My Story: Recovery from migraine headaches
SARAH DAVIES: BSR PRACTITIONER M.B.R.S.A. (SA) : Qualified 2010
Practising at Milnerton Mediclinic & in Glencairn Cape Town
I spent most of my adult life in the media, eventing and magazine industry. When I finally left the corporate world, I was the Brand Manager across 4 well-known International Magazines.
While I thrived in my younger years, keeping the pace my career demanded, by my mid-30’s I had started to show signs of strain.
There are always the subtle clues that come with stress: I felt fatigued, I was less resilient to infection and I was having trouble sleeping. I was diagnosed with Polycystic-Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) in my 20’s and Endometriosis in my 30’s, and I soon started suffering from frequent and severe headaches, with debilitating migraines at times.
As I climbed the corporate ladder the pressure at work increased and I found myself trying to find quick-fix solutions, medicating symptoms where I could, and endlessly trying to get to the bottom of the awful headache bouts.
There were days that I literally couldn’t lift my head off the pillow. I remember one particular scuba-diving holiday where my tension headaches were so severe, I missed out on some of the dives, and I found myself questioning how it could be that I was still so “tense and stressed out” even on holiday? It just didn’t make sense!
I was fortunate to discover Body Stress Release through recommendation from a colleague. At that point, I’d been sent for MRI scans and I had tried every imaginable solution to get to the root cause of my pain. Doctors were at a loss and kept giving me stronger and stronger pain medication. I was prepared to give anything a go!
While most of the previous health care professionals I’d seen had focused on the symptoms and directed their attention to my head and neck area (from manipulation to massage, MRI’s and migraine medications), BSR seemed to address my entire spinal and pelvic alignment.
Much to my surprise, I discovered that my neck was only part of the problem – and I soon learned that the upper back stress was influenced by patterns of stress elsewhere in my spine.
The spine is a powerhouse of communication, and nerves from the lower back radiate down into our hips, knees feet, and even influence organs (affecting things like hormones, ovarian issues, digestion and elimination). Stress in the upper back and neck effects the head, jaw, hands and arms. I discovered that the muscular stress in my back, coupled with 2 whiplash injuries, terrible laptop posture and my pressured lifestyle, resulted in a body that was battling to adapt.
My poor body was simply attempting to make the best of a bad situation!
Body Stress Release didn’t focus on the symptoms, my practitioner recorded specific reflex tests and nudged my body into restoring its natural innate communication, and by doing this so many other things fell into place. With regular BSR I found a gentle technique that not only alleviated my headaches, it also assisted with my general health and vitality.
I went from being a sub-functioning headache-zombie to an energised positive person with a far better understanding of my body! By releasing underlying patterns of body stress, one automatically upgrades the body’s entire communication system – allowing it to focus on dealing with key activities rather than having to focus all its energy on “protective” (locked up) muscular action.
It was then that I realised that this technique was so logical and so far-reaching for healthcare that I wanted to be involved. I took a leap of faith and left the corporate world and moved to the Garden Route to study BSR.
I established my practice at the Milnerton Mediclinic in Cape Town in 2010 and then opened up a second practice a couple of days a week on the Noordhoek side of the mountain near Glencairn. I can honestly say I’m blessed to wake up every day with the enthusiasm to help others on their journey back to health.
I work with babies, children, corporate high flyers, pensioners, and sometimes even their pets. In 2022 I completed the ‘BSR for Horses’ Specialization which enables me to work on horses (and likely goats, llamas, donkeys or anything in between!)
So many people arrive for BSR feeling deflated, discouraged and in pain. Many have been through operations or are on handfuls of pills, so it brings me huge joy to work with them and watch them evolve as they start their recovery back to optimal health.
The biggest privilege I have is in this line of work is to witness the transformation that takes place when clients start to take control of their own health and they discover that the human body has a unique ability to regenerate and repair.
I never tire of seeing someone’s joy when they suddenly realize their bodies are finally worth trusting with their health once again. That kind of feeling doesn’t have a price-tag, that’s a kind of a feeling you just feel lucky to witness and one you feel compelled to share with the world!
Contact: sarah@unlockingtension.co.za / 083 633 3819