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November 24, 2024

Surgical Trauma and Scar Tissue Release

Morel Stackhouse and Lynne Marotta

Norwalk/Stamford, CT

My work with scar tissue has been developing since the mid 1990’s. It is a synthesis of Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing (aka The Biological Model of Trauma), Ortho-Bionomy, and Zapchen Somatic Therapies. It involves light touch with a lot of energetic interaction. Through this way of working the scar tissue becomes integrated with the rest of the body and is no longer a foreign object. The scar tissue and adhesions shift and become supple and behave more like normal tissue. People tell me that post scar work the scar no longer feels like a foreign object but part of them - it becomes integrated with the rest of their body, moves like part of the skin, etc.

The collagen of scar tissue is undifferentiated, and in a Somatic sense it doesn't understand its function beyond that of "glue" or "cement". My scar work helps the scar tissue take on the structure and characteristics of the tissue it replaces. In the case of adhesions, I don't tear or damage them, but through this way of working they become loose and supple and capable of stretching. The adhesions don't go away, but they no longer create the problems that stiff, non-supple tissue does. I find that if you go after scar tissue or adhesions aggressively and damage them, the body just seeks to make more "glue" and lays down more collagen, making the problems worse.

The foundation to all of this scar work is my awareness of what happens neurologically with a body that has experienced a trauma (even though we welcome these life-saving surgeries, the reptilian brain experiences them as a threat). Throughout the work I am aware of this and work appropriately to allow the autonomic nervous system to return to the resting state. -Morel Stackhouse

In this one-day class we will learn to work with various types of scar tissue, adhesions, broken bones, implanted hardware and prosthesis. Ways to support clients before, during and after surgery will be discussed. This class is not appropriate for zoom participation.

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