If you’ve had physical
therapy for an injury, pain, or post-surgical rehab, it may surprise you to
know not all PT is created equal. In fact, a lot of physical therapy can be
grouped into one of two categories: traditional, insurance-driven practices and
alternative/holistic cash-based practices.
As someone who's practiced
both, I'm sharing a few reasons I think anyone looking for true, long-term
healing should give holistic physical therapy a try. Here are a few ways your
experience with a holistic physical therapist may be different from the norm:
1. We may cost more up front, but we're worth it in the long run.
First, let me acknowledge
that I realize not everyone has a choice and that your finances may be the
driving force behind who you decide to trust with your body, mind, and soul.
But I'm going to nudge you now...what if all that money saved ended up in
partial relief, incomplete healing, or no attempt at integrating all the
important parts of you that contribute to the healing process?
What happens then is you’ll
be back. Or resentful. Or thinking PT just doesn’t work or that the therapist
wasn’t good enough or some other situation leaving you dissatisfied and no
closer to your goal of feeling good and living life to the fullest.
The biggest difference
between traditional physical therapy and alternative or holistic physical
therapy is the therapist’s ability to evaluate and treat all of you, no matter
what your doctor wrote down on your prescription.
It’s this holistic and
inclusive approach—and I’m not just talking about all your body parts; I’m
talking mind and soul, too—that creates the environment for optimal healing to
take place.
2. We don't just focus on one body part.
When I went to school we
were taught to look at one area of the body at a time, similar to how doctors
operate: one diagnosis, one body part only. We learned how to measure range of
motion and strength, how to mobilize soft tissue and joints, and how to come up
with a functional diagnosis for you.
What schools aren’t taking
into consideration is the intimate connections of the fascial system and every
other part of you, including your thoughts and desires. They aren't teaching
PTs how to empower their clients or address the somato-emotional component of
illness, disease, and injury.
So holistic physical
therapists pursued all that training after school was done. In my case, a
mentor pointed me in the direction of John F. Barnes Myofascial Release and
craniosacral therapy: two powerful healing modalities that were once considered
"woo woo" but have since become accepted by many mainstream medical
professionals.
Because the
connective-tissue system of the body is a three-dimensional, head-to-toe super
highway for energy and information, ignoring one area of the body when you want
to help another is going to be a problem. This system also stores pent-up
emotions, so when someone experiences a trauma of any sort, the fascia is one
of the ways to address healing.
3. We see "it's all in your head" as a good thing.
If therapists stick with
their cookbook approaches and keep blinders on when they treat, they’ll never
help clients truly heal. I’m not saying they won’t have success, because
sometimes simple injuries heal well with basic techniques. What I’m saying is
that for true, lasting change to occur in a system that’s been injured or ill,
you can’t just treat the physical tissue or the one body part that hurts. You
have to understand the thoughts, emotions, and soul behind the body.
You may have been told by a
doctor about your diagnosis “It’s all in your head” (hopefully, not so
abruptly). I see many clients who are so angry when they’re told this. But I
look at that as a huge opportunity for healing.
When problems don’t show up
on an MRI, or an X-ray, be glad. And realize that the mind-soul component of
pain is very powerful. Be open to the idea that there’s something you haven’t
learned yet that could change everything.
4. We give clients more personalized attention.
In the beginning of my
career I practiced in several traditional physical therapy settings. I was
asked to see two to three clients an hour, using aides or technicians (who were
not licensed therapists) to guide exercises and never had time to fully address
my clients' physical needs, let alone the depression or sadness they felt
because they were injured. I also never had the time to connect with them
between treatments to guide or support them.
Clients paid a copay with
insurance covering the rest of the bill and followed the doctor’s orders as far
as frequency and duration of therapy, no matter what they really needed for
healing—which could be more OR less therapy.
When I burned out in this
system, I went out on my own and created the physical therapy environment I
knew my clients deserved and I wanted to give. I saw everyone for at least an
hour, and I scheduled them for what they needed, with lots of support in
between. The client had a resource, a friend, and a caring, skilled healer at
their disposal to empower the healing process and teach them how to navigate
integrating mind, body, and soul.
As you evaluate your own
experience with physical therapy, think about what you’re paying for. Do you
receive one-on-one attention for at least an hour, by the same therapist? Do
you see the same therapist every time you attend a session? Do you practice
your exercises in front of that same person? Are you given a way to connect
after the session for guidance or support? Does your therapist have enough time
to look at all of you? Does he or she ask you about your work, relationship,
home, and spiritual life?
5. It's your body. It deserves the best.
It’s time we redefine
healing. Physical therapists have an amazing opportunity to get to know their
clients and really serve in a way many doctors can’t. They have a chance to be
true healers. It’s important to foster this kind of relationship with all our
health care givers. It’s time to demand it, actually. Until clients are
educated about the differences, they’ll settle for outdated standards of care
and then be disappointed. It’s time to be brave about how we teach people about
healing.
The next time you need a
physical therapist, get picky. Interview them over the phone and ask some of
the questions above. Hear their voice. Get to know them. Get a feeling about
how they do their job, and give yourself permission to choose someone else if
one doesn’t feel good. It could mean the difference between simply getting
"better" and learning lifelong tools that empower you to truly heal
mind, body, and soul.
