Endorsements
Endorsements
I tell people that Everett Ogawa saved my life. Well, he didn’t actually save my life, but he did give me my life as I know it now. I went to Everett the first time for sharp pains in my shoulder and arm that kept me up at night for four months. After 20 minutes with Everett, that pain went away and never came back. While he worked, purposefully and doggedly to loosen the tight muscles that had developed over the previous few months, he explained that we store physical and emotional experiences in our tissues, and that if it is counterproductive, this energy needs to be released in order for the pain to be relieved. Well, I had been to medical school, so I knew this was ridiculous, but this guy sure seemed to know a lot more than I would ever know about the muscles in my neck and shoulder, so I went back, even if the theory seemed crazy.
I had at that time terrible and constant back pain and a history of major spinal surgery for scoliosis. I couldn’t stand for 5 minutes, I didn’t sneeze without stabbing pain, I couldn’t pick up anything off the floor, and I wasn’t making dinner plans because I never knew if I’d be up for it. Putting my skepticism aside, I went back to Everett because I got results. The change in my body didn’t happen overnight, and it definitely wasn’t easy. I gradually learned that there was some great mysterious truth in this theory about releasing negative stored energy, and now I will tell you that although I am a firm believer in the western medicine that I practice, I also firmly believe that manual therapies, and in particular the deep tissue work of Integral Bodywork, can promote a wholeness and vitality that traditional medicine does not.
After many sessions with Everett, I now have no pain. I never had additional surgery that was recommended to me. I can rake leaves and hike and keep up with my two young children and do many normal things I wouldn’t have been able to do had I not encountered this bodywork. Each time I went through the 10 sessions I reached a higher level of balance and clarity, and although I now live in Indianapolis, whenever I visit Chicago, I make an appointment with Everett! I continue to benefit although the original pain that brought me to bodywork is long gone. There aren’t words to express my gratitude, but maybe I can inspire someone to get to work on their own experience!
Melissa Cavaghan, MD
Working with Everett Ogawa at Integral Bodywork has been life-changing for me. I was unaware of this type of work in the early 1990s and would not have sought it out on my own. But I was held up at gunpoint one afternoon in a safe locale, and it was quite traumatizing. Several months later when fear, low mood, and lethargy continued to bother me, a trusted colleague and friend encouraged me to see Everett, saying that I needed to have the trauma physically released from my body. After only one session, I felt energized, stronger physically and emotionally, the world looked brighter, and food tasted better. So I decided to work with Everett on a regular basis. That was 16 years ago. As I approach 60, I am in excellent physical and psychological shape. My immune system is stronger, my seasonal allergies are milder, my body’s flexibility is increasing, I am taller and more aligned, and I can breathe deeply from head to toe. I have no body pain. More importantly, I feel much more centered and grounded emotionally, I am able to handle stress far more effectively, and I savor life. I have judiciously recommended Integral Bodywork to about 6-8 colleagues or friends, and they too have had positive experiences.
Professor, Northwestern University
Having been introduced to Mr. Everett Ogawa by a teacher with whom I had studied zen meditation for many years, I can say without a doubt that Integral Bodywork succeeds on so many levels.
Three years ago, my body was manifesting spontaneous physical movement that had no apparent medical cause but was interrupting my daily activities, work and family life. Mr. Ogawa is to be commended for his inexhaustible patience by phone explaining to me in depth how the body functions physically and emotionally while successfully taming my fear and frustration over my condition.
Since I live 1400 miles away from the Integral Bodywork studio, it took much planning and coordination to accomplish a feasible schedule for me to complete ten sessions of bodywork with him. It was by far the best physical or mental therapy I have ever experienced. Since I had spent most of my life in very athletic endeavors, I thought I had great body awareness. Integral Bodywork took my understanding to a much deeper level, with more profound insight. I saw firsthand how the emotions experienced throughout my life have imbedded themselves into my body creating physical roadblocks and emotional detours. Through the release of this multi-dimensional tension stored within the connective tissue, a catharsis resulted in renewed energy and true inner calm never possible before.
Here’s how the alchemy works – once the body is cleared of blocked energy and emotional waste through this bodywork technique, the mind is free to shift into open space garnering new ideas and gathering momentum for change. Many people with whom I have shared Integral Bodywork, have found themselves taking new directions in their lives positively affecting their future and those close to them. This work is a gift you give to yourself that has no boundaries for the positive changes it offers. Once experienced, you will want to share your new gained knowledge with everyone – I did, now it’s your turn….
Sonia, Miami, FL
I have been a professional body worker and a zen practitioner for 10 and over 15
years respectively. I have found your work to be at the leading edge of body
mind transformational work for healing and evolutionary growth.
As you know I suffered depression throughout most of my life. Your work is one
of the key factors for my recovery and ongoing development. While it may sound
like bragging, I feel better now than I have ever felt in my life.
I have studied with you for many years both as a member in a workshop and
privately – your insight and generosity is astounding. You create a safe and
challenging atmosphere for each of us to grow into and beyond our limits. There
is always a great sense of community in the class discussions.
Your work has changed my functioning and my idea of what is possible for a human
being at any age. I look forward to studying with you for decades to come!!
Thank you
Julie, AOBTA
Because I have had kyphosis since childhood (a rounding of the spine in the upper back), I have learned that I need a certain amount of bodywork to control back pain and maintain flexibility. Over the years, I have found some great practitioners who help me stay healthy and comfortable. Last February, I took a nasty fall, tripping on the sidewalk and landing hard, sternum first, on a sharp concrete curb. For several weeks, I experienced swelling and pain in my chest, shoulder and back. I got some great work done–chiropractic, massage, acupuncture—yet some of the back pain continued, especially if I stood or walked for more than a few minutes. A friend suggested that I try Everett and Integral Bodywork, and so I did. The friend warned that I might get much more than relief from pain, that the full ten sessions could be transformative. Transformation would be great, I said, but I’d settle for pain relief. Almost immediately, I began to feel much better. My body became more open, and my back and neck more comfortable. To my surprise, I found after several sessions that my breathing had changed. Now I could breathe all the way into my belly and much more deeply into my chest.
Everett does great work. The whole ten sessions felt like an adventure to me, as I experienced greater openness in my body and the opportunity to let go of some painful feelings from the past, that I was now able to release through this work. Last night I had a session with a cranial-sacral therapist who has treated me for years. At the end of our session she remarked, “That Everett did some great work on you. Your fascia are much more supple than before.” I was glad to hear her confirmation, but I already knew this. I feel greater freedom of movement and much more room to breathe. I can go for a long walk without pain. I am enjoying a new sense of possibility in my life. Not everyone is willing to invest the time and dollars to go through the 10-session sequence, but for those who are, it truly can be transformative. Your body is your most important home.
JT, 59-year-old woman
If you’ve ever thought about getting serious bodywork done, then Everett is your man. Everett is from the great state of Hawai’i where he studied at Chozen-ji under Tanouye Roshi and Hosokawa Roshi. Chozen-ji is a real deal Zen Buddhist temple tucked away in Kalihi Valley. Integral Bodywork is a combined practice of deep tissue body work that releases muscles, emotional trauma, and pain. It’s amazing how the body internalizes stress and trauma into muscle tension which, over prolonged periods, can affect the body’s posture and alignment. Integral Bodywork combines Zen teachings with deep tissue bodywork and definitely releases the bad juju that your body has locked away.
I have been an athlete for all my life and am a hard core jiu jitsu practitioner. As a girl, I routinely roll with guys 50+ lbs. heavier than myself and have sustained numerous muscular and ligament injuries. After my first session with Everett, the change in my posture was pronounced as my shoulders were finally able to stay back after years of being hunched. The second and third sessions dealt with my legs and sides- areas where I have suffered significant injuries in the past. I’ve done physical therapy for those same injuries and the money and time you waste doing dumb drills on a foam roller should really be spent with Everett instead.
Everett’s a small guy so his weight limit for guys is about 180 lbs. If you’re heavier than that, he can refer you to other therapists who are stronger. I’ve never felt uncomfortable with Everett since he’s extremely professional and personable. I would give Everett 10 stars if I could because that’s how good I feel after a session with him.
Burgundy I., New York, NY