Since rebranding as a Wellness Hoe, I’ve tried a lot of different techniques, tools, and therapies. But after moving to London (and a suburb that specifically feels like a concrete jungle), I’ve fallen a bit off the wellness wagon.
Journalling has turned into extensive and specific to-do lists.
Instead of running along the beach, I do my obligatory 5km on the treadmill.
And you can forget about putting your feet in the sand – or even grass for that matter (most surfaces in London have been pissed on by drunk rugby boys on their way back from the pub).
A particularly stressful month at work also meant I was working 20 hour days, glued to my phone, experiencing severe chest pain, and feeling sick at the sound of a Slack message.
It’s left me feeling so disconnected and strung out.
As a part of my Valentines Day/six month anniversary present, my partner booked me a session with a close friend of ours who works as an Integrated Energy Therapist.
Ellie has always had brilliant recommendations on probiotics and life advice, so I was super excited to learn more about what she was working with.
When the day came, I was so overwhelmed from a busy week of work that I was honestly stressed about the appointment itself.
I woke up late, the bus made me feel motion sick, we couldn’t decide on brunching before or after, and I was compiling a mental note of all the tasks I had to do later that afternoon.
So basically, a prime candidate for Integrated Energy Therapy.
The purpose of IET is to create a safe and supportive environment for the mind and body, so that the practitioner can remove blockages in your energy field.
These energetic blocks are caused by unresolved emotions like fear, shame, anger, and grief becoming trapped in the body. When we brush past our feelings and don’t give ourselves a chance to work through them, they become engrained in our cellular memory and tissues, and show up as pain and discomfort.
Because I had been in such a chronic state of stress, sleeplessness, and burnout, I was in dire need of an energetic tune up.
The room was quiet and calm, gently scented of palo santo, and Ellie started by asking a few questions.
I filled her in on some of the work stress, how trapped I was feeling in my environment, and the disconnection I felt to both myself and nature.
She also asked some questions about how this made me feel in my body, and I confessed that my jaw ached from grinding my teeth all night, I was constantly nauseous, my traps were knotted, and my entire physiology seemed defensive and tense all the time.
Lying on the bed covered by a towel, Ellie started with a few gentle massage techniques and acupressure.
We quickly found that my muscles wouldn’t relax and let her move them, so we talked a little bit about why I might have difficulty relinquishing that control.
She gave me visualisation and breathing exercises as she gently worked around the crown of my head. Doing what exactly, I couldn’t tell you.
My eyes were shut and I was focusing on drawing my breath up through my spine. But I did notice flashes of vibrant blue and purple behind my eyes as I could feel her hands moving.
Throughout the hour, I could feel my muscles and my posture softening and responding to her care.
I felt compelled to apologise about my body’s resistance, and Ellie spoke a little bit about what she felt as she’d been working.
She explained that because IET works by the practitioner tapping into the patient’s energy, she could feel what my body was feeling – which was mostly fear.
I carefully considered this for a moment. I often described my feelings in terms of stress, anxiety, impatience, frustration – but behind all this, was I really just scared?
We spent some time with Ellie gently relaxing my limbs while I earnestly scanned my mind and body for traces of fear.
The biggest feeling that kept coming up, was like I was an overtired toddler about to have a meltdown.
Phrases like “I’m tired, this is too much, I can’t do this, I want to go home” came to mind, and I teared up.
We continued talking about how she felt my body react to her, and even her own experiences receiving IET.
By the end of the session, I felt physically and emotionally lighter. My body felt longer and lighter, like there was more space.
I saw Ellie a week or so later at a party, and she said the difference in energy was palpable.
I noticed my nausea had gone, I felt less frantic about daily life, and I was encouraged to tune into my body more regularly throughout the day.
Following Ellie’s recommendations, I’ve also stopped to look for fear any time big feelings arise.
When situations of panic, anxiety, and catastrophising arise, I have realised that it’s because I’m scared I can’t handle things.
So, do I feel like IET made a difference? Absolutely. Will I do it again? For sure.
Worst case scenario; I’ve put aside an hour to tune into how my body is feeling – and there’s never any harm from that.
Overall, I really do recommend IET to anyone feeling; stressed, tired, irritable, burnt out, exhausted, down in the dumps, or glum.
And honestly, at this point, who isn’t?
Aisha Sini 