Why giving a bad treatment was a good thing

Personal Development, Shiatsu Practice

I gave a poor treatment on Friday night.

As I drove to my client I felt that I was in a good place to give a treatment. However, I did not achieve a great connection talking to my client and the Hara diagnosis was weak. I did not feel that repeating the diagnosis or fussing around on the Hara was appropriate and I felt lost. I just had no inspiration to proceed.

My client was concerned with a painful neck so I did some very general work there and down the back and arms. I did not work any meridians specifically or from start to finish. It was not very Shiatsu like. I finished feeling deflated but my client reported that his neck felt easier. A result.

At college on Saturday I mentioned this poor treatment and coincidentally another student had a poor experience too. We were reminded that sometimes not being in control is a good thing. Sometimes we have to be reminded not to impose a remedy on our receivers.

Shiatsu is about giving space to the client so they can heal themselves. Shiatsu practitioners work to remind Ki it needs to move and help it do so; they are not in the business of forcing it to go to places it does not want to be.

Like Ki, forcing one’s ability or skill is not a good thing. It needs to be nurtured and allowed to develop in its own time. In the context of my treatment on Friday I may have been setting myself up to fail. Driving to my client believing that I would heal him. A little knock to that belief was a good reminder that I should just listen to what is needed and act accordingly.

Tony Brown @ February 7, 2007