Jean Anne Zollars, Physical Therapy
“Only the tissues know.” Rollin Becker, D.O.
The Work
Jean Anne’s practice is based upon the work of Jean-Pierre Barral, osteopath and physical therapist from Grenoble, France. One of his favorite expressions is “only the tissues know”. This means that the tissues in the body have a deep and innate intelligence, remembering everything from our lives: our falls, diseases, injuries, birth, etc. It is as though our body is our history book of our lives, and the cells in our bodies are its words and pictures.
Listening to the Tissues
The foundation of this approach is listening to the tissues. Besides listening to a person’s symptoms, problems or history, Jean Anne listens to the body. Listening hands are able to pick up areas of restriction, or areas in the body that are stuck and not moving well.
Health & Movement
Healthy tissues move well. We feel better when we move and exercise, because our fluids—blood, lymph, cellular and cerebrospinal fluid, and tissues—joints, muscles, and organs are moving.
Effects of Restrictions
If the tissues are stuck, because of an accident, injury, illness, toxicity, etc., then they do not function as well. For instance, if you had an accident and the force of the collision restricted the tissues around your liver, the liver itself gets stuck, and the functions of the liver are then diminished. Also, the liver attachments—diaphragm, rib cage, spine, stomach, kidneys, and so on, are affected. Thus, you might feel pain and stiffness in your ribcage, thorax, neck, spine, right shoulder, as well as low energy and poor digestion. If in the same collision you had a whiplash and your neck became very stiff, perhaps the vertebral artery became stuck as it passes up through the vertebrae, causing not only pain, but decreased blood flow to the base of your brain.
Treatment
Thus, after restrictions or areas of stuck tissue are identified, these tissues are gently released. The treatment depends upon the restricted tissue involved. For instance, if the liver is restricted, the treatment is visceral manipulation. If the vertebral artery is restricted, the treatment is visceral vascular manipulation. If the sciatic nerve is restricted, the treatment is neural manipulation, and so on.
Emotions
Emotional issues sometimes arise, present or past, because the tissues and organs store the memories, events and emotions of our lives. In the course of a session, the emotions may be integrated in a safe, comfortable environment. However, if the emotional issues are a key to creating the physical tensions, Jean Anne may additionally suggest a referral to an appropriate body-mind therapist.
