As a trained psychologist and psychotherapist, I have been exploring for several years the influences and patterns that shape us, how they interact, and their impact on how we shape our own lives. I owe a significant part of my own learning experience to my spine. This gratitude is the result of a long-standing process of coming to terms with myself and my body.

I was born with one extra hemivertebra, which led to scoliosis in my lumbar spine. The degree of curvature led conventional medical experts to give me a poor prognosis regarding symptoms without surgery.

Without surgery, but with plenty of exercise, I enjoyed a long period free of symptoms, practiced karate intensively, and came to believe that “effective training involves a lot of effort, sweat, and performance.” I was happy, fit, and paid little attention to my spine.

In the meantime, it had made its presence known in a painful way, after which it could be soothed with pain patches. An accident and many compensatory movements later, it grew louder and louder—which, in retrospect, marked the beginning of my journey of gratitude.

Because of my compensatory posture, I lost the ability to move, use, and feel my body effectively. Fears, self-doubt, and insecurities began to take root. I found myself searching—searching for solutions and for stability. And I found these, for example, in strength training, acupuncture, physical therapy, and osteopathy. All of these were options that helped me manage my pain in the short term, but—with the exception of strength training—they were passive in nature. As a result, I saw little improvement in my sense of self-efficacy, even though my spine was less plagued by pain.

An Introduction to CANTIENICA®

During my first pregnancy, I learned about the CANTIENICA® method and started the training. A large part of my body cheered with joy. At first, it was only my mind that put up the strongest resistance; it couldn’t understand how such a gentle workout—one that really gets to the bones—could feel so wonderful. And how it could actually be tough, with “shaking muscles” and soreness.

“I don’t do much at all” was a thought that crossed my mind. So I began to listen to my body to find out why it enjoyed the CANTIENICA® exercises so much. And I was rewarded with such wonderful answers.

Responses in the form of physical sensations that I had never experienced before.

• A sacroiliac joint that is given more space, relieved of pressure, and can be activated.
• Vortices that rise.
• Previously unknown back muscles that can be strengthened and stretched, thereby providing support.
• Subtle pulses from the feet that travel upward through the body in a chain reaction, awakening the muscles of the pelvic floor and upper body.
• Length, stability, strength, engagement, and relaxation all at once.
• My spine started jumping for joy.

So I stuck with it, intensified my training, and incorporated it into my daily routine until it eventually became a way of being. A physical posture, but also an inner attitude in the sense of nurturing my relationship with myself.

Throughout this process, I faced my body-related fears head-on and overcame them through countless experiences of self-efficacy.

This work with my body changed my inner life in that it helped me develop a new sense of confidence — confidence in myself, in my abilities, and in my body—the kind I had never experienced before.

In this way, my spine evolved from a collection of vertebrae into a “backbone”—both physically and psychologically: upright, stable, and flexible.

My process is still ongoing. There are still exercises or movement sequences that I cannot yet perform fully without experiencing pain signals. So I try to listen to those signals and respond to them appropriately. By accepting my abilities and limitations and mindfully confronting perceived limitations, I experience myself as effective and in control of my life.

Thanks to this sense of self-efficacy, I decided to complete the training to become a CANTIENICA® instructor . In doing so, I found a missing piece of the puzzle in my professional life: bodywork.

Not least because of my own personal journey, it became clear to me just how wonderfully psychology/psychotherapy and CANTIENICA® complement each other.

Karin Mühlemann
Federally certified psychotherapist and licensed CANTIENICA® instructor

www.karin-muehlemann.ch/