Frequently Asked Questions
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What Do You Actually Do?
The aging process can be seen as the body drying out, shrinking and getting rigid. My work aims to create flow, space and movement in the body. Scar Integration works with scars and their ongoing effects, rehabilitating the local damage caused to the body when they were made, and reintegrating this area with the rest of the body. I use Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork to address the scar itself, Asian bodywork techniques to help rehabilitate the area from the trauma which caused the scar, and the work of Tom Bowen, via Romney Smeeton and Graham Pennington to reintegrate the whole body. I will sometimes also use Anatomy in Motion as part of the reintegration process. Kinetic Integration is Scar Integration without the scars, primarily using the assessed and targeted, Smeeton-Pennington version of Tom Bowen’s work, and Asian bodywork techniques. How Is It Different from Other People? No-one else is doing full Scar Integration. The combination of ScarWork, tissue-joint-fluid rehabilitation, and full structural reintegration using manual and movement therapy is unique. For Kinetic Integration, the difference is that I radically prioritise the identification and treatment of the underlying issue in your body mechanics, wherever and whatever it may be, rather than focussing on the symptoms that you’re experiencing. |
A very blurry James Palmer with Romney Smeeton
Does it Hurt?
Some of the moves will be somewhat uncomfortable when there is a problem in the soft tissue. The great advantage is that this discomfort will be targeted to the exact point where it is needed and is over quickly. I avoid discomfort whenever that is an option. I don’t deliberately “crack” your neck or back, or do any speed adjustments – the goal is to free up the natural movement of your bones by releasing the unnecessary tension in your muscles. There can often be some immediate improvement, but the full effects take several days, or even weeks, to show up. ScarWork should be painless, or very nearly so. |
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How Many Sessions Will I need?
It depends what we’re working with. An individual scar may need just one short session, or a series of long ones. A bigger, more complex scar, or a group will often take a little longer. Typically, ScarWork doesn’t need maintence, though may sometimes benefit from a follow up session some months later. Kinetic Integration normally takes from 2 weeks up to about 9 months (though in that case, after the first 5 or so sessions I’d only see you once every 4-6 weeks, so it’s not a weekly commitment for that long). We should have a sense after 2-3 sessions whether you are likely to respond and if I think it unlikely I will do my best to refer you to someone who I think might be able to help you better. I have had people send their friends to me even though I couldn’t help them, because I was able to point them in the right direction to sort their problem out. It can be a good idea to come for maintenance treatments if your lifestyle puts a strain on your body. These are typically every 1-3 months depending on what works for you (athletes who train heavily and people managing chronic pain conditions are more likely to need more frequent sessions than the average person). |
Before Kinetic Integration: the difference in leg length and the twist on the left foot caused by muscular tension in the body indicates that there's something very wrong somewhere. The problem could be anywhere from the calf to the skull.
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What Do I Wear?
I work on the skin for scars, otherwise I work through clothes. For Kinetic Integration assume that you will stay fully clothed the whole time (in fact if taking shoes on and off is a problem you can leave them on). I do need to work directly on the scar (i.e. on the skin) for the scar work to be effective, but this is often possible while still mostly clothed if you plan what to wear. Can I Bring Someone with Me? Of course. You are welcome to bring a chaperone if that would make you feel more comfortable. If we are in the midst of a Covid flare up we’ll have to talk about logistics in order to keep risk as low as possible. In the therapeutic pauses the chaperone will need to leave the room at the same time as me so that you can have a proper response break. Chatting (or texting!) makes my leaving pointless. |
15 minutes later, the balance in the leg length indicates a shift in the system. Notice how the left foot is also less twisted. The body now needs time to integrate this change. Sometimes this general structural shift will be enough to deal with your pain, other times the symptoms need direct treatment too.
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