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!

MC, MD