'the senses are the cradle of cognition' - bergson
and merlou-ponty said as much as well
what is known in the experience of
massage
i guess the best place to start is
the reflection upon completion
today after my massage in an effort
to get at some pain that has persisted for a few months
i was immediately aware of the
pleasant feeling...a feeling that is difficult to describe
a feeling of well-being a feeling of physical relief
i think if i knew about a drug that
could approximate the feeling still i would consider it
a sorry substitute for the amazing feeling
and i think it is important
in my mind it is very connected to
the reality of human touch
during the massage i was aware of hands on my flesh
hands getting very intimate with the reality
of the skin and the muscle below the skin
i knew in the process that the sensation
is one i do not give myself over to very often
but today i stand in gratitude
whatever she did is something i really needed
one of my theories about medicine is the idea
that what most people seek in medical care is
something comparable to the loving hopeful embrace
of mother...the discussion gets compounded
the further we get from that fundamental fact
and it is also important to note that what we refer to
as western medicine is moving further and further away from
tactile forms of healing
as i lay below the knowing and capable hands of my masseuse
i was aware of a certain helplessness
and something akin to the emotions of a small child
who'd slipped and fallen on the road
there were points in my body which she touched
which were very painful
and it caused me more than once to groan a little
and i remember thinking
this is sort of odd i trust this woman
whom i hardly know to touch pain points
in my body
and i'm not always sure if i can trust my good friends
with some of my pain
i'm also aware that the luxury of the experience
comes with a price
i must be grateful that i'm able to pay that price
the prospect of going to bed and sleeping
tonite
appears to me a little more attractive
for i have this sense that the pain
i've lived with
for the past few months
is now greatly reduced
ah the slow calamity of aging
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4 comments:
Wow I love this post, jh! Again, I love your openness and honesty.
My last visit to the doctor's office I had to see the nurse practitioner because the doctor was full of patients. It's the second time I've had to see her, and I should really say it is a nice breath of fresh air because she is so nurturing. I feel like a child being well cared for when I'm in her presence. She's not much older than me, but is like a loving parent with me. Even my husband noticed, as he goes into my appointments with me. We both agreed that from now on, each time I need to see the doctor I'm going to ask for the nurse practitioner. I think a lot of today's medicine is lacking the art of healing, which is dealing on a personal and caring level with the patient. It's all mostly science, now. The personal touch is almost gone. But as long as this nurse practitioner is around, I'm good to go.
i've stated in other places that i think there should be "care" people in every neighborhood
people whose job it is to care for people in teh "village"
i'm more and more grateful for the existence of hands on minimal invasion folks
i should do a post on my accupuncture experiences
thnks
jh
its great that you have
such a fascination with knowing
i'd never have thought
so many aspects of life
could be tied into knowing
as you demonstrate on your blog
i had a massage at the airport in Seoul
i did find the intimacy of it
a bit disconcerting at one or two points
but overall it was great
i should have sprung for the full hour
which would have included
a foot massage
your description of aging is great--
a slow calamity
i'm sorry to hear
that you were in pain
and glad that you found some relief
This morning I had pain too and thought I have about twenty years before this stuff is constant. I won't describe it, but it was a feeling that my stomach was nervous or something.
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