Get completely aware of your lively body!
Tidy the body in thought and compare the body symmetries
Get aware of the body in accordance with the surroundings
balance
strengthening via visualisation e.g. of the shoulder muscle
New programming of motion functions via visualisation
strengthening by touching the according body parts
strengthening by self-hypnosis, like in autogene training
What works once, can work a few times, and what works a few times, can always work!
Contact:
Schule für Geist und Körper e.V.
Sonja Wierk
Jakob-Kaiser-Str. 49
27578 Bremerhaven
Germany
Tel. 0471-60134
Homepage SOWI-Therapie
Sonja Wierk and Barbara Zaruba, Munich, August 5 2003
page 18 "The basic situation did not give much reason for hope": ... Bedridden and completely paralyzed with all the symptoms that her illness could bring, that was Sonja in 1985. She was 60 years old and since 25 years she had MS-attacks. Her arms and legs were paralyzed, speaking was difficult, swallowing almost impossible, she could hear and see very little, her live was hopeless, she wouldnīt even think about the future anymore. ... The painful outcome of the past 25 years was: Her life was a merely exhausting, everything would cost Sonja lots of power, and compared to her input, the outcome was rather poor. There was no more reason for optimism anymore. Uncureable, no hope to get better, so the school-medicine - bad cards for the wife and grandmother Sonja, who used to be cheerful and full of power. Sonja had a few things to make her life easier, like a wheelchair or special glasses - but they were of less use according to the state of health which got worse every year. After fighting with her body for years and years she finally had end up in the wheelchair anyway. She couldnīt even move the wheelchair herself anymore. ... The illness seemed to take everything away from Sonja, but she put up with it as every fighting worsened her state.
In winter 1985, her MS-group, which she had belonged to for many years, had an event in Bremen, which was 60 km away. The topic was: Conciousness through motion according to Moshe Feldenkrais. ...
... She was determined to take part, even though it was cold and uncomfortable in Bremerhaven and she knew from past actions, how much power it would take already before the actuall event itself. And that what it was like again. Her refusing body, which she could not influence anymore at all, was kept warm and put into the wheelchair with many problems. She was driven to Bremen by car. Three persons were necessary to carry Sonja inside, whilst she was completely exhausted already as she was lieing on the floor whilst the others started to do what the seminar teacher told them. She was lieing on a matress without being able to move and shook by painful convulsions all over the body. ... During the seminar, Sonja was able to do something very surprising: Suddenly she could move her usually paralyzed arms a bit. Her cramped hands, which were twisted by the convulsions, did surprising movements. ...
page 40 "Enemy body": ... When a patient does not make much fuss about his illness, there may be already a very personal emotional structure taking part: It is difficult, to share the thoughts with others about how unsecure, how desperate one is, how bad one feels. One does not comprehend what really is going on in the body. The first problems are only subjective disasters, objectively not much has happend yet. Be "disturbed" when you just got the diagnosis MS! Something horrible has happened. Donīt play it down, donīt let others either. Only yourself can feel, how much has gotten into disorder. Only yourself can turn back the wheel - now it is rather easy; start right now and the way back will not be as long yet.
page 44: ... Long before the diagnosis itself, the fight against the body has started, against oneself. One just takes a bit longer to do things, one does not like to walk longer distances anymore. All this can be concealed by little white lies by more engagement, more action and less quietness. Just like nothing has happened, one keeps on living his life. Suddenly one feels how a leg doesnīt work properly anymore, but this wonīt be realized by others yet. One walks - in every respect - along, as if nothing has happened. This palliation of oneīs own well-being will be kept for a long time, maybe forever. The sentence "I canīt go on anymore" will come late from a person with MS.
Please keep remembering: You are allowed to be "disturbed" by the illness. Something aggravating has happened which you need to realise, but do not believe what youīre being told about "uncureable and not possible to get better". Then you wonīt get into the war, the ill person often fights against himself.
page 63 "Become creative - visualize": Imaging as often as possible your success, your proceedings and reaching smaller and bigger goals. Itīs good to get into it a sort of dreamy state, as then you will probably be relaxed and hopeful. When dreaming about a healthy future, do this very colorful and donīt worry you might turn into a complete dreamer by doing this. To dream about a wonderful, fulfilling and happy future, ist the best and most relaxing investment in your future life. Every second of well-being, every second of happiness has a positive and healing effect on your body and your immune-system and thatīs what itīs all about!
Here I might say, that Barbara in her own book mentions the Huna-Philosophy. A week later I found that interview about it, which you find in the homepage. Now, reading these sentences again, I know, thatīs where these thoughts are from..
page 78: "Accept, what is": Be concious about the reality, even if you would like not to - this is another important step on the way to health. Even though it is very hard to accept the momentary state, you should do it. Here a simple example: If somebody paints a red spot on your nose, you can deny it, but you can only wipe it away, when you have accepted the fact, that a red spot is beaming on your nose. What is there anymore, one can only accept. To accept it, is the most important step on the way to changing reality. Afterwards one can start, to change this reality by loving attention towards oneīs body.
page 96: A medical doctor, neurology doctor and chef-doctor in a clinic who is open-minded and who follows the SoWi-therapy with interest and who wants to see it installed in clinical areas too, says: "New connections between brain-cells are obligatory with every motoric learning progress - also for healthy people. There must be new connections all the time, to learn new things." For example a pupil of playing piano has to work at a piece at first slowly and concious. By constant repeated practise, the nerval connections are build, which later on will make an automation possible later on. A piano virtuo will not think about how his fingers move anymore. People with cerebral problems have to do concious movements for new connections according to how big the damage in the central nervous system is. This doctor also says: "The more nerval pieces are still working to do movements, the less conciousness task can be done, the more automised they are.
Another aspect from brain research says: It it not possible by measurements with the latest instruments, if a motion has been done for real or if it has been imagined only. This too corroborates with SoWi-therapy.
page 167: "Every thought is reality. Every though builds something of our future or tears something of it down. What are you thinking of right now? Are your thoughts with something dark or something light? Is it hate or is it love? Does it mean affection towards others or resentment? One could also ask: "What are you doing with your future?" Man is the outcome of what he has been thinking." - Prentice Mulford -
page 236 where letters to Sonja can be found, here bits of one a seminar teacher who works with MS-patients: ... It is not the doctor, not the pill, the new drug that will help (or if, then only in the acute situation), but first the person himself must comprehend, that nobody from outside can help, if she herself does not take part. This change of thinking seems to be rather difficult for MS-patients. Often the illness is the escape from a situation in life, which the MS-patient couldnīt cope with and now needs the illness, to sort out his life new. In our "repair-society" this change of thinking is new and difficult.
page 251 "SoWi-therapy in catchwords":
Do not force, stay playful.
Get peaceful.
Take time to feel yourself physically and emotionally.
Realise your posture and touching points with your environment.
Realise the motion of the breath (do not controll or change it - danger of hyperventilation)
Touch the "Me-point" (in the middle of the breast) and talk to yourself ("My name is...) - feel what changes.
Orientate yourself in the room and at the body - what is up, down, in front and behind...
Naming and thinking of all body-parts first on the same side (right hand, right arm ...) then on both sides (right shoulder, left shoulder...)
Remembering the body-center at times.
Imagine the function and motion-possiblities of the single body-parts (e.g. stretching the fingers and closing them again).
Repeat the imagination.
Take care to repeat the right way (not unconcious brabbling, no gun-fire, no will-power, no force, playful-easy). Itīs not quite so easy to get into the right "working-mood".
Finally tell a body-part to do a motion.
Wait and be in a hopeful positive mood.