ConnectTherapy; A Whole Person Approach to Therapy

The view from Synergy Physio, North Vancouver BC

You may recall the song ‘Dem bones’ from your childhood;

The toe bone’s connected to the foot bone,

The foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone,

The ankle bone’s connected to the leg bone,

Now shake dem skeleton bones!

Since children we are taught about our interconnected bodies but somewhere along the line this has been forgotten. When we have pain or problems our awareness can be so centred on the area of pain that we forgot what may be the cause. We can become so fixated on trying to fix the pain that we forget to ask how or why we have got here.

I’ve been lucky enough to have spent the last year working with and learning from a fabulous Physio – Dr. LJ Lee and her more than experienced team who can unravel even the most complex of cases using the ConnectTherapy(TM) framework. This is an evolution of the Lee and Lee’s Integrated Systems Model to understand the body and it’s many connections to get to the source of an issue rather than being limited by a diagnosis.

LJ and I at Synergy Physio

It’s important of remember that there are countless perspectives to view the body and no approach can be considered wrong. However, as the body is obviously complex we require an approach to diagnose which systems give a ‘way in’ to the body. This framework is just that – a lifetime of research and clinical expertise condensed into an efficient approach of diagnosis. As with any ‘new school’ approach comes criticism. When a field undergoes such drastic change it will always be met with resistance. But as always, we must follow the best Evidence Based Practice which by definition means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research (Sackett D, 1996).

So you can imagine how I would feel at the start of the year – a relatively inexperienced physio, a small fish, stepping into one of the biggest ponds there is. Nervous is an understatement but with pushing your comfort zone will come a whirlwind of insights. One of the most interesting things I found through my journey is that as health practitioners we carry with us our own subconscious blessings and limitations that we’ve accumulated throughout our personal and professional life. We become hyper-aware or ignorant to certain things and it is only as we become aware of ourselves can we become aware of these patterns.

I encourage self exploration of body and mind with most of my clients – exploration, not mastery. No one can attain complete mastery which is perfectly normal – if we are always looking for something that doesn’t exist we will never truly be content. This goes for clients and Physio’s – in order to find success, rather than searching for it we need to find that feeling of being ‘enough’ to enjoy the process of learning and changing. This will help us to learn through insights rather than through pain or suffering.

It is only natural to compare yourself with others, this becomes a slippery slope which can breed insecurity and discontentment. This is a difficult thing to do in a digital age where we are bombarded with images and advertisements of people who seem to be living better than us.

One of the best things I’ve learned is that anything is possible, it doesn’t matter how chronic a problem is or how serious it is. If there is an intention to change combined with a ‘never give up’ attitude, miracles can happen. These changes can never happen through a passive ‘fix me’ approach but by self empowerment and a lot of hard work.

The western medical system has come a long way in the last 20 years with regards to how we view health. In an increasingly toxic world there are countless factors that contribute to the well being of our body and mind. The growing awareness of these factors is the first step to transformation and as we continue to transform ourselves we can collectively transform society. Click here to learn more about ConnectTherapy.