A new type of therapy to help with life’s stresses
When Erine Mantel first heard about the practice of body stress release to help a body heal itself she thought it was weird and was highly sceptical.
But then she saw it “cure” her mother’s crippling migraines and her grandfather’s posture issues and was inspired enough to train for five months to become a practitioner of the method herself.
“There are a lot of sceptics and I was one at first too. When my mum suggested I study it, I thought it was very airy-fairy and weird,” she said.
“But actually it’s logical and made sense to me. It was an ‘aha’ moment and I fell in love with it.”
During body stress release sessions a practitioner maps out any sites of stress in the body and then performs a series of “releases” using their thumb or finger to apply a slight pressure or impulse.
This is done while the patient is fully clothed and is designed to start a sequence of messages to the brain that alert it to stored tension and encourage it to get the body to start the natural healing process.
“Our bodies were designed to heal. When we get a cut, we don’t have to think about healing, the body does so automatically, but when the cut is too deep, it may need stitches,” Mantel said.
“If we take that principle and look at stress, it works the same. Your body can handle a certain amount of stress effectively, but when it becomes too much, an overload, then we need outside help. The body can only handle so much before it goes into pain.“
Mantel, now based in New Plymouth, said body stress release covers three types of stress – physical, such as prolonged back pain and injuries, mental and emotional, and chemical.
She said symptoms such as pins and needles, numbness, spasms, mobility or joint issues, dizziness, discomfort, stiffness, pain, and feeling continuously tired and listless can be signs of body stress.
Mantel, who charged $60 per session, said it was all about testing for and releasing tension. “It’s about opening up lines of communication to help the body heal,” she said.
The technique was developed by two chiropractors Gail and Ewald Meggersee in South Africa in the 1980s.
They opened the academy in 1987 and started a five month course, which was now taught in South Africa, where Mantel studied, and England.
Mantel graduated in 2022 and then did a one-month apprenticeship.
In April Mantel and her husband moved to New Plymouth for his work and she opened her practice in June.
“We didn’t even know New Plymouth existed and now we’re not leaving. We love it.”