The story of the surprising cause of her jaw pain
In 2003, I went along to a massage course in the beautiful hinterland of the Queensland Sunshine Coast. At this course I met a woman who was feeling miserable and experiencing a lot of pain in her jaw. This is a story about how I found out the surprising cause of her pain.
Anguished face among happy and smiling faces
The course was a five day live-in experience where we swapped massages, went on morning walks through the bush, swam in the pool, ate delicious food, hugged, laughed, and generally had a lot of fun and connection with other people. I noticed a woman whose anguished face stood out from the happy and smiling faces of the other students.
Jaw massage for her pain
On the third day I was told this woman was suffering from excruciating pain in her jaw. Because of my expertise in jaw massage, I was asked if I would help this lady. I started working on this woman with one finger inside her mouth with support from a finger on the opposite hand working outside her mouth.
Because the woman was in so much distress, I worked gently and slowly inside her mouth starting away from her greatest pain and moving gradually towards this area. The woman was very open and patient and encouraged me to continue.
Image of a man
After two hours I came to work on the most painful area inside her mouth near where the deep layers of her left masseter muscle attaches to her cheek bone. I tried a few techniques and nothing seemed to be changing. Suddenly I got an imagine of a man in my mind. This image meant nothing to me. Thinking this may have some significance for the woman I described this image of a man to her.
Burst into tears
She listened to me, opened her eyes, looked at me and then burst into tears. She cried and cried and cried. When she stopped crying she looked at me and then gave me a big hug. She lay down and went to sleep. When she woke, she was smiling. She spent the rest of the course joyous and happy.
What happened?
Later I asked her what happened. She told me that the image I described to her fitted the description of a man who was her best friend and that she had witnessed him being murdered.
Locked-in emotional pain
I think to avoid mental trauma she had clenched her jaw and physically locked-in the emotional pain of seeing her friend murdered. This tension-holding scenario to escape emotional pain is seen commonly after many traumatic or sudden impact-related events.
Safe and supportive space releasing trauma and bringing joy
The peaceful and supportive environment of the massage retreat created a safe place for the woman’s body to begin the process of unlocking itself. Hence the onset of experiencing the excruciating pain in her jaw many years after the original traumatising event.
The safe, gentle, specific and highly focused soft tissue manipulation of my jaw massage allowed her to feel and release the emotional pain of witnessing her friend being murder. With the tension and pain in her jaw gone, she was able to feel joyous and happy.
Jaw massage
My jaw massage treatment is very subtle and gentle. One finger works inside the mouth while a finger on the other hand works outside of the mouth. Very little pressure is used. All movements of the fingers are slow. Disposable gloves are worn for hygiene.
If you have jaw pain that is not related to teeth problems or inflammatory diseases, perhaps my jaw massage may be helpful for you. If you’d like my assistance, please give Kevin a call on 0408 694 655 or click to BOOK ONLINE.