Frequently Asked Questions
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What Do You Actually Do?
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. Scar Integration is based on Sharon Wheeler’s Fascial Work: her ScarWork to address the scar itself, her BoneWork, and Structural Integration material that I’ve learned from her to help rehabilitate the area from the trauma which caused the scar and reintegrate the whole body structure. The Bowen work I practice is a neurostructural approach inspired by the work of Tom Bowen which has come to us from Romney Smeeton, which I learned from Graham Pennington. It is an assessed and targeted approach to help pain and improve function. 
A slightly blurry James Palmer with Sharon Wheeler (left) and Jannie Cnossen (right)
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A very blurry James Palmer with Romney Smeeton
Does it Hurt?
Scar Integration work should be painless. There may be some brief discomfort with the Bowen work. I don’t “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 fascial system (both deep and superficial). There can often be some immediate improvement, but the full effects take several days, or even weeks, to show up. |
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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. It's also almost always fine to have stand alone sessions of ScarWork or BoneWork, though your issue is unlikely to be resolved in a single session. Bowen normally takes from 2 weeks up to about 9 months depending on the severity and complexity of the issues (though 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 Scar Integration work (ScarWork and BoneWork), For Bowen I work through clothes. 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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