Break the Matrix

Hey y'all. A few weeks ago I posted a bit about my issues I had with NCR (both self-administered and with my chiro) in the "Questions/Problems and Answers" sticky thread. I'll try and do a short re-cap. [edit: lol]

NCR seemed like a miracle treatment to me at first because I was so, so locked/twisted up. I had/have pectus excavatum, scoliosis, and shoddy orthodontic work that I never wanted in the first place. I had a history of abuse. When I began treatment with my chiro I was making a looooottt of money (for a 20-something year old recent grad without any responsibilities or debt) and so going in once a month at a slightly discounted rate did not seem crazy to me because I felt so much happier and more focused, less anxious. I believe I had my first treatment at the very end of 2011 and continued to progress and feel better until January 2012. That was approximately 12-14 sessions.

By this time my life had changed a lot. Money was low and I came across this site and experimented with self NCR. Got the balloons at Walgreens and all of them seemed far stretchier than what my guy was using. I did not get the powerful force (and cracking) I did in the office and attributed it to the balloon difference after a few days of failed attempts and noting the difference in sensation.

Had allotted money for a negative outcome and so I went back to my chiro and had another session. Felt so much better and decided that going forward self-NCR was not for me. However, I started to have issues about two sessions later (April and then worse in May). I felt a strong outward-pushing sensation on my nosebridge while having balloons inflated and it felt very, very different from the treatment I had before and very off. Usually I feel great following a session but I had trouble sleeping and my head felt constantly tight and stressed/stretched. While sleeping my jaw pushed outward to try and compensate for the stretched nose(bridge). Essentially it felt like he was blowing my head up at whatever random direction instead of at a targeted point, and I felt and looked a little strange during this time.

This is getting long. Sorry.

I decided that instead of giving money I didn't really have to this guy who would NOT listen to me and completely blew me off when I was terrified and made it clear that something was wrong I would experiment with other types of bodywork that I had researched. Over the next six months I did a rolfing series and got my atlas adjusted. Both of these were very powerful and restored my skull/face to a relaxed and mostly symmetric state.

But for most maintaining near-perfect equilibrium is impossible without maintaining continual recalibration. Three months after any bodywork my chiro (who was calling a lot by this point) left a message and I decided to call him back to express my concerns again and because a part of me wanted the balance and symmetry that I felt in those early days of NCR.

He admitted that he began using a different type/brand of balloon around the time I came in for my final two sessions when I had issues. After I stopped coming back other clients expressed similar concerns. Eventually he tried the balloons himself and realized that they were so stretchy that they expanded in any direction instead of back into the upper throat cavity where the sphenoid is affected. He assured me that he had better balloons in now and apologized for not listening to me.

Now I am a contractor and had just gotten paid for a chunk of work so I came in, hoping that it would be as effective as it was before. It was...not the same...but also not scary like last time. My cheekbones are definitely huge now and symmetry improved initially (starting to regress a bit now at the 2 week mark) but I have noticed that my jaw is clenched at night again and that my tongue thrust is way more noticeable and painful. I believe that NCR is a valid treatment if one is an expert in the nuances of it but also that complementary treatments are essential and overtreatment may be a real concern. At this point it seems that NCR and the rolfing and atlas treatment made more symmetry in my face but that I literally DO NOT HAVE THE SPACE in my jaw (from braces/small palate w big teeth) to go further and so instead my face is pushing forward in a triangular way, feeling pressure around my "third eye"/nose bridge/front teeth vs. my face widening and coming together all at once. Because of this I am having some trouble breathing through my nose and my head tilts forward a lot, causing my sacrum to move back and my knees to lock. This went away with rolfing. But I was greedy and wanted the whole package/perfection.

I have a few prospects for jobs with great insurance and going forward I think I am going to stick with rolfing/massage/pilates and look into palate expansion via the DNA Appliance or homeoblock should I get one of these jobs. Overall NCR has mostly been great (and has helped me get into touch with my body in an unreal way) but as someone who has had many treatments I believe there is a point one reaches where it ceases to be helpful. Maybe if I have my palate expanded it would become more effective again in the future. But I just would like to convey, as someone who has been experimenting with this for awhile, that you need to listen to your body/self and that more is not always better. I wish there were better ways to standardize the process but from my own experience it can be quite random and fickle.