Since entering my 30s I’ve really enjoyed delving deeper into lots of different health and wellness practices in my everyday life.
I’m no Gwyneth Paltrow, but do I love being at one in nature? Subscribe to a sunrise ocean dip? (sorry for anyone that follows me on Insta because this is 90% of my content now) Pull a few tarot cards and (occasionally) meditate? You bet I do. Throw in an infrared sauna and a cold plunge once a fortnight and I could pretty much start my own Goop site on just how much self-care means to me.
A heavy influence of alternative therapies like Kinesiology, healing meditation, hypnotherapy and homeopathy comes from my Dad though, who is qualified in all of the above and preached about them since I was young – so I’ve always been pretty openminded.
With that said, it’s surprising to absolutely no one that when I heard of the kooky, but also little known, treatment called Spinal Energetics I was instantly intrigued and desperate to book in. And then, as if fate itself was dealing me a great hand, I found out that the renowned Dr. Sarah Jane, a Chiropractor, Counselor and mastermind of this unique treatment was heading to Sydney (yay!), and offering up a few spots for media to give it a try. Of course, I put my hand up first.
Different to other energy-healing techniques but equally as hippie-dippie sounding, I couldn’t help but think it was strange, or maybe let’s call it divine timing, that when the invite arrived in my inbox it also marked the anniversary of a particularly bad break-up I’d been spending a whole year trying to forget.
Eager to learn more and try to lighten the load on my very heavy heart by shifting that breakup energy out for good, I jumped at the chance to book in with Dr Sarah ASAP.
What exactly is Spinal energetics, you ask?
A quick google stalk of Dr Sarah Jane and a squiz over her website before my appointment, revealed that Spinal Energetics (her brainchild) is a practice that ‘combines Eastern and Western thought, to interact with a person’s spine, nervous system and energetic field, to harness a person’s own innate wisdom to know and heal themselves.’
So Reiki then? ‘Yes and no,” says Dr Sarah. Her website goes on to list different types of underactive and overactive energies in the body that we hold on to from ancestry, experiences, stories, personality, and character.
Spinal Energetics is a fusion of sorts, a form of awakening that energy (good and bad) and moving it around the body and away from areas of physical and/or emotional tension, like your shoulders, heart (in my case), hips or your back for instance.
“We use a series of light yet powerful touches and non-touches, as well as an organic flow of movement and sound to help shift, unwind, discover and release tension, resistance, and stories that may have been stored in the body,” says Dr Sarah.
What’s involved in a session?
Usually Dr Sarah operates from a studio in Richmond in Melbourne, but for one day only she was up in Sydney’s Surry Hills to see a select group of (very) lucky media clients.
When I walked in Dr Sarah was causally chatting with her previous client in the kitchen, but I was instantly captivated by her stunning long red hair and presence. She warmly greeted me and invited me into their conversation too – something nervous little me appreciated a lot.
On our way upstairs to the treatment room, in what I can only describe as one of the most zen and beautiful yoga studios I’ve ever seen (look up IN YOGA, Sydney and you’ll see what I mean), Dr Sarah quizzed me on my skin concerns.
I thought it was slightly odd, but she was bang on the money when she mentioned how she knew all about my recent acne flair-ups around my jawline and then suggested I get some blood tests done because she was worried I had too much testosterone in my body. Slightly taken aback because my skin was clear and pimple free that particular day, I replied saying that I’d actually gone to the doctors just days prior and had all my bloods done to rule out a few things concerning my skin and my hormones. Was she a psychic too!???
Once in our private room we chatted for about 15 minutes to discuss what was involved in the session, what I should expect, what feelings might arise and most importantly to trust the process – as every single session is completely different for everyone.
Oh, and if it wasn’t obvious from our previous convo, yes she’s definitely psychic. She knew all about my heartbreak and exactly how it all happened before I’d even sat down. This was going to be good, I could just tell.
Upon laying down, Dr Sarah assessed my body and informed me that my hips were off and that the difference in length between my left and right leg was most definitely causing my hip pain. Again, I’d uttered nothing of such pain to her but it had been a niggle of mine for a few months that I’d been meaning to call a chiro about.
Roaming my body she went straight to my tight shoulders and then pressed on my heart, sighing deeply as we both felt how sore they were. She says she does this evaluation to see where her treatment needs to focus for each person. In my case heartbreak – the most painful kind.
To start, Dr Sarah tugged sharply on each arm to release energy and ready me for the session. She had warned me the feeling might liken to an electric shock on both sides and she wasn’t wrong. It was intense and definitely a jolting shock with an ensuing sensation of pins and needles that travelled quickly up from my hands to my forearms. This was just a small indication to her of exactly how much tension I was holding on to in my body.
From what felt like only three minutes in but was actually about 15, I’d already burst into tears (read: blubbered uncontrollably), as she released more blockages over my chest, heart and shoulders as I lay face-up on the bed.
Talking to me the whole time at this point, all triggers revolved around said break-up. Again, HOW DID SHE KNOW SO MUCH!?
Okay, now the hippy-dippie part…
The second part of the session was the one I was most intrigued about – the light touch and spinal energetics whilst I lay face down on the bed. Her money-maker!
When I’d googled, this was the part that saw some of her clients literally writhing on the bed in rhythm to her hands floating above them. Would this be me? I asked. “Maybe, but also maybe not,” replied Dr Sarah.
“Remember everyone’s reactions to this are different, whether that’s just an emotional release or also a physical one too, a response to this treatment is driven by an individual’s energy, intuition and instinct,” she added.
What followed was Dr Sarah moving her hands energetically over my entire body, with loud whooshing sounds as I also repeated my own deep breathing while actively arching my tail bone up and down (like a reverse cat-cow). My body quickly fell into its own natural rhythm and I sunk very quickly into what I can only describe as a meditative state.
Although my body didn’t writhe up and down quite as rigorously as I’d hoped (more so for the video I was filming to show my Dad), I cried (yes, blubbered) AGAIN part-way through and felt my body uncontrollably twitching in parts. It was like it was surrendering bit by bit letting go of the last year worth of stress, sorrow and emotional burdens.
Dr Sarah explains that “Spinal Energetics is not something we ‘do’ to a client, it is a practice of collaboration to cultivate and support deep self-awareness in our clients to help them soften and/or strengthen patterns of resistance and submission that may be preventing wellbeing from flowing to them.” And I felt that. For that whole year I had been telling myself I’ve moved on from my trauma, but the reason it was all still hurting so much is because I clearly hadn’t. Now at least I could see a light (quite literally) at the end of this sad and lonely tunnel.
My honest verdict…
Let me just preface by saying that from the 41.31 minutes that I lay on that table (proof from the video I recorded), it felt like five. My whole body and mind effortlessly succumbed to Dr Sarah’s magical powers and time literally vanished. When I asked her at the end, slightly dizzy and very disoriented, if she’d in fact just hypnotised me, she answered with a straight up, No. “Even I lose all track of time when performing this treatment, it’s as if time disappears,” she adds.
My initial first feelings when I sat up from the bed were confusion, and then the very heavy feeling in my face and head from my sinuses being completely blocked up. A symptom that is completely emotive says Dr Sarah, but will go quickly. I also felt an overwhelming sense of relief, like a full multi-story brick building had been lifted off my shoulders. She explained that I might feel headache-y and very tired due to so much tension released from my neck and shoulders, which I did, but drinking lots of water would help.
I left the studio feeling absolutely elated though. Lighter, like I was out of my body and looking down at myself as a new person. That sounds so deep and woo-woo I know, but it was a truly amazing feeling. I had a work function that I needed to get to shortly after but I decided to walk instead of Uber so I could process my thoughts. I was buzzing with energy when I arrived and couldn’t wait to tell any new acquaintance I came across just how great my experience had been.
When I went to bed that night, I slept so solidly – and guess what? That sharp pain in my neck that I thought I’d endured at the gym the week prior? Completely gone. Turns out that too was all down to stress and emotions held in my chest.
From then I’ve felt so much calmer, so much less stressed and overall more in tune and excited for the future.
Would I recommend this treatment?
That would be a 100% yes. If, like me, you’re open to more alternative forms of healing and mindfulness practices I couldn’t recommend Spinal Energetics enough. I know some people might find her practices a bit far-fetched, but Dr Sarah assures me that Spinal Energetics is for everyone.
I’ll definitely be booking in for another session at her Melbourne studio too – I just wish she didn’t have a quite-so-long long waitlist! Sigh.
DISCLAIMER
Kindly be aware that the details provided in this article are not intended as medical guidance. If you have particular health concerns, it’s advisable to consult with a medical professional for personalised advice.
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