An article by Judy Scher, D.C.
Scher Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Our
nervous system is responsible for the functions of every joint, muscle, and
organ in our body. The shape, tone, and position of our spinal cord determine every
thought, feeling, and action we take. Often we think of the spine as simply the
backbone, whether straight or crooked, relating it only to posture.
However,
our outward posture reflects the inner distortion or integrity of our spinal
cord and the spinal nerves. There is far more going on with our spines then we
realize. The nervous system to the spinal canal registers every word, thought,
memory, and feeling we have. More importantly it registers the energy state we
were in when we have the experiences.
According
to Dr. Donnie Epstein, Developer of Epstein Technologies, Network Spinal Analysis,
and Somato Respiratory Integration, the 5 gifts of the spine are:
¨
Function
¨
Emotion
¨
Sense of Self
¨
Behavior
¨
Consciousness
The
nervous system is the first system to develop in utero and it continues to
develop into adulthood. When all
of the five gifts of the spine are fully experienced our potential is unlimited.
Function
Our
spine and nervous system our essential to all the vital functions of our
body. We often only notice our
spines when there’s a problem.
The
gift of function is about self healing, self-regulation, muscle contraction,
organ function, and hormone balance. When function is not operating effectively
the energy of the body is diverted to ensure that survival processes can continue.
The survival process shuts down ‘optional’ functions and growth. However, when
the gift of Function is working well and we don’t have to consciously think of
how to survive then we can put our focus and consciousness on life fulfillment.
Emotion
Emotions
are feelings and sensations that move through the body in response to
situations. Our emotions are key to the actions we do or don’t take in life. Emotions
are meant to move and change, often instantaneously. When we are “frozen” we
are unable to feel enough to create a shift or desire to take action. the challenge is when we have habituated ourselves to experience only a narrow range of emotions we don’t have
enough energy to feel what needs to be felt in the moment. When this happens
our body will express what isn’t felt in muscle tension, contraction and
rigidity. The gift of the emotion is the ability to express a full range of
emotion and to be able to access emotion to create change through new behaviors
quickly and effortlessly.
Sense of Self
How
we posture and hold our body says much about who we feel we are. We posture
differently when we connect with different aspects of ourselves. Our posture
will reflect our lack of confidence, our inability to feel our heart fully, our
sadness, our lack of self-worth, and our compensations. This can be directly
seen in the position of the spine, the position of the shoulders, how deeply we
breath, the position of our tailbone, and the position of our chest wall and
heart. The gift of the Sense of Self through the spine is feeling confident and
connecting to what it means to be ourselves, which will then be reflected and
reinforced in our posture.
Behavior
Our
nervous system and spine coordinate how we move and the actions we take either
consciously or subconsciously. Strongly related to our sense of self, the
actions we take profoundly reflect our experience in life. The gift of Behavior
through this fine impacts our habits and choices. It has to do with how we show
up or don’t show up in our lives. The experience of coming from the place of
freedom and flexibility is a gift of behavior.
Consciousness
We
are sentient beings. Through the function of our spine and nervous system,
which includes our brain, we experience our life. Increasing consciousness and
awareness will influence how much you live life or how much life lives you. The
gift of consciousness through the spine is being self aware, present, living
joyfully, and contributing to others.
