Primer Birsen Yavuz Engin
The Turkish athlete, a sprinter, was born in 1980 and is the winner of many medals, including from European championships. She is 1.73 meters tall and weighs 63 kilograms.
Introduction by her coach, Nikola Borić
It was by no means either intentional or accidental that on that day I ended up with my athlete at a longtime friend’s place. It was once again one of those days of frustration, helplessness, and despair, as it had been during the last three months of intensive treatments: massages, magnets, electrostimulation, physical therapy, and who knows what else in the most expensive hospitals in Istanbul, with the best specialists and doctors. The diagnosis was fluid buildup around the bone due to an injury six months earlier; the pain “wandered” from the knee all the way to the pelvis. My athlete was unable to sit, drive a car, or walk, and we could not even think about training. This was followed by three months of treatment with anti-rheumatic injections, accompanied by headaches; the possibility of surgery was indicated if the treatment did not help. I was afraid of losing the season and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro two years away.
I gave up on all of that and suggested a visit to a doctor in Zagreb; after all, we had nothing to lose. But it was the same as in Istanbul, except that the top sports doctor Nataša Desnica recognized disrupted biomechanics in the Turkish Olympian and national sprint record-holder Birsen Engin. In Zagreb, we were to continue with therapies, just as during the last three months in Istanbul, without a single training session.
It was a sunny, cold December afternoon when I once again, as I had often done over the past twenty years, went to see Aleš. With me was the injured Birsen. Aleš knew I worked with athletes, even though we hadn’t seen or heard from each other since the time a few years ago when I visited him with Elvan Abeylegesse and bought a Polar. He was very interested in Birsen’s problem and offered help in a way that was completely incomprehensible to me; it sounded like something I was hearing for the first time … Skeptical of his method of help, but thinking I had nothing to lose, we ended the conversation and went into his practice, where a completely new and incredible world was opening up for me, one I hadn’t known about at Aleš’s; the room was equipped for the best physical therapy I had ever seen in my long career around the world.
Aleš stopped talking, laid Birsen down on the table, and began performing a series of movements unknown to me. So as not to disturb, I left the room.
An hour later, Birsen came out of the room with tears in her eyes, hugged me, and said: “Thank you coach, thank you so much, this is best doctor in the world,” and I stood there …, “but he’s not a doctor, he is …”. That day, for the first time in six months, she ran across the yard with a wide smile, full of energy and spirit, and came back saying, “I can run.” The whole thing reminded me of the scene from the film Forrest Gump, where Forrest runs away from bullies through an avenue of trees, his leg braces breaking apart, yet he keeps running, even though no one is chasing him anymore. And after that, he just keeps running and running.
I changed the plan, and for a week we moved to Brežice, and since then we have been preparing for the European Athletics Championship as if nothing had ever happened. People asked me, after I sent a few more athletes to Aleš for therapy and he healed their injuries, what this doctor actually does. I still don’t know myself, I don’t know how his therapy works or what happens during it, I simply send everyone to him and let them see for themselves. I even bring Olympic record-holders to Aleš, all of whom had given up or were being offered surgery. It all reminds me of a racehorse who, after its last unfinished race, enters the trailer for the final time, not for training or competition, but by a twist of fate ends up in the only true place it ever belonged.
Nikola Borić
Before the first therapy
Already when Birsen walked through the door, I noticed she was limping and that even slow walking was an effort for her. I wondered how she could possibly run so fast when even walking was difficult. I asked what was wrong with her right leg, and Nikola explained that she had chronic inflammation of the thigh muscles and that fluid was accumulating under the attachment of her right thigh muscle and pelvis. Birsen told me that she was chronically tired, sore, and unmotivated for training and competition.
The tightness on the right side of her body and the forward shift of her right shoulder were obvious. Both functional patterns caused structural changes that made it difficult for her to run and walk.
Condition before the first therapy, November 21, 2013, at 12:00.
First therapy, November 21 at 2:00 p.m.
With the successful release of the right latissimus and the right side of the torso and abdomen, she immediately felt a change in the tension of her right diaphragm and relief in the area that had been causing her pain for many years. She asked me if she could try the movement that had been giving her problems: sitting on the edge of the table, she slowly and carefully lowered her right foot toward the floor while controlling the descent of the knee with her hands. On her face, it was clear that she expected sharp pain, but the further she lowered her foot, the more her expression turned to joy and satisfaction. Her foot touched the ground, yet the pain was nowhere to be found. I could see she was moved to tears, and her face revealed how relaxed she felt and the great relief she was experiencing. She only said: I can’t believe this! She jumped up and hugged me tightly. Then she began jumping around, rejoicing like a little child. She said she had been waiting for this moment for ten years. When she calmed down a little and gathered herself, I taught her a few more exercises to strengthen and expand the areas in the brain that control the sensory-motor aspect of movement on the right side of the torso.
In the end, we talked about feelings while running. She said that she achieved her best results when she felt relaxed and light, and when she had a sense of ease during the run – always surprised at the good time achieved in that way. I explained to her that with the help of clinical somatics she would be able to consciously control and enhance this sense of ease and thus run optimally every time.
Condition after the first therapy at 4:00 p.m.
Second therapy, November 22 at 2:00 p.m.
What followed was tackling another major problem: an overly tense back and lumbar curve. During the exercise, she realized how excessively tight her back was, even when lying relaxed on the table, and how heavy and inefficient every one of her movements felt. After the therapy, while walking around the office, she felt her body moving more lightly, as if her shoulders had been relieved of ten kilograms, and also noticed that the movement of her pelvis and torso while walking was more intense and better connected. That evening Nikola wrote to me, saying that the difference she felt was incredible, and that after just two therapies she was already able to run without pain—something that had not been possible during the past year despite various medical and therapeutic interventions.
Condition after the second therapy at 4:00 p.m.
Third therapy, November 28 at 1:00 p.m.
What followed was a lesson for the front part of the torso. From the very beginning, it was clear that her abdomen was tight and she was unable to relax it in relation to the mobility of the body. Therefore, learning to control the abdomen and breathing was of essential importance for the success of the therapy. With the lesson, her ability to open the chest more deeply increased, and the effort required for breathing decreased. Along with the improvement, her mood also changed. She felt lighter, more optimistic, and satisfied. After the lesson, we tested stability and balance and found that they were underdeveloped, also due to the tightness of the torso. She no longer knew how to activate the back muscles that control the body’s stability. She also told me that she once again felt the desire to run, and that the aversion to running she had felt before had melted away like “snow in August.”
Condition after the third therapy at 2:30 p.m.
Fourth therapy, November 29 at 1:00 p.m.
Part of the therapy focused on the right shoulder and the left hip. A visible rotation of her body to the left was present, a consequence of running on the track, which is always counterclockwise. Due to excessive tightness in the right shoulder, she had problems with the hamstring of her left leg, which negatively affected the dynamics and efficiency of her running. At the end of the therapy, we also practiced walking backwards and using a hula hoop. I recommended both as exercises for her to do at home over the next two weeks. With conscious repetition of these exercises, she began to perceive parts of her body differently and integrate them into movement.
Fifth therapy, December 14 at 11:00 a.m.
After a longer break, we checked the direction of changes in posture and movement. She said she felt significantly better and more relaxed, and that her running was becoming increasingly controlled and perceptible. In our conversation, we reached the causes of such a tight abdomen. Most were of an emotional nature. She also realized that understanding and resolving the past is a very important part of preparation and the ability to achieve top results. She learned additional movements and exercises that serve to integrate the sense of connectedness of body movements and improve the overall sense of bodily movement. At the end, we practiced breathing, since proper movement requires the coordination of all bodily functions.
Sixth therapy, December 16 at 1:00 p.m.
The final lesson of the first series of therapies. We agreed to continue the study of somatics in April. We repeated the exercises she had learned and checked her walking pattern and posture. She repeated the lesson for the right side of the body, where she has dominant sensory-motor amnesia (SMA reflex). I also taught her how to recognize this pattern so she could deal with it as quickly as possible. For me, the greatest satisfaction was seeing her leave content and full of plans for the coming year.
Condition after the sixth therapy at 3:00 p.m.
Email that Birsen sent me on January 5, 2014:
I am doing what you taught me. Now I am very good in training. I no longer have problems with my abdomen, except after a long car ride I feel slight tension, which I quickly resolve with the somatic exercise “flower.” Sometimes during training I feel a slight pain in the quadriceps, but it disappears again when I do the exercises.
Many thanks,
Birsen Yavuz
Seventh therapy, April 16, 2014 at 3:00 p.m.
She came to the therapy with several new observations. She noticed that the pain in her right leg had completely disappeared and also realized that her left leg and right shoulder were no longer causing problems. Two years ago, she had surgery on her left knee due to cartilage wear. She realized that after the surgery she had been using her left leg significantly less than her right. With the help of somatics, however, she changed the perception of her legs and once again started using her left leg more. Accordingly, her posture also changed, and she no longer constantly returned to the trauma reflex of the right side of the torso. She did, however, notice a constant rotation to the left, which increased when running on the track, but not during regular training. Therefore, we focused mainly on awareness and correction of the adaptations of circular running movements, which were causing a constant return of pain in the left thigh and left knee and were hindering the training process. She had time for five therapies. We did a lesson for the left side of the body, especially for the left leg and left hip, where reduced mobility could be felt.
Condition after the seventh therapy at 5:00 p.m.
Eighth therapy, April 17 at 3:00 p.m.
We focused on the right side of the back and the hamstring of the left leg. Special attention was given to activating these muscles, developing sensations, and control. With improved awareness, she will be able to run more evenly and reduce the strain and wear on her left knee. She also noticed difficulty in separating the movements of the shoulder and pelvis, so we practiced differentiation of the torso, thereby improving the sense of fluid movement and increasing the efficiency of torso rotation.
Condition after the eighth therapy at 4:30 p.m.
Ninth therapy, April 18 at 11:00 a.m.
We worked on regulating the tension of the abdomen. She noticed that she was still overusing it and, accordingly, tightening it excessively. She refined her sense of tension between the back and the abdomen and the awareness of the difference when she managed to regulate it; in this way, she also increased her air intake. We paid special attention to the right shoulder, which in turn altered the movements of the left leg and the rotation of the foot.
Condition after the ninth therapy at 12:30 p.m.
Tenth therapy, April 19 at 7:00 a.m.
Among the important areas, the work with the neck and head remained. We practiced differentiation of the neck and shoulder muscles, as well as lighter movement of the shoulder girdle and head, which will further increase her running efficiency. She also learned exercises for relaxing the hamstring and the rotators of the left hip. This way she will be able to maintain the proper sense of running on her own.
Condition after the tenth therapy at 8:30 a.m.
Eleventh therapy, April 21 at 7:00 a.m.
In the final therapy, we repeated the movements she had already learned so that she could perform them at home with even greater awareness and thus achieve the maximum effect in the shortest time. We placed special emphasis on the back muscles. Thanks to the exercises, she will use her body as efficiently as possible and will know how to properly alternate between creating tension and relaxation, avoiding the use of excessive force and strain, which all too easily tends to happen.
Condition after the eleventh therapy at 9:00 a.m.
Conclusion:
Clinical somatics developed on the fact that, through evolution, humans became a self-aware, self-regulating, and self-advancing organism, capable of taking even greater control over themselves with increased self-awareness. Clinical somatics does not remain within the field of psychology but continues advancing into neuropsychological knowledge. At its core, in teaching clients, psychosomatic therapists use the insights of neuropsychology, focusing on the client’s conscious work. In this way, changes occur within them; with greater awareness of themselves, they are able to control their body more effectively. Better control leads to an even better sense of self, which in turn results in improved efficiency and coordination of bodily functions. This means less pain, better and longer functioning. For the athlete, this also translates into improved performance at their genetic maximum, while maintaining motivation and the meaning of training and competition. This is exactly what happened with Birsen in five months. A somewhat depressed and tired runner regained her joy for running at the end of her sporting career and now looks optimistically toward her athletic future. This year, she achieved the best result in Turkey in the 800 meters.