Jumping into therapy, feet first

Published on Friday 11 January 2008 12:42

The treatment that got to the heart and sole of a problem

Grinberg is a holistic therapy based on "reading" the feet to discover underlying problems in the body. It sounds a bit wacko, but the treatment actually takes the form of gentle manipulation, breathing exercises and talking. Victoria Oldham is the only practitioner in the UK but she is training new therapists.

The Grinberg Method was developed by Avi Grinberg, originally a reflexologist, who believes that because we spend most of our day on our feet, it follows that problems in the way our body functions will be reflected there. By addressing these issues the theory is the body will heal itself.

Oldham began by examining my bare feet. The most obvious thing she "saw" was a curved, constricted area around my upper chest, which was affecting my breathing. The shape, which she outlined with a finger, echoed precisely the sideways spinal curvature (scoliosis) I've had since childhood, which causes constant pain.

She also diagnosed a reluctance to speak my mind – evidenced by a build up of hard skin on my big toes – and abdominal or digestive discomfort. It was all spot on.

We discussed what situations could have elicited the emotional responses behind my back problems. Extreme shyness as a child and being uncomfortable with my height – I've been 5ft 9in since I was 11 – could have led to me trying to "shrink" creating muscle tension and spinal curvature.

She suggested the same process was responsible for my reluctance to fully express myself. Learning to break the connection between emotional and physical responses would be the first step in my healing process.

Oldham used her hands to locate sources of physical tension in my body. She then talked me through how to recognise the feeling associated with tension and how to "breathe it out". She went on to work on my back around the upper spine. Within a few minutes she had totally dissolved the pain I normally feel with every breath, leaving me feeling remarkably liberated.

Two days later I went back for another session during which she worked quite deeply on tight muscles around my spine and continued teaching me how to release the tension I've been holding in my body. I've just had another two sessions which left me feeling completely renewed.

I'm intrigued. I'm holding myself more naturally and I notice whenever physical tension begins to set in. It's such an unusual therapy that it takes you by surprise a little. But when, like me, you've tried every back treatment going, and developed a lot of scepticism, that's no bad thing.

A one-hour treatment costs 60 at Triyoga (tel: [phone], www.triyoga.co.uk). It is recommended you do a course, with two sessions close together each month.