more realisticpicture depicts the charged particleswithin atoms swirling in a vortexof energy, vAth particles popping inand out of view like twinklinglights (see Figure 1, page 60).

Each atom has a unique spinrate, or energy signature, that gen-erates a specific vibration and fre-quency pattern. In a quantum seaof energy, atoms' waves overlap »

Figure 3.The dated, static model of an atom. Photo courtesy ofiStockphoto.com/cre8tive studios.

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m a t

Figure 4. A ripple of waves in water. Photo courtesy of iStockf^oto.coml]Qcob YuriWacksrbausen.

and crash, much Uke the concen-tric circles from pebbles droppedin water do (see Figure 4, ahove).When frequency patterns overlap,atoms reach harmonic resonance;when they crash, atoms fall intodissonance, a chaos of being out ofsync. When they reach synchronyand quantum resonance, atomsbehave like a multitude of tuningforks resonating together in onegiant energy wave.'

In a discussion of vihrationalpatterns, researcher Valerie Huntdescribes chaos as the disorganiza-tion of an open system that reach-es a level of complexity, thenattempts to jiggle itself to a higherlevel. "In the same way that smalldisturbances can rapidly shiftchaotic systems, so too can minuteadjustments stabilize an energyfield."" Does the vibratory signa-ture we share when we touchanother person trigger energetichealing by reordering chaos andbringing somatic resonance to theceUular processes?

Exercise 2. Somatic ResonanceWhen we touch another person,

the tissues under our hands usually

respond in several vrays: they openand move toward the touch; theyretract avray from the touch; or theystay the same, as though frozen in anunresponsive pattern.

• Explore touching a partner,noticing the response of the tis-sues under your hands. Use full-hand contact, cradling the tissueswithout pressure.

• Next suggest, "Feei my handtouching you: can you touch meback with your awareness?"Notice any energetic or vibra-tional changes under your handsas your partner responds to thissuggestion.

• Then share feedback aboutchanges in tone and resonance ofareas being touched, noting fromboth of your perspectives howthe tissues respond to contact

Energy In Medicine

The classic definition of energyis the capacity to do work.

Energy can neither be created nordestroyed, only converted toanother realm. The two maintypes of energy in the body arepotential (stored) energy andkinetic (moving) energy, which

By the very actof observingour massage

clients, are v/echanging

their reality?

includes electrical, radiant, chemi-cal, and mechanical energy.

Tlie medical community vali-dates the importance of energy inmedicine with the use of MRIs,CAT scans. X-rays, and other diag-nostic tools that reveal the densi-ties of tissues, which workbecause diseased cells emit differ-ent energy fields than healthycells." Medical professionals alsouse treatment interventions suchas radiation to destroy cancercells, E-stimulation to reduce pain,and high frequency shock wavesto shatter kidney stones.

Exercise 3. Sensing Energy• Stand behind a seated partner.

Use your hands to scan the areaseveral inches off her shouldersand neck, noticing any radiantheat or other type of energy youfeel.Take note of this.

• Then rest your hands on both ofher shoulders, using a ftjil-contacttouch. Notice any type of energyunder your hands. "Listen" withyour touch for heat, electricalenergy, density, and vibration. Canyou feel nerve conduction, cellularactivity, or muscles twitching?

64 MASSAGE & BODYWORK * JUNE/JULY 2006

" Massage her shoulders, kneadingthe muscles there. Imagine stirringup the molecules as you work,like wedging clay or mixing ingre-dients in dough.

• After a few minutes of massage,stop. Rest your hands on hershoulders again. Can you feelkinetic energy in the tissues?What does it feel like? Notice anyother changes in energy you feel.

• Then take your hands off her bodyand scan once more. Is there anydifference in radiant heat?

Healing Touch

Alicaitliy body functions with aflowing and interactive bioelec-

tric energy field, whereas distur-bances in energy flow lead to illhealtli. Healing touch improvesoverall balance by providing a sup-portive, caring touch that increasesclients' awareness of their energypatterns. Most of us seem sensitiveto the subliminal communicationthat takes place on an energeticlevel, instinctively responding to thevibes we pick up from other people.In massage, we communicate ourenergy 'vibration directly to theclient via a touch that holds a heal-ing intention (see Figure 5, right).

A massage therapist enlivens anenergy system through healingtouch, affecting somatic resonanceto improve cellular coherence andmanipulating soft tissue to literal-ly stir tbe molecules in the tissues.Somatic resonance involves thelistening contact of cellular touch.In contrast, soft-tissue manipula-tion actively kneads and stretchesdenser tissues. The first is a large-ly sensory focus, the latter amotor focus.

From an encompassing cellulartouch, a practitioner can be drawninto any tissue layer, tending tothe tissues that need attentionwith manipulation, while stilltending to underlying energeticprocesses by keeping a receptivequality in the background.

Figure 5. Healing touch has a listeningMatthew Scherf.

In light of this discussion, I pro-pose cellular touch as a ground formassage, a place where energymeets matter. This counterbal-ances a tendency among practi-tioners that is one I know only toowell from my own experience: inan effort to give a good massage,we overwork, drowning out whatwe feel while plowing and motor-ing through the tissues. Cellulartouch can counter this tendency,tuning our sensory receptors tothe energetic shifts taking placeunder our hands within ourclients. TTiis process can be assimple as relaxing the handsbetween strokes, inviting the nat-ural action and rest cycles inher-ent to fluid movements, andexpanding the spaces in between.In the end, this energetic exchangecan enliven our own bodies withthe benefits of healing touch asmuch as it does our clients'. [2D

quality. Photo courtesy of iStockphotoxoml

Mary Ann Foster, author of SomaticI^tteming (EMS Press. 2004), has been amassafff therapist and movement fducator fortwenty-five years. She teaches movement ehssesat the Boulder College of Massage Therapy inColorado. Contact her at infb@efnspress.CQm.

NotesI, Bruce Lipton. The Biology of Belief Unleashing the Power

of Consciomnea. MaMr. and Miracles (Santa Rosa, CA: EliteBooks. 2005). Singte molecules such as hormones and endor-phins act as chemical messengers, docking cin target sitei ofcell membranes to trigger chemical reactions. NeuroscientistCatidace Pert, who discovered opiate receptors in tbe brain,describes how hormone release is often triggered by emo-tional reactions in her book Mo/ecotes of Emouons/WhyYoofee/ theWayYou Feel (Simon and Schuster, IM91.

2,This exercise is adapted from one called cellular holding,which is the basis of touch and repatterning in Body-MindCencering.a somatic therapy based on an experiential studyof anatomy and developmenul movement, created by BonnieBainbridge Cohen.

3, D. Ingber,'"The Architecture of Life," Sopnlifk America(January I998|:48-S7.

4, Mae-Wan Ho, The Rambow and Ote WornvThe Physics ofOrganization (Singapore: World Scientific, 1993),

5, Russell Targ and Jane Kacra, Mirocles of the Mind-Exploring Nonlocal Consciousness ond SplrJtuoJ Healing (Novato,CA: New Wor ld Library, 1998), Larry Dossey, Heoling Words;The Powrr ofPmyei and the Practice of Aledfdne (New York:HarperColl ins, 1993).

6, Ervtn Lasilo. Scwnce anrf the Alioihfc field: An IntegralTheory of Everything (Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2004).

7, Lynne McTaggart, The FieldThe Quesl for Ihe Secrel Forceof the Universe (Mew York: Harper Perennial, 2002).

B.Valene Hunt. Infinite Mind:The Science ofHumonVMirotwnl (Malibu, CA: Halibu Publishing, 1989, 199S). S3-S6.

9. 6. Liptor, The Biology of

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