It has nearly been a week and I can see why they recommend having lots of neck massages. My neck muscles have stiffened up a bit since the procedure was done, but are still incredibly flexible compared to before.
I was practicing pavanamuktasana at yoga this week and could touch my head to my knee no problems! It was amazing and I wanted to keep doing it for ages! Usually my neck is so stiff I have to warm up for a while but even after a day looking at my computer, I went straight into the pose. Yee ha! It was just so joyful!
The other thing I can do is rotate my neck in a full circle, which didn't feel safe before. I am feeling more confident overall about exercises that stretch the neck and have a renewed motivation to work on that area. I feel like possibilities and have opened up that weren't there before - a new optimism!
As far as energy goes, I have been so exhausted only a few times in my life. I just want to sleep or relax on the couch all the time. It is a bone-tiredness but I have enough energy to go to work. It feels like once I just get my energy back, everything will be ok. Maybe I'm just tired from work, which is quite busy at the moment.
I noted on the handout that you can enter a state of depression and sadness as the body realigns. I have had depression before, for about 2 years. This tiredness is nothing like the depressive tiredness, just a sort of physical exhaustion.
I've done a lot of sitting this week, which usually means extreme neck pain and discomfort. This week, the pain is much lower than usual - I keep waiting for it to happen! I'm still a bit wary of whether the changes really are permanent. When your body has been held in certain patterns for 15 years, any change over a week really does feel temporary!
Friday, November 20, 2009
First impressions
I walked away that first day thinking "Well, I can move my neck, but was it worth $250?"
I believe my apprehension going in may not have helped the experience, but at least I was less likely to be disappointed.
I went home and had lunch then felt extreme physical fatigue and passed out on the sofa for 2 hours. This could have been as a result of the atlas correction but may have been because I'd been partying until 2 am the day before!
When I woke up I still felt a bit fuzzy-headed and tired but couldn't stop playing with my new flexibility! I can touch my left ear to my shoulder for the first time in years, but notice my right side is more tense than before. It really is like someone has realigned my neck to a more neutral position. Before, it was extremely tight on the left and loose on the right. Now, I am a little tight on both sides with the right slightly less flexible than before. But the change in the left side is amazing.
After dinner I took my dog for a walk along the river. Mainly to clear my head and also because I had started farting! These farts were foul, like something had crawled into my butt and died. I don't think I've ever farted so much and so stinkily in my life! So I needed to get out of the house and give my boyfriend a break :p This is also a symptom of detoxification following an atlas correction, but I had also had a tummy bug and diarrhoea a few days before so who knows? It had cleared up completely though before the atlas correction. Could have been dinner.
I also had diarrhoea when I got back from the walk, which lasted another day. It could also have been dinner but is also one of the symptoms of detoxification Constantin told me about.
My boyfriend gave me a neck massage which felt much more effective than usual, and that was day one.
I believe my apprehension going in may not have helped the experience, but at least I was less likely to be disappointed.
I went home and had lunch then felt extreme physical fatigue and passed out on the sofa for 2 hours. This could have been as a result of the atlas correction but may have been because I'd been partying until 2 am the day before!
When I woke up I still felt a bit fuzzy-headed and tired but couldn't stop playing with my new flexibility! I can touch my left ear to my shoulder for the first time in years, but notice my right side is more tense than before. It really is like someone has realigned my neck to a more neutral position. Before, it was extremely tight on the left and loose on the right. Now, I am a little tight on both sides with the right slightly less flexible than before. But the change in the left side is amazing.
After dinner I took my dog for a walk along the river. Mainly to clear my head and also because I had started farting! These farts were foul, like something had crawled into my butt and died. I don't think I've ever farted so much and so stinkily in my life! So I needed to get out of the house and give my boyfriend a break :p This is also a symptom of detoxification following an atlas correction, but I had also had a tummy bug and diarrhoea a few days before so who knows? It had cleared up completely though before the atlas correction. Could have been dinner.
I also had diarrhoea when I got back from the walk, which lasted another day. It could also have been dinner but is also one of the symptoms of detoxification Constantin told me about.
My boyfriend gave me a neck massage which felt much more effective than usual, and that was day one.
What the procedure involved
On the day, I was nervous. I felt like I was going to hospital and was a bit tense.
When I arrived, Constantin's wife welcomed me and asked me to watch a 10-minute DVD about the atlas and the benefits of correcting it. This added nothing new to the brochure or information on th ewebsite and was a bit boring. What I wanted to know was "What is going to happen?!" There was a man in the shop who came and it watched it with me and asked me about why I was getting it done. He understood immediately that I was willing to try anything - it must be that obvious!
Once the DVD was done I was taken to a room to meet Constantin. He is a warm and welcoming guy with a calming energy, if somewhat abrupt manner. He asked me if I had any questions and I told him I was nervous about my neck being manipulated and wanted to know what was involved. He explained that he would massage only the muscles and there is no bone manipulation at all. He reassured me and then explained side effects that could occur, including diarrhoea, flatulence, and a constant runny nose. I felt like saying "I have a constant runny nose already!"
To test whether my atlas was aligned, I lay down on my stomach on a massage table with my head on a rolled up towel. Constantin asked me to turn my head to the left and right, then again with my knees bent. That was it!
Then I sat on a stool and he came and stood very close to me so my head was placed on his stomach. He produced an electric massage machine that had a red light, which I assume was a laser for heat treatment, and worked on the left and right side of my neck. It was slightly painful but not as bad as a deep tissue Chinese-style massage. Then he asked me to turn my head to the left and right and I could! It was really exciting to be able to turn my head so far to the left after about 6 years of stiffness!
Constantin asked me to walk around and see if I felt a difference - no immediate change there. Next I did the tests again and he told me that my atlas was now aligned. He said that I would need regular neck massages over the next month or so and that was it. The whole thing took under 30 minutes.
When I arrived, Constantin's wife welcomed me and asked me to watch a 10-minute DVD about the atlas and the benefits of correcting it. This added nothing new to the brochure or information on th ewebsite and was a bit boring. What I wanted to know was "What is going to happen?!" There was a man in the shop who came and it watched it with me and asked me about why I was getting it done. He understood immediately that I was willing to try anything - it must be that obvious!
Once the DVD was done I was taken to a room to meet Constantin. He is a warm and welcoming guy with a calming energy, if somewhat abrupt manner. He asked me if I had any questions and I told him I was nervous about my neck being manipulated and wanted to know what was involved. He explained that he would massage only the muscles and there is no bone manipulation at all. He reassured me and then explained side effects that could occur, including diarrhoea, flatulence, and a constant runny nose. I felt like saying "I have a constant runny nose already!"
To test whether my atlas was aligned, I lay down on my stomach on a massage table with my head on a rolled up towel. Constantin asked me to turn my head to the left and right, then again with my knees bent. That was it!
Then I sat on a stool and he came and stood very close to me so my head was placed on his stomach. He produced an electric massage machine that had a red light, which I assume was a laser for heat treatment, and worked on the left and right side of my neck. It was slightly painful but not as bad as a deep tissue Chinese-style massage. Then he asked me to turn my head to the left and right and I could! It was really exciting to be able to turn my head so far to the left after about 6 years of stiffness!
Constantin asked me to walk around and see if I felt a difference - no immediate change there. Next I did the tests again and he told me that my atlas was now aligned. He said that I would need regular neck massages over the next month or so and that was it. The whole thing took under 30 minutes.
Why have the procedure done?
My friend and I were shopping in Jackson St, Petone (in Wellington, New Zealand) and wandered into a health food store called Take Care. This is one of those stores that you walk into and feel an instant calm come over you. There is relaxing music playing and a large collection of crystals by the door. The energy in there is great and my friend and I both walked away without any products as the owner talked us out of them! I've been back twice since that first visit and I don't think she is trying to make money! The owner (Diane, I think) is very honest and won't sell you anything you don't need. She also trys all the products before selling them so can tell you of the effects from a personal point of view.
Anyway, Diane said as we seemed open-minded, she wanted to tell us about the AtlasPROfilax method. She gave us a brochure and explained that she had the procedure and it was amazing. For her it took a few months to take effect but once it did, she had a lot more energy. We asked what was involved and she said it was simply a neck massage. I was quite apprehensive about someone manipulating my neck so we said thank you and goodbye and wandered out into the rain.
This conversation nagged away at me. I have constant neck pain from my scoliosis and am willing to try anything. I practice yoga, which is a huge help, but can't move my head to the left more than a few centimetres, despite trying many different exercises over the years. Osteopaths, physios, and yoga teachers have all said there is nothing I can do, but I refuse to believe them. 'Never quit' is my mantra!
I went back a couple of weeks later and asked Diane for more information. She said that the change was so great, it was like waking up one day with a younger body. She was actually scared to get out of bed as her level of body awareness was so high following the procedure. I was caught by her genuine enthusiasm and signed up on the spot. She advised me not to be apprehensive about the procedure as I would get more out of it with a positive attitude.
Sound advice for all areas of life!
Anyway, Diane said as we seemed open-minded, she wanted to tell us about the AtlasPROfilax method. She gave us a brochure and explained that she had the procedure and it was amazing. For her it took a few months to take effect but once it did, she had a lot more energy. We asked what was involved and she said it was simply a neck massage. I was quite apprehensive about someone manipulating my neck so we said thank you and goodbye and wandered out into the rain.
This conversation nagged away at me. I have constant neck pain from my scoliosis and am willing to try anything. I practice yoga, which is a huge help, but can't move my head to the left more than a few centimetres, despite trying many different exercises over the years. Osteopaths, physios, and yoga teachers have all said there is nothing I can do, but I refuse to believe them. 'Never quit' is my mantra!
I went back a couple of weeks later and asked Diane for more information. She said that the change was so great, it was like waking up one day with a younger body. She was actually scared to get out of bed as her level of body awareness was so high following the procedure. I was caught by her genuine enthusiasm and signed up on the spot. She advised me not to be apprehensive about the procedure as I would get more out of it with a positive attitude.
Sound advice for all areas of life!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Have I been ripped off?
One of the reasons for me writing this blog is that the atlas correction I had done cost $250. This is a lot of money and I have high expectations, especially as it is advertised as a one-off that never needs to be done again. The AtlasPROfilax brochure states
"In some cases, the return to health can happen quite quickly but in others, patience will be necessary. After the correction of the atlas, your body will wake up progressively year after year. As we had already informed you, in regard to your own state of health, the reactions of regeneration and self-healing can be more or less powerful. They can appear the same days, weeks, months, or even years after the correction of the Atlas."
So basically there is an out clause! I want to use this blog over time to record any changes in my body as objectively as possible, so I can look back and say "Yes, it did make a difference" or "Nope, no change."
"In some cases, the return to health can happen quite quickly but in others, patience will be necessary. After the correction of the atlas, your body will wake up progressively year after year. As we had already informed you, in regard to your own state of health, the reactions of regeneration and self-healing can be more or less powerful. They can appear the same days, weeks, months, or even years after the correction of the Atlas."
So basically there is an out clause! I want to use this blog over time to record any changes in my body as objectively as possible, so I can look back and say "Yes, it did make a difference" or "Nope, no change."
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