I had a new physical therapist today. He had a more tentative touch, not stretching me as far or as hard. He also worked on my shoulderblades a while to loosen up the muscles between them, which my regular PT hasn't done yet. Nothing better or worse, just different.
When I'm with a new doctor or counselor, my initial reaction is usually hesitancy. I figure this is normal, as a trust has to be established. I'm confident that my regular PT knows what's going on with my body, and not so sure with the guy. But he won me over quickly.
I'm always amazed at what I learn in the hands of someone new. Touch itself is an incredibly accurate communicator. Today I learned that my impulse to massage my shoulder joint on a point on the outside was a good intuition; the PT worked on this for a while. As he put his fingers on my shoulder blades to guide them as I did a rowing exercise, I understood better how to move. More than these simple things, there's something ineffable going on here, an exchange. Someone offers something--healing? touch itself?--and I accept. I wonder what I give in return.