The neck supports the head and links it to the torso. But this link is not only physical. The neck acts as link between head and heart between logic and emotions.
This is what the osteopath Quim Vicent, an expert in posturology and psychoneuroimmunology, maintains. “When we have neck pain, it is convenient to take this link into account. We can relax our shoulders and do exercises to relieve pain by making the neck muscles more flexible, but it is also important to see what else is happening, if behind our pain, tensions, there is an emotional component,” says the expert.
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Why do the cervicals tense?
“The neck is actually a step: concepts, desires, ideas and intentions of the brain pass through it to be transformed into practical action”, says Quim Vicent. “It is a bridge: it is not yet the action itself. Everything that gives life also passes through it: air, water, food, blood and nervous circulation. It is, therefore, an essential part of the body.”
For all this, and because it is a narrow pass, it is easy for energy to become restricted in this area, says the expert. That is why here we focus on this perspective, which considers cervical tension as an expression of psycho-emotional imbalance.
“When feelings conflict with logic, the result is stress. The difference between what the brain thinks and the desires of the heart They can make you feel helpless, stuck, confused, even dizzy or off balance. All this can be seen reflected in tensions in the neck”, warns Quim Vicent.
“On the other hand, the cervicals have great mobility, they are one of the most flexible parts of the body. And it is still curious to see how The pericardium (the membrane that protects the heart) is connected to the back of the neck.”adds Vincent. “Surely you have noticed that when you suppress emotions such as anger or fear, the first thing you do is tense this area.”
Can a neck problem reveal How do we lock ourselves in our way of seeing and interpreting a situation, relationship or conflict? “Exactly. It may be expressing our inflexibility and our inability to adopt or contemplate different points of view, for example.”
But we can go into more detail and see what types of emotional conflicts are hidden behind each type of neck pain, according to the expert. For example:
- Pain in the lower vertebrae. The lower vertebrae, for example C4, C5, C6, may be related to the thyroid gland, and through them they may affect language and voice, that is, what I express and what I receive. Tensions in this area may reflect situations in which I do not allow myself to express my opinions or in which I hear messages that cause me indignation and anger. It’s hard for us to digest what we hear…
- Stiff neck. Repeated torticollis is a frequent reason for consultation. Torticollis expresses a motor conflict of annoyance in action, situations in which we partly want to turn our heads to see someone, but on the other we forbid it. If the muscular contraction of the stiff neck prevents us from shaking our head, we may want to say no to someone or something, but we don’t allow it. On the contrary, if the pain prevents us from affirming with our head, the problem may be that we would like to say yes and we don’t allow it either.
In Spain, the psychosomatic medicine It is not recognized as a medical specialty, but in other European countries it is one more specialty. For Quim Vicent it would be important not to lose sight of the importance of this type of medicine, since he takes emotions into account, considers them and analyzes them from a therapeutic approach.
Exercise to relax the neck
According to all this, there are plenty of reasons to try to relax the neck, neck and shoulders with stretching, meditation and breathing. “Just observing ourselves and putting our emotions before us will be of great help so that they are transformed into other energies and our neck relaxes,” says the expert in osteopathy and posturology.
This exercise proposed by Quim Vicent is designed to help relax the shoulders and release cervical tension, as well as encourage self-observation:
- You can stand or sit on a chair or on the floor.
- With your back straight, bring your gaze to the horizontal and separate your arms from the sides, about 30º. Palms face up to keep shoulders externally rotated and open chest wide.
- Tilt your head to one side and move the arm on the opposite side down.
- play with your breath: when inhaling maintain the position, when exhaling force the inclination of the neck a little more while you bring the opposite arm further down. Enjoy the stretch.
- Repeat to the other side, to complete the exercise.