Wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt, I stood in front of John C. Pierrakos, MD, a psychiatrist famous for his ability to read the body. I was applying to study with him and a body reading was part of the application process. I worried that he might be able to see things in me that I didn’t want him to know. Later he told me that he could see accomplishments and organizational skills in my spine, because there were no breaks in the spinal column. But he also pointed to behaviors I needed to change, showing me how I blocked my feelings and tried to control them with my head and jaw. Holding feelings back, appearing a bit like the tin man in The Wizard of Oz, I could be perceived as unemotional and unfeeling by others.
From that moment on, expressing my emotions and feelings became a goal. After I met John and began to study with him, I adopted a dog, then a child, and finally I married again. Although my husband has since passed away, I met my current partner, at his class reunion and we have been together since then. I thank my work with somatic therapy and energy psychology for opening the door to my heart — so that these wonderful relationships could take hold and flourish.