“So, now your videos helped me to understand the process of adhesions and to become more gentle and kind with my belly which obviously is part of me and to try to work with “her” and not against “her”, as things are what they are because there is a reason for it. . .”
This came in a very long email from a person in Portugal who bought and started using the Abdominal Adhesion Videos. This person has years of history with adhesions and I was so inspired by this email because it means that one of the (to me) most important parts of self-care is coming across in the videos. What I am so excited about is that there is a relationship, a real, dynamic relationship being built between this person and their belly.
In general, when we are in pain we tend to try to push the pain aside and not look too closely at it because we are afraid of it, because we don’t want to make it worse by “messing” with it. But the reality is that pain and disfunction are often intrinsically messy and one of the ways we can most effectively help ourselves is to embrace the mess and fear and discomfort. If we embrace it then we can still be friends with ourselves and the pain area – we can still see ourselves and the pain area clearly – even as we are frustrated and scared and wishing it would all go away.
I think in general, the more we alienate the pain and the body part feeling the pain, the more trouble we cause ourselves in the long run. But not alienating ourselves takes a certain kind of calmness about what is happening. Often the genesis of that calmness is simply more clear information about what is happening. I am just so inspired that my work on the videos has helped even one person start that process.
Author Profile

- Isabel Spradlin is a Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), and abdominal adhesion specialist in Portland, OR. She specializes in educating people about manual treatment (massage) for abdominal pain and dysfunction, especially when it is adhesion related. Please see the "Programs" page to see her offerings.
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After suffering for 8 weeks with adhesions from 2 prior surgeries – unknown at the tme of going to Emergency 4 times – Doctors don’t really tell you much in this area of pain. It can be relieved I understand from Visceral and Osteopath treatments which are non invasive and don’t cost as much as surgery. Surgery also spins adhesions into more adhesions, so surgery is not the answer for long term relief. I go for my treatments in 2 weeks and will post back my recovery progress. Blessing to all those out there who inspired me to know more about this difficult health issue that so many suffer from needlessly. I hope that the medical profession will one day be truthful to us so we can live life the way we were meant to – with joy, health and happiness!
Best of luck with your treatments! I look forward to hearing how they go.
Hi Jannie, just wanted to check in and see how your treatments have gone!