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had remained frozen in her mind and body and produced a physical expression long after the original incident. Through the gentle touch and inquiring movements of Trager, her mind was able to experience safety and eventually release the pattern holding the physical expression.
Similarly, the effects of sexual abuse are present long after the trauma takes place, sometimes producing a fear of physical contact altogether or a dissociation with bodily identity. Through The Trager Approach I have been able to help such clients to acknowledge their physicality and reset their level of comfort with healthy normal contact with others.
The touch dialogue that The Trager Approach sets up can be compared to the approach of “Non-Violent Communication” as described by Marshall Rosenberg in his book of the same name. For example, if you were yelled at, how long would you listen? In the same way, to force the body to do something that it is not ready to do sets up a similar resistance-push back. It’s important to emphasize that Trager is not a form of psychotherapy or “talk” therapy and references made to the “touch as a language” or “touch dialogue” pertain to the use of hands to engage in a conversation with the unconscious mind.
Trager practitioners feel/listen for resistance patterns and honor their set points. They do not attempt to move into muscular resistance or change what is true for the body- mind. Instead, the Trager Practitioner will emphasize ranges of motion that are acceptable, safe and comfortable so as to invite the client’s letting go of such patterns that may be no longer relevant. As the body feels safe and ‘heard,' it can choose to let go of valid but outmoded patterns that may have projected into the tissue as pain or
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