In 2006, I had the pleasure of visiting villagers at the Bay of Bengal in India, an area severely affected by the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. This visit was a follow-up to a conference where I had co-facilitated and presented BodyTalk in Auroville, India, in December 2005. Inspired by the beautiful disposition of the natives, it was my wish to return to the area to treat these people whose lives had been changed so dramatically by the tsunami.
With the help of a friend, I treated women and children using mainly BodyTalk in the Village Action Group Center of Irum Bai. To train them to help themselves in times of stress and crisis, we taught them some basic BodyTalk Access techniques. I was thrilled with how engaged and interested these women were and the amount of skill and knowledge they retained.
I discovered that many of the villagers’ health issues are similar to the ones we experience in the West, for example, migraine headaches, digestive disturbances, menstrual problems, and muscle tension. I believe that the BodyTalk Access techniques could make a huge difference for these people if free training clinics could continue to be offered in these areas of the world.
Since that time, BodyTalk Access Outreach work has grown in other parts of India and in many other disadvantaged communities around the world. It is my hope that this work can continue.
Story submitted by Katrin Bergstrom, M.D.