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Julie McKay, CST-D, NCTMB, BFRP is Director of The CLEAR Institute and a highly respected therapist and teacher. Julie has spent over 10 years refining her techniques that she uses to dialogue with clients, and she is passionate about helping others learn how to become more effective therapists.

Here, Julie discusses her recent book, The Insightful Body, the events that inspired her to develop SomaCentric Dialoguing, and the many benefits of this remarkable and effective technique.

Two events have greatly influenced my work with clients and my developing SomaCentric Dialoguing. The first was when I was six years old. I fell off my bike and hurt my knee. My mother taught me that I could tell my body that it didn’t have to hurt anymore because I got the message that it needed attention. Mom suggested that I make my knee feel soft like a marshmallow, thus helping it to relax and be pain-free.

The second came after being a professional bodyworker for ten years, when bodywork came to my rescue. It took 18 months of intensive manual therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic care to figure out that what seemed to be nerve pain from a possible slipped disc was actually from abdominal fascial restrictions, from a thrown phone book hitting me in the stomach. The word “pain” did not accurately describe what I experienced. This experience made me realize that my clients, particularly those with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue or post traumatic stress disorder, might have a similar problem finding the right word to describe how they felt.

When colleagues asked me to teach them how to effectively dialogue with their clients I wrote down all the concepts that had made a difference in my work. I quickly realized that there was no one source that described the importance of word choice and asking open-ended questions, avoiding the use of certain words (“pain” does not mean the same to everyone, so it is one of the No-No words), empowering clients to tell me if I am inaccurate about something (I call this Wiggle Words), and the difference between beneficial protection mechanisms and resistance obstacles.

It is important to talk with a client in her “processing language.” My client responds easier when I speak using her manner of processing information, through auditory, kinesthetic, or visual channels. The last crucial concept is that people have different ways of communicating. Some are clear-cut and to the point communicators, others want to bond before getting down to business, some are spurt-workers and extremely creative, while others want endless details before making decisions. I got better results and realized that a client can more effectively get in touch with what is going on in her body when I dialogue with her using her communication style and processing language, rather than talking with everyone in the same manner.

I use simple and yet profound dialoguing techniques to help my client to effectively let go of holding patterns and pain in her body. Putting these concepts and techniques together, I created SomaCentric Dialoguing. The goal of SomaCentric Dialoguing is to help my client understand and articulate what her body wants her to be aware of, helping her to heal more deeply, rather than just removing the physical symptom and “fixing” the problem. This results in core physical, mental, and emotional healing.

Annette Wellings is a Pilates instructor who suffers from major scoliosis. She began exploring different ways of keeping her body flexible and healthy whilst working as a linguist and artist in Australia and subsequently, she retrained in rehabilitation Pilates.

She is the co-author of Curves, Twists and Bends: A Practical Guide to Pilates for Scoliosis with Alan Herdman, the leading practitioner of Pilates in the UK since introducing it there in 1970.

How did you first find out about Pilates?

While working as a linguist and an artist in Australia and Fiji, I became increasingly aware of my body becoming more hunched and painful with scoliosis. By the time I was about 35, my spine was rigid and my torso was becoming increasingly twisted. I realised that I needed to do something and explore options, instead of passively sitting by and lamenting the degeneration of the spine. I began exploring different ways of keeping my body flexible and healthy, and I discovered Pilates.

How easy is Pilates to learn for the complete beginner?

The beauty of Pilates is its simplicity and versatility. Essentially it is a gentle form of exercise that is constantly adjusted and moulded to suit the particular needs of the individual. For the complete beginner, it is important to go to a good qualified teacher who understands your condition. Pilates is a subtle process and, like many effective exercise programs, it requires time and focus in developing a mind-body awareness. Rather than instant gratification or a quick-fix, it bears gradual profound benefits over time.

How can Pilates complement traditional rehabilitation medicine?

Whether individuals have opted for surgery or not, it is vital that people with scoliosis (particularly severe curvatures) keep the spine and body as healthy, supple and lengthened as possible. Pilates provides gentle exercises that can help improve flexibility, posture and alignment, and lengthening.

Pilates can be particularly useful for scoliosis, by teaching how to move and engage separate muscle groups. This can help tease out asymmetrical patterns of muscle use, encouraging the strengthening of weak underdeveloped muscles, and breaking down the dominant bossy muscles which develop on one side of the torso.

While surgery focuses on straightening out the spinal curvature, it is important to highlight that Pilates exercises are not designed to restructure the spine. Their purpose is to encourage flexibility and length, and enable the body and spine to be as healthy and supple as possible. As such, Pilates is suited to all people with scoliosis. The basic exercise movements can then be modified and developed more precisely to suit the particular shape of an individual curvature.

Your co-author, Alan Herdman, suggests that the message of Pilates is ‘Quality not Quantity’. How often would a typical scoliosis sufferer need to practice Pilates to feel the benefit?

Alan is right. Pilates requires you to be mindful and put time and effort into any program, particularly if you’ve got scoliosis. To get full effect and benefits, two to three times a week is a great start. Including it as part of your everyday lifestyle is ideal. There is no quick fix for scoliosis, and it’s good to put in consistent time and focus over the long term, learning and listening to your body.

In the book you look at different strategies for living with scoliosis. As a sufferer yourself, what is the best advice you can give to other people living with this condition?

First, accept your scoliosis and recognize that it makes you unique. It is a symbol of your individuality. Get information about your curvature, so that you understand and are aware of what your scoliosis involves (e.g. location, size and type of curve). You should explore options available for treating your scoliosis and keeping your body strong, lengthened and flexible. It’s important to make yourself a health care plan for life, including adequate rest, a healthy diet, and a gentle regular exercise routine to keep the body as supple and healthy as possible. Think length. It’s wise to avoid movements and circumstances which jolt or compress the spine.

In short, let go and listen to your body. Accept, observe and explore your condition with curiosity.

Yoga and Bodywork

SomaCentric Dialoguing and The Insightful Body – An Aricle by Julie McKay

Curves, Twists and Bends: Pilates for Scoliosis – An Interview with author Annette Wellings

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