Psychosomatics of Muscle Tensions in Different Parts of the Body

Muscle tensions are one of the most common problems among people of all ages, statuses, and professions. The back, neck, and legs are the parts of the body that most often suffer from muscle pain. Most people fight the problem with ointments and pills, but few know that blocks can be removed independently by understanding the psychosomatics of muscle tensions.

Muscle Tensions and Blocks – What They Are

What is a muscle tension: it is a prolonged static muscle strain. Caused by stress, intellectual and physical fatigue, suppressed emotions. Protecting against internal and external conflicts, the psyche creates a peculiar shell of muscles (term introduced by Wilhelm Reich, one of the first psychosomaticists).

Muscle blocks – the cost of the modern world. In ancient times, it was possible to express aggression directly: hit, run away, scream. In modern society, one must be selective. Some people prefer to completely suppress grievances and aggression. However, with such an approach, the tension does not disappear but is retained inside and continues to affect the person from the depths of the subconscious.

Clinical Manifestations of Blocks

Depending on the clinical manifestation of the block (body part), psychosomatic causes change:

• Facial muscle tensions – fear of showing one’s true self;
• Eye area – denial of reality;
• Jaw – aggression;
• Throat – unwillingness to go against oneself, admitting something to oneself;
• Neck – fear of expressing feelings, conflict of consciousness and subconscious;
• Shoulders – fatigue;
• Arms – sociophobia;
• Hands – communication difficulties;
• Back – fear of disappointing someone;
• Chest – fear of loneliness, complexes, need for love;
• Diaphragm – fear of material difficulties, ban on expressing any emotions;
• Solar plexus – need for recognition;
• Stomach – fear of death;
• Pelvis – fear of intimacy, love, and closeness;
• Legs – insecurity, lack of support.

Muscular armor takes away energy, chronic muscle tensions block its circulation. As a result, the person feels constant fatigue (this is the main symptom of the problem). Muscles compress blood vessels, leading to their spasm and disruption of oxygen exchange. Immunity falls, organ function is disrupted. The person becomes ill.

Seven Main Segments

Energy spreads through the body from one organ to another. Seven energy blocks and tensions can be identified. Reich’s technique will help to eliminate them. Let’s look at each segment in more detail.

Eyes

A smooth forehead without any facial signs and a blank stare into nowhere. To relieve muscle tension, it is necessary to do eye exercises, widely open them, raise eyebrows and eyelids.

Mouth

Involved are the muscles of the chin, throat, and back of the head. The block is represented as a clenched or too relaxed jaw. What emotions are suppressed: crying, anger, scream. How to solve the problem: simulate these emotions, grimace, bite lips, massage the forehead and face.

Neck

Involved are the deep muscles of the neck and tongue. Suppressed emotions: anger, scream, crying. Singing (vocal), screaming, sticking out the tongue, rotating the head, tilting helps. You can turn to a professional chiropractor for a deep muscle massage.

Chest

Involved are the muscles of the shoulders and chest. Suppressed emotions: laughter, sadness, passion. The solution: learn breathing exercises, pay special attention to long and deep exhales.

Diaphragm

All internal organs, spinal muscles, and solar plexus muscles are involved. The block manifests as a protruding chest. Suppressed emotion: anger. The solution: breathing exercises, paying special attention to exhales.

Stomach

The press and lumbar muscles are involved. Reason: fear of attack. Suppressed emotions: anger, dislike. The solution: breathing exercises. If the previous relaxation stages were successful, this block will already be almost removed.

Pelvis

Muscle tensions in the pelvic area manifest as lowered, tense, and painful buttocks. Suppressed emotion: anger, pleasure, excitement. The “Butterfly” exercise will help.

Important! When removing blocks, move from top to bottom. Do not proceed to a new section until the previous one is relaxed.

Consequences of Chronic Muscle Tension

Chronic tension is dangerous due to the development of chronic diseases and nervous breakdowns. We’ll talk about possible diseases later. For now, let’s focus on nervous breakdown, in this case, panic attacks. When tension reaches its peak and a person doesn’t allow emotions to be released, they burst out uncontrollably. When and where this will happen is unpredictable. But a panic attack is always frightening. It generates new fears and only exacerbates the situation. While you are locked in a muscular shell, health and happiness, a productive life, are out of the question.

What Causes Muscle Tensions

The main cause of tensions is suppressed emotions. Recall how we contort our faces when trying to hold back tears or pain. Or how we hold our breath when suppressing anger. This is how tensions are formed: the more often a muscle group contracts, the more accustomed it becomes to this state.

Not everyone knows that it is beneficial to perform relaxation exercises before bed to relieve muscle tensions. And some people are under such intense stress that physical exercises don’t help. In each of these three cases, muscle blocks are formed.

Harm of Muscle Blocks

Emotional tension and muscle tensions are precursors to psychological and physical problems:

• Chronic fatigue syndrome;
• Spinal deformities and pain;
• Arthrosis;
• Hormonal imbalances and metabolic disorders;
• Anxiety;
• Neuroses;
• Fears;
• Vegetative-vascular dystonia (VVD);
• Cardiovascular diseases;
• Neuralgia;
• Gastrointestinal diseases;
• Osteochondrosis.

How to Get Rid of Muscle Tensions

To relieve muscle tensions, one must learn psychological and physical relaxation. Meditation and autogenic training are suitable for mental liberation, while gymnastics and exercises help to release blocks in the body. Additional positive effects are provided by dancing, yoga, and massage. Let’s go through everything step by step.

How to Relieve Neck and Shoulder Muscle Tensions

1. Stand straight, place your hands on your head.
2. Tilt your head to the left, then to the right.
3. You can gently assist with your hands.
4. At the end of each tilt, pause for 10 seconds.

For Neck and Upper Back Pain

1. Stand straight.
2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Put your hands on your waist.
4. Tilt your head back, then forward.
5. Repeat the exercise 8 times.

If You Have Middle Back and Lower Back Pain

1. Stand straight.
2. Raise your arms up and clasp behind your head.
3. Bend backwards (only the shoulder girdle and a little lower back), feeling the lumbar muscles working.
4. Return to the starting position.
5. Repeat the exercise 5 times.

Exercises for Releasing Facial Tensions

1. Stand straight.
2. Place your hands on the back of your head, do not interlock fingers.
3. Turn your head left to right and vice versa, stopping in the middle.
4. You can assist with your hands.
5. Repeat the exercise four times on each side.
6. Finally, gently massage your face with your fingers (self-massage).

For Tension and Pain in the Whole Body

1. Stand straight, hands behind the head.
2. Lean to the right and left, straightening the opposite arm.
3. Perform 4 leans to each side. This complex is especially useful for relaxation before sleep. Relieving muscle tensions improves sleep quality.

Muscle Tensions in Neurosis

Neurosis is a functional disorder of the nervous system. Types of neuroses: phobia, anxiety, depression, hysteria, obsessive states. Cause: psychological trauma + hormonal changes due to stress. Muscle tension is an integral part of any neurosis.

Physiotherapy and psychotherapy help, and sometimes medication is indicated (tranquilizers, antidepressants, neuroleptics, muscle relaxants for relieving muscle tensions). Among psychological methods, body-oriented therapy has a special effect. It not only helps to deal with trauma, guilt, fear, anger, resentment but also provides physical relief to the body.

How to Relieve Psychological Tension

To alleviate emotional and physical fatigue, a universal method of relaxation before sleep for relieving tensions can be used (applicable at any time):

1. Choose a quiet, secluded place.
2. Find a comfortable position (sitting or standing).
3. Ensure good air circulation (can be done outdoors).
4. Bring your legs together.
5. Close your eyes and try to relax them.
6. Breathe calmly.
7. Place your hands on your knees (if sitting) or let them hang freely along your torso.
8. Keep your head straight but neck relaxed.
9. Roll your shoulders back and down (a semi-circle in the air).
10. Shift your weight onto your legs, feel the tension in them and lightness in your back.
11. Shake your legs.
12. If sitting, shift the weight onto your hips and hold this position for 5 minutes.
13. Try to relax and think of nothing.
14. Open your eyes, perform a self-massage of the entire body.

Ways to Fight Muscle Blocks

A universal and one of the simplest and most effective exercises is “Relaxation of Muscle Tensions Through Tension”. You need to tense all muscles simultaneously, but first practice in stages:

• Clench your fist;
• Bend your wrist (forearm muscles);
• Lift your arms to shoulder level and bend at the elbows;
• Bring your shoulder blades together, arch your lower back and stretch downwards;
• Close your eyes and bring your eyebrows to the bridge of your nose;
• Wrinkle your nose;
• Clench your teeth, and stretch the corners of your lips sideways;
• Mentally tilt your neck forward, but imagine resisting an invisible barrier (the head stays in place, but tension arises);
• Pull in your stomach as much as possible;
• Tense your buttocks, “walk” on them;
• Tense and pull in the muscles of the groin;
• From a sitting position, stretch your legs (tension in thigh muscles);
• Bend your feet as if pigeon-toed (tension in calf muscles);
• Clench your toes.

Tense as many areas as you can, count to 10, and then relax abruptly. Lean back in your chair, exhale strongly through your mouth. If you feel oxygen deprived, take a few more deep breaths and long exhales. Remember the feeling of relaxation, enjoy it. During the exercise, do not hold your breath, try to breathe deeply.

This technique was proposed by Dr. Kurpatov. As the specialist notes, simultaneous tension and stretching of muscles trigger a protective reaction – maximum relaxation. This is the basis of the mini-complex of exercises for relieving muscle-emotional tensions. Repeat it 7–10 times a day and within a week you will be able to relax without tension, just at the thought of relaxation.

Important! Do not try to tense your whole body at once without preparation. Approach each stage cautiously. It is better to consult with a manual therapist or watch a thematic video with a detailed explanation. Sudden and careless movements can cause harm: rupture, strain, displacement.

Body and Soul Relaxation Techniques

Muscle tensions are a psychosomatic problem, meaning that to eliminate them, work must be done both with the body and the soul. Muscle knots are clumps of energy (suppressed emotions) that cannot move further, pass through the body. Recall how our body’s posture changes with different emotions, life situations. For example, how the arms and shoulders of a tired woman carrying heavy bags droop towards the ground.

The more often a person experiences a certain emotion, the more stable the deformation of the body part responsible for it becomes. Healing will be aided by the above techniques and thought correction. If you learn to express emotions and surround yourself with positivity, the tensions will dissipate on their own.