In the simplest of explanations, the Oxford Dictionary defines retracing as going back over the same route one has just taken or tracing something back to its source or beginning. In the context of Upper Cervical Care, retracing is a phenomenon that is sometimes seen during the natural healing process. This experience is a normal part of the Upper Cervical Journey. However, without an understanding of what you are going through, it can cause unnecessary concern or distress. This article will explain why it happens, what it means, and how to recognize retracing.
What is Retracing?
Retracing is the process by which your body re-experiences old symptoms, including pain, memories, and even emotions. As your body rewinds, re-visits, and repairs previously unresolved injuries, you will begin to experience a more complete healing. However, to truly understand retracing, we first have to understand the healing process.
Imagine your healing journey as a walk in the woods. Picture yourself walking along a path, perhaps following a winding trail down a hill and past a majestic ponderosa pine. An hour later, you cross a footbridge over a stream with a pond on the other side. Another hour passes, and you come upon a field of wildflowers when you decide to turn around and come back.
As you make your way back, you again pass the pond, cross the bridge, see the ponderosa pine, and follow the winding path back out of the woods. During your journey, keep in mind that having walked two hours into the woods, you cannot logically expect to walk back out in 15 minutes. When it comes to retracing and healing, the question of time is essential. If an issue in the body has been in process for years, patients should not expect to regain their normal state or level of function within a few days. It took time for the condition to change from healthy to unbalanced, and it will take time to retrace from an unbalanced state back to health.
Why Does Retracing Occur?
Most people are at least somewhat familiar with the term “muscle memory,” but did you know that all body tissue has a “memory”? When you experience a trauma, accident, illness, or injury, your body will record the feelings of pain, panic, shock, anger, and even the anxiety that often accompany such injuries. During retracing, it’s common to re-experience these feelings as they “leave” and balance begins to be restored.
Retracing is a 100% natural phenomenon often occurring in holistic healing disciplines when body balance and homeostasis are re-established. Conversely, retracing is almost unheard of and little understood in traditional Western medicine. Drugs inhibit or stimulate bodily functions while masking symptoms as opposed to restoring health. As a result, most people, including M.D.s, tend to be unfamiliar with retracing.
Points to Remember
Retracing is not always dramatic, but anyone undergoing Upper Cervical care may experience retracing to one degree or another. Sometimes, it may simply be the urge to take deep breaths or the sensation of a “weight” being lifted from you. Other patients may experience pain, symptoms, or emotions that have not manifested for months or years. Even though these experiences are a natural part of the healing process, it can be easy to mistake them for worsening your current state of health. Upper Cervical Care patients experiencing retracing may begin to feel that they are getting worse instead of better.
However, nothing could be further from the truth. What they are actually experiencing is a revisiting of symptoms they experienced while their injury or illness was in the making. Patients who discontinue their Upper Cervical Care prematurely as a result of retracing could be denying themselves the opportunity to experience complete healing.
Retracing: The Road to True Healing
When you begin your Upper Cervical journey and receive your first corrections, remember that
tissues that have assumed an abnormal position for years must be given time to return to their balanced position. During your treatment, the nervous system, muscles, tendons, and ligaments will begin to adapt to the change, and tissues must often be rebuilt for the vertebrae to hold their normal position.
As these changes to your spine happen, you will begin to notice changes in both body balance and function. Posture, balance, pain, sleep, organ function, and much more can improve. This initial phase of care can be very rewarding, but it can also be uncomfortable at times. Just as it took time to develop pain or sickness, it also takes time to regain health.
If you’re ready to start your Upper Cervical healing journey, contact us today by clicking the link below to schedule an appointment with Atlas Specific in Durango, CO. You can also stop by our office at 1800 E 3rd Ave #108 or give us a call at 970 – 259 – 6803.
Notice of Disclaimer
We are doctors of upper cervical chiropractic, but NOT necessarily YOUR doctors. All content and information on this website are for informational and educational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice, and reading or interacting with this site does not establish any form of the patient-doctor relationship. Although we strive to provide accurate information, the information presented here is not intended to substitute for professional advice, and you should not rely solely on this information. Always consult a professional in your particular area of need before making medical decisions.