Samantha Gifford Therapy

14/11/2025

100% 👍

I once had a doctor look at my chart and ask, "So, the trauma is in the past?" I didn't have the words then. I just remember the thrumming in my own veins, the way my shoulders would lock for no reason, the stomach that felt like a clenched fist days after an argument. My body knew what my mind was trying to bury. It was a living, breathing archive of every shock my system had ever endured.

Reading Bessel van der Kolk's "The Body Keeps the Score" is like being handed the key to that archive. This book is not just a text on trauma; it is a radical re-envisioning of the mind-body connection. Van der Kolk, a pioneering psychiatrist and researcher, lays out, with devastating clarity and profound compassion, how trauma literally rewires the brain and gets trapped in the body, not as a memory, but as a physical, present-tense reality.

1. Trauma is a Civil War Within the Self
Van der Kolk’s central thesis is that trauma is not the story of something that happened back then. It is a physiological state to be re-lived. The brain's alarm system gets stuck on 'on,' leaving the body in a constant state of defense, at war with its own senses, its own safety. The past is not past; it is an ever-present physiological emergency.

2. The Mind Can Lie, But the Body Always Tells the Truth
We can construct narratives to survive, to make the unbearable seem neat. But the body refuses to be edited. It speaks in the language of migraines, autoimmune flares, chronic pain, and a heart that races in a quiet room. Healing begins when we stop arguing with the story and start listening to the flesh.

3. The Path Out is Through the Body, Not Just the Mind
Talk therapy can only take you so far when your body is still on the battlefield. Van der Kolk presents a powerful array of somatic therapies—yoga, EMDR, neurofeedback, and sensorimotor psychotherapy—that bypass the storytelling brain to speak directly to the nervous system. The goal is to teach the body that the danger is over, and that it is safe to inhabit itself again.

4. The Emotional Brain is Held Hostage
Trauma fundamentally alters brain structure. It hijacks the rational, "thinking" part of the brain (the prefrontal cortex) and gives ultimate authority to the emotional, survival brain (the amygdala). This is why traumatized people can't just "calm down" or "think rationally." Their brain's command center has been overthrown.

5. Trauma Shatters the Sense of Self
A core wound of trauma is the loss of ownership of one's body and mind. Survivors often feel disconnected, numb, or as if they are watching their life from a distance (dissociation). Healing, therefore, is not just about processing a memory, but about reclaiming the self—the right to feel, to desire, and to be present in one's own skin.

6. The Power of Rhythm and Relationship
Van der Kolk highlights two of the most fundamental regulators of our nervous system: rhythmic movement (like drumming, dancing, or swimming) and attuned, safe relationships. These are primal sources of comfort that can help re-regulate a dysregulated system and rebuild a sense of connection that trauma destroyed.

7. Trauma is Transmitted and Collective
The book extends beyond individual experience to explore how trauma can ripple through families (as in generational trauma) and entire societies. The body of a culture, like the body of a person, can hold the score of historical atrocities, shaping behaviors and health for generations.

8. The Limitations of Medication and Talk Therapy Alone
While sometimes necessary, van der Kolk argues that medication often just numbs the symptoms, and traditional talk therapy can sometimes re-traumatize by forcing a person to relive the event without providing the bodily tools to process it. True integration requires a bottom-up approach, starting with the body's physiology.

9. Healing is the Recovery of Play and Imagination
Trauma makes the world a terrifying and predictable place. Recovery involves rediscovering the capacity for play, creativity, and imagination. These are not frivolous; they are biological imperatives that allow for flexibility, spontaneity, and the creation of new, safe experiences.

10. You Can Re-write the Score
The book’s ultimate message is one of profound hope. Neuroplasticity means the brain can change. The body can learn new rhythms. While the scar of trauma remains, the debilitating pain does not have to. We are not condemned to be prisoners of our past. We can learn to live in the present, with a body that is no longer an enemy, but a trusted ally.

There is a line in the book that serves as a guiding light for the entire work: "The body keeps the score, and the body can be the door to the healing process." "The Body Keeps the Score" is a monumental, essential, and life-changing book. It is for anyone who has ever felt trapped by their own physiology, for anyone who has been told "it's all in your head," and for anyone who seeks to understand the deepest roots of human suffering and resilience. It is a difficult, often painful read, but it is also a map—the most comprehensive and compassionate one we have—leading out of the wilderness of trauma and back home to the self.

BOOK: https://amzn.to/4nJdTR7

You can ENJOY the AUDIOBOOK for FREE (When you register for Audible Membership Trial) using the same link above.

14/11/2025

While they can be seen as a luxury, massages are often part of healthcare – here’s how they affect physical and mental health

14/11/2025

The early morning hours are the perfect time to slow down and listen… to your body, your breath, and your heart. Slip into the role of the observer. This gen...

13/11/2025

Major adhesions after pelvic/abdominal surgery, such as a 'tummy tuck', DIEP flap surgery, hemi-colectomy etc, may cause you to feel like this inside. This can manifest as altered posture as fascial restrictions develop internally, often creating a bent-over posture it feels impossible for you to counteract.

Sharon Wheeler's ScarWork is renowned for gently unravelling the tension in restricted fascia and affected muscles and organs, and for helping to free compressed nerves and blood vessels, usually helping clients to stand straight again as well as improve movement and function.

If you're feeling like this inside, don't give up hope. Find a therapist who does Sharon Wheeler's ScarWork and start to address the problem today.

If you are a therapist and have a client who is suffering, learn how to help them by training in this life-changing work.

Discover our range of upcoming courses, and get ready to make a real change!

https://www.bodyinharmony.org.uk/

05/11/2025

💪 Why Posture Is the Foundation of a Healthy Body

Posture isn’t just about standing up straight, it’s the foundation of how efficiently your body functions. Every movement you make begins with your posture. When alignment is off, stress is placed on muscles, joints, and connective tissues, forcing the body to compensate and eventually break down.

In my clinic, I’d estimate around 95% of the people I treat have poor posture as a root cause of their pain or dysfunction. It’s rarely just “tight muscles” — it’s often a chain reaction that begins with the way we sit, stand, or move.

For example:

🦋Knee pain is often linked to hip or pelvic misalignment or poor posture on a bike.

🦋Hip and lower back pain can result from poor running mechanics or a weak core.

🦋Neck and shoulder tension frequently stem from prolonged forward-head posture at a desk.

When posture deteriorates, several things happen physiologically:

🌺Muscles shorten or lengthen beyond their optimal range, reducing strength and stability.

🌺Fascia (the connective tissue web around muscles) becomes tight and restricted, limiting movement.

🌺Joint load increases, causing inflammation and premature wear.

🌺Breathing efficiency drops as the diaphragm becomes restricted by slumped posture.

Massage therapy helps by releasing fascial restrictions, restoring circulation, and retraining muscle balance, allowing the body to move back toward alignment. Combined with targeted strength work, especially in the core, glutes, and postural muscles, the results can be transformative.

The key is awareness. Every time you sit, stand, or move, your posture either supports healing or contributes to strain.

✨ Self-care tip: Take a “posture audit” throughout your day — check your screen height, uncross your legs, engage your core, and take a deep, diaphragmatic breath. Small corrections, repeated often, create lasting changes.

31/10/2025

🔈 WHY YOUR PSOAS MUSCLES STAY TIGHT DURING STRESS

Whether you run, cycle, practise yoga or sit all day — your psoas muscles are always working. They link your spine to your legs, help you walk, stabilise your posture and support your internal organs.

👩‍⚕️ ANATOMY
Your psoas major runs from T12–L5 (lower spine) through the pelvis to the femur, making it the only muscle connecting your upper and lower body. It flexes your hips and trunk — and when it’s tight or weak, it can cause low back, hip or pelvic pain.

💥 STRESS CONNECTION
The psoas is deeply connected to your diaphragm via fascia and ligaments. When you’re under stress, your body activates the fight-or-flight response, and the psoas contracts to prepare for action.
Chronic tension — from stress, long sitting, running, or sleeping curled up — keeps it shortened, affecting your breathing, posture and even emotional balance.

💡 HOW TO RELEASE IT
✔️ Take movement breaks if you sit often
✔️ Support your lower back when driving
✔️ Stretch regularly and practise deep breathing
✔️ Try osteopathic treatment or massage
✔️ Let go of stress — your body holds emotions too

🧘‍♀️ Quick Psoas Stretch:
Lie with a foam roller under your sacrum, pull one knee to your chest, keep the other leg extended, and reach the same arm overhead. Hold 30 seconds, breathe deeply, and switch sides.

Your psoas connects body, breath, and emotion — when it relaxes, you move and feel better.

29/10/2025

💧 The need to urinate after massage isn’t a cleansing effect — it’s a sign of the body’s systems returning to normal rhythm.

When stress keeps the nervous system alert, the bladder can’t fully relax, leading to frequent, incomplete emptying.

When calm returns, parasympathetic activity allows a full, comfortable release.
Touch helps create that calm.

Read the 👉NEW👈 full blog here - https://smto.co.uk/urination-massage-and-the-autonomic-nervous-system/

GCMT The General Council for Manual Therapies

29/10/2025

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29/10/2025

🔈 NECK, SHOULDER & BACK PAIN AS A RESULT OF CARRYING YOUR HANDBAG ON ONE SHOULDER

❄ WHY SHOULDN'T YOU CARRY YOUR HANDBAG THIS WAY?

Many women carry their handbags on one shoulder, and they tend to favor the dominant, stronger, or non-injured one. Even if the bag is empty and very light, the natural slope of the shoulder means they are going to have to elevate the scapula/shoulder girdle with contraction of the upper shoulders and neck to prevent the bag from sliding off. This isometric contraction overuses and abuses the muscles of the neck. If the bag is heavy, it's even worse because a more powerful muscular contraction is needed, and the strap of the bag digs into the musculature of the shoulder, causing direct physical irritation and cutting off local blood circulation.

❄ WHERE DOES THE PAIN COME FROM?

Due to your body’s efforts to redistribute the extra weight, your muscles tense more and as such become stiff. The trapezius muscle and the muscles that go from your shoulder to the base of your neck, which sits on top of your shoulders, may spasm and therefore tighten, resulting in a lot of stiffness in the upper back, shoulder area and neck. This may lead to pain when turning your head and the development of arthritis in the lower neck. Some may even develop tension headaches from constantly carrying heavy handbags. As the muscles in your shoulder and neck area spasm, it can result in pain from the back of your skull that radiates around to the front.

❄ ADVICE

It's better to either wear the bag across the body or to use a backpack.

29/10/2025

Many people suffer from chronic headaches without realising that the true source may lie in the neck. This type of pain is known as a cervicogenic headache — “cervico” meaning neck, and “genic” meaning origin.

Unlike migraines, cervicogenic headaches often begin at the base of the skull and radiate toward the forehead, temple, or even behind the eyes. The pain is usually one-sided but can spread across the head.

So, how does it happen?
👉 Poor posture, muscle imbalance, joint stiffness, or previous neck injuries can cause irritation of the upper cervical joints (especially between C1–C3).
👉 These joints share nerve pathways with areas of the head and face, which means pain in the neck can be “referred” to the head.
👉 Tight muscles — such as the suboccipitals, upper trapezius, and levator scapulae — can further compress nerves, creating a cycle of tension and discomfort.

Typical symptoms include:
▪Headache that starts in the neck or back of the head
▪Pain triggered by neck movement or prolonged posture
▪Stiffness or reduced neck mobility
▪Pain on one side of the head or face

💡 What can help?
Gentle mobility work, stretching, posture correction, and manual therapy (osteopathic, physiotherapy, or massage) can reduce joint irritation and muscle tension. In many cases, addressing these underlying issues provides more lasting relief than medication alone.

The key is to treat the source, not just the symptom.

29/10/2025

💆‍♀️🍂🍁 The Power of Letting Go

🍂During massage, I can always tell when a client starts to relax — a slow sigh, steadier breathing, softer limbs. It’s a sign the nervous system has shifted from tension to repair.

🍂We don’t just hold stress in our minds — it lives in our muscles and fascia too. When we finally let go, circulation improves, the body softens, and healing begins.

🍂Letting go is a vital form of self-care. It means releasing not just physical tightness, but the weight of the day. Massage, breathwork, quiet time in nature — all remind the body it’s safe to rest.

🍂🍁True wellbeing starts when we stop holding on so tightly.🍂🍁

What can you let go of today? 😊 If you are interested to delve more deeply into the art of letting go, you may like to read/listen to the book Letting Go, the Pathway of Surrender, by David R Hawkins.