A PAIN in the neck is a phrase we're all familiar with – and it seems the idiom could be more accurate than we might realise.
"Whoever coined the phrase 'a pain in the neck' was absolutely right. Our partners can be a pain in the neck at times," says Sophia Kupse, the founder of a technique called Langellotti Tri-Therapy (LT therapy), whose fans include Jodie Kidd and Liv Tyler and which is based on the theory that your emotions are stored up in your muscles and cause pain in your back, shoulders and neck.
Back and neck pain is a big problem, according to charity BackCare, costing the NHS billions of pounds every year.
But unless you've had an accident, or have a genetic condition such as arthritis, it's not always obvious what's caused it. Kupse believes the mind and body are so interconnected that painful memories can be translated directly into physical pain.
"When people get aches and pains, we generally look for a physical reason. But X-rays and scans don't show emotional pain," she says, explaining that 80 per cent of her clients are not suffering as a result of physical trauma but rather from a build up of emotional stress sustained over a period of time.
"When the doctor says, 'I can't find anything wrong with you, so let's put it down to wear and tear', it's very frustrating, because I've got 15-year-old and 25-year-olds, who are too young to get wear and tear.
"The human body is physically built to do endless hours of exercise. And the brain is a computer that's running your body, so whatever programme you're running in your head will create your physicality and wellbeing."
:: How does Langellotti Tri-Therapy work?
LT Therapy uses a combination of techniques to reset muscle memory in the neck, shoulders and back. After curing her mother's long-term back pain, Kupse developed her method using a map drawing on Eastern medicine's concept of Yin and Yang, that pinpoints which parts of the back are connected to which relationships and stressful events.
Over the course of an hour, she identifies areas of pain and the possible emotional causes by talking through the map, and uses a combination of manipulation, heat and cool stones that are placed on painful spots to restore positive energy to muscles and balance the mind and body.
"I can identify blockages in certain muscles which reflect a time period – whether they were bullied at school, had a very difficult childhood, or in their 20s suffered personal loss. The mapping system allows me to identify key players in their life; is it a family problem, a partner, your job, financial pressure or a health scare that you had in the past? It will still be held in the muscle."
:: Weight of the world on your shoulders?
Just like 'a pain in the neck', there's a reason why we talk about carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. Our increasingly stressful lives cause us physical pain.
Kupse explains: "We're always looking for something tangible to blame for our aches and pains: Did I get out of bed funny? Did I have a heavy bag? Did I sit too long at the computer?
"If you're enjoying what you're doing in life, your body releases good endorphins, but when you're stressed or angry or upset, you're releasing a lot of adrenaline. That adrenaline, if you're not burning it off, will build up lactic acid deposits in the muscle and then they form knots, and those knots put pressure on the sensory nerves underneath."
:: Desperately Seeking A Pain Free Self by Sophia Kupse is published by CreateSpace. See themusclewhisperer.co.uk.
