Aquapoetics

Aquatic bodywork: receiver's descriptions

In my aquatic bodywork practice, I have found feedback obtained verbally (and recorded) or from questionnaires and follow-up email correspondence to be invaluable.  It provides insights into the varied experiences people have through this work and helps me to meet them where they are in their awareness of self and to understand better what they are seeking through their experience. 

Collecting this kind of anecdotal information might also reveal therapeutic aspects that could be developed and included in research studies.   Here are some examples of responses from receivers of my aquatic bodywork to the questions: How would you describe this aquatic bodywork to someone who has not experienced it? and How would you describe your first experience of aquatic bodywork?

How would you describe this aquatic bodywork to someone who has not experienced it?

The first two [aquatic bodywork] sessions were extremely visual and physical.  The second two were very subtle emotionally, and it is still a bit close to the third two to say - but they were both more feeling, not very visual and I felt more at ease and able to simply be and flow.  If you remember, I 'forgot' to bring a lot of the things I normally bring - drawing materials, cards to read/ journey with, etc. so it seemed the theme of this last set was simplicity and that is how the [sessions] felt to me - simple, quiet, and yet this is not to say that I didn't feel as if very deep work were going on at a soul level.  So to describe it in a poem, drawing or writing will take some deep focus time. (a spa-retreat guest)

Floating, free in time and space.  Always supported, sometimes guided. Safe to move within myself and to just be, and to move and be moved in the environment of the warm water.  A sense of 'allowing' the universe to coordinate for and with me.  Also a wonderful 'massage' ('bodywork' is probably a better term). A totally delightful and luxurious experience.  (a student of Avatar)

For me the [aquatic bodywork session]  is a way to 'go home', like returning to the womb, to a peaceful place within myself.  It allows me the freedom from gravitational restrictions, not being tied down by the weight of my body and the crippling joints from rheumatoid arthritis.  (an accountant with serious RA)

Your body is suspended and surrounded by the warmth of the water, then you are moved through the water, kneaded, massaged, stretched, with each movement further relaxing you, taking you to a place of inner peace and total relaxation.  (a counselor)

An [aquatic bodywork session] is a non-verbal experience - gentle stretching through slow aquatic movements guided by S my facilitator.

I felt like I was stretched out. 

It's very dreamlike, it's like being held and soothed by the warm mother of the world. 

I simply try to tell others of the various aspects of discovery available during [an aquatic bodywork session]. 

[Aquatic bodywork] is not for everyone.  Those that it's right for - it will be profound. There are womb-like aspects and it has shamanic overtones. The water allows me to reach a deeper level of awareness - beyond all intellect.  This leaves me in a more vulnerable state.  It is more intimate than massage.  (massage therapist)

In the calm water/ we travel to the center/ and its free beauty.  (chiropractor)

I'm on the cautious and practical side.  I speak to the physical 'closeness' of the experience - sometimes this turns people off knowing that [the practitioners] will be touching them!  I explain the process - wearing a swimsuit, no makeup, etc.  Tell of the water temp, no dunking the head, the physical setting, the warmness of the [practitioners], the professionalism, the respect for modesty.  I don't get into the 'zen' of the experience - this is very personal and individual and also may turn some people off thinking it is a 'new age' type of experience.  (hospice director)

When people have asked me about the [aquatic bodywork], I have given them one of your brochures because I have not known how to explain it. (mental health counselor)

I have a very difficult time in explaining the experience of an [aquatic bodywork session].  Each one has felt different for me (all in a positive way).  It is very relaxing, soothing and calming.  It relieves tension held in your body in a more effective way than a massage 'on dry land'. It has been an emotional experience for me at times, in a way I can't really describe.  (yoga practitioner)

How would you describe your first experience of aquatic bodywork?

Check boxes were given in questionnaire format:  physically relaxing, physically energizing, emotionally calming, emotionally releasing, trance/dream-like, spiritual, other. Respondents were also encouraged to use their own words. 

My first experience was releasing on many levels - I remember dancing in the water and swirling around feeling free for the first time in a long time (and completely safe) - also the visual images that came through helped to release many hidden emotional issues while bringing to the surface at least as many more. (spa-retreat guest)

Relaxing/ calming.  Sense of OKness.

It felt like I was going 'home', returning to the womb.  Very relaxing, yet energizing.

Physically relaxing, almost draining - very tired afterward.  Seem to get into trance or dream-like state. 

Very relaxing and nurturing. 

Physically relaxing. 

Physically relaxing, emotionally calming, dream-like.  I felt as though I was a rag doll or collection of leaves floating down a creek.  I felt like I was a baby in a pool with a fun-loving parent who I knew would keep me safe while amusing me.  I felt like I was the entranced partner of a ballet dancer who skillfully maneuvered me through beautiful choreography.  It was amazing.

Each one has been different - the first was very trance-dream like, spiritual. They are always emotionally and physically calming in effect, the last one was emotionally releasing, discharging and physically energizing, which was interesting.  I felt more energy that evening than I had for a long time and realized that energy was still inside me. 

My very out of whack pelvic region was restored to balance with just the first session. Quite a nice beginning.  There is also an energizing, yet calming aspect that I experienced along with the physical healing. 

Physically energizing, emotionally releasing, trance/dream-like, spiritual. 

Physically relaxing, emotionally calming, emotionally releasing, trance/dream-like, spiritual. 

Pleasant.  Took me 45 minutes to quit 'working' in my head and to relax, after that I believe I fell asleep to some extent.  Very relaxing and calming.  [Sulis was] welcoming and made me feel right at home as soon as I stepped out of my car.

I have always had trouble with my neck - tightness, tension, etc. and have been a little afraid to have anyone work on it.  My first experience [of aquatic bodywork] I had a hard time getting into it, trusting that I wouldn't get water in my mouth.  It was difficult to relax.  Because I had a hard time relaxing, my neck felt a little uncomfortable.  [This did not alter with further session and this person chose to continue with table massage with a soak in the pool beforehand on a weekly basis.  That worked very well for her!] 

It was definitely physically relaxing - I did have a little trouble in quieting my mind. 
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In future posts, I'll share feedback on the following further questions:

• Was there any personal change/benefit that you could ascribe to your aquatic bodywork session?

• Has this altered with further aquatic bodywork sessions?

• For how long did you experience the effects of your aquatic bodywork sessions?

If you are a practitioner and are interested in obtaining copies of the questionnaires I've created to adapt for you own use, please contact me for more information and cost.

How do you describe your aquatic bodywork practice?

There are as many ways of practicing aquatic bodywork as there are practitioners.  Of course, there is the influence of the modality in which you choose to train from Aquamassage to Watsu.    And yet, each one of us must find a way to practice that is also an authentic expression of who we are and not just a copy of our teachers' style.  We can draw on our unique talents, even as we take care to keep our clients safe.

The preferred setting for my aquatic bodywork practice has been a non-clinical and nature-based 'spa' environment.  I've generally avoided the words 'therapy' or 'healing', preferring to see my practice as the art and craft of  aquatic bodywork.  In my early enthusiasm for this extraordinary aquatic experience, I also suggested that the practice could be undertaken as a form of shamanic journeying.

Feedback after aquatic bodywork: It makes me really happy

As a complement to the previous post 'Facing feedback after aquatic bodywork: pain' here is some heart-warming feedback from a woman, again in her 50s, after 59 sessions over a 2-year period of receiving aquatic bodywork from me at a private spa retreat (no longer open).

The questions are modified from surveys I created for those who had received 3+ and then 15+ sessions with me.  Responses like this can provide information that is valuable in ongoing work with someone and also in gaining insight into your own practice and its effectiveness.

Such anecdotal information can also be useful in devising more extensive studies of specific effects of this work, giving weight to the differences between practitioners, among clients, and in a variety of settings.  I will be writing more about this in this section of the blog 'An aquatic practice'.

In future posts, I will also comment on further responses to questionnaires given to 15 people (3 men and 12 women aged 40s to 70s) who received more than 3 (some over 10) sessions of aquatic bodywork with one of two practitioners (female, male) during a 2-year period.

Samples of the forms and questionnaires I have used in my practice can be obtained from me on request for a reasonable fee. Guidance and suggestions for modifications to suit your own practice are also offered.  Email me for more (see left-hand column).

What kind of evidence are we looking for in aquatic therapy?

My main interest in this blog is alternative aquatics, which I have defined as any water-based healing modality that involves movement and/or bodywork but that is not considered suitable without significant modification for clinical settings or medical billing.

These kinds of practices may be found as part of spa-leisure and alternative health services, and are concerned with preventing ill-health and maintaining good health. Sometimes, though, people suffering from chronic problems that have not been helped by medicine do find help from alternatives.

There are many questions to be asked about this regards people made vulnerable by desperation in dealing with a health issue.  Whether the alternative approaches are safe is paramount.  Whether they are effective is also relevent, though the methods science uses to assess these may not be ideal.

In this post, I take a look at the evidence dilemma as it affects conventional medical practices.  Contrary to what many believe, the situation is not any more certain or reliable for some clinical treatments than it is for alternative healing methods.

For people needing treatment for serious acute and chronic health issues the issues are different than for those who are seeking preventive or maintenance health care, and those who are looking for enhanced well-being.

Aquatic physical therapists and other aquatics staff working in clinic situations are concerned with the first group. In the current US social and medical climate, cost and effectiveness are inseparable for this injured or unwell population.  The situation is further complicated by malpractice issues.

In the  July&August 2008 issue of AARP Magazine, Shannon Brownlee asked 'Why does Health Care cost so much?' (pp. 50-57) and put forward some ideas for possible medical health care reforms and their pros and cons in the US.  Brownlee noted that:

'Nearly a half-million [American] people file for bankruptcy every year because of high medical costs.  Another 47 million lack health insurance altogether.'

'[T]he most significant reason Americans are drowning in health care debt may shock you: Americans are getting far too much unnecessary care ...[and] new evidence suggest that too much health care may actually be killing us.'

(Under Obama's new administration the urgent need for reform is recognized and right now is in challenging process.)

In her article, Shannon Brownlee also discussed evidence-based medicine:

The prestigious Institute of Medicine recently published a report that estimates that only about half of what doctors do today is backed up by valid, scientific evidence.  The rest?  Many procedures and tests are based on medical tradition or on unproven and potentially faulty assumptions about how the body works.

Evidence-based research.  It is essential that we gather better scientific evidence for what works in medicine, what doesn't, and for which patients - and get the word out to doctors.  Take the example of spinal fusion to treat acute back pain.  We spend more than $16 billion each year on spinal fusions, even though there has never been a rigorous government-funded clinical trial showing that the surgery is superior to other methods of relieving back pain.

All this seems quite reasonable until you ask what kind of 'evidence' you need, how that 'evidence' is arrived at, and what you will use the information for.  Here are some questions that arose for me:

• Can enough scientific research be done? 

• Will that research provide the evidence that is needed to help people?

• Will this have any effect on treatment success?

• What can be offered to people who need help now?

It is arguable that we might get deeper and more lasting value -  for some issues at least - by looking more closely at the subjective elements of health care - from an individual's life choices, to the person by whom, and context in which, they are given help.

This is something I'll be addressing as part of a discussion on the value of documenting alternative aquatics, in Chicago at ATRI's Aquatic Healthcare Conference, 19-22 Nov. 2009.  I'm hoping to encourage dialog between medical and alternative aquatics practitioners regards the ways in which both could better serve those in need. 

We need more critical (but not defensive) discussion.  In future posts, I'll continue to write about how and why it's going to be valuable to do this.  We also need to listen far more to those who are suffering and seeking help through aquatic therapies - see for example this recent post: Feedback after aquatic bodywork: pain.

See also this post on Alternative Aquatics Research
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Feedback after aquatic bodywork: pain

(Painting reproduced by kind permission of artist Nancy Neaher Maas)

How do you respond when a client has an 'adverse' reaction to an aquatic bodywork session? 

Here is an example from my records of 5 years ago now.  The extracts are from email correspondence with a woman I will call Moira (not her real name) in her 50s who opted for a series of 5 weekly aquatic sessions. This feedback came after the 4th session. 

In her younger years, Moira was a professional dancer but at this time was doing computer work.  I came to know her as a good friend and someone of extremely high integrity, courage, and self-awareness. 

She also carried a burden of deep sorrow regards the state of the environment, especially of water.  A couple of years after the sessions we shared, my friend ended her life apparently suddenly and without warning.

Reviewing this correspondence has further inspired me to commit my healing work to the inclusion of all aspects of our human experience. In my practice, I've found aquatic bodywork to be effective on all levels - physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Acknowledging this and developing skills to guide those who are dramatically affected by the work in safe and supportive ways, is important.  Collaboration with complementary and compatible professionals as a team or by referral may also be a great help.