Field NOtes Blog
Posts from Michael McMahon
Field Notes is the place where our clinical interests meet genuine curiosity about how bodies work, heal, and change.
The Vagal System in the Wild
We have had a bit of vagal system extravaganza at MMI lately. I have been inspired by some dissection stuff during my class with Gil Hedley to re-look at vagal system anatomy. Dissection is messy business, and while we saw the vagus in the wild, as Gil likes to say, it was difficult to get the impressions of it that I wanted.
What Inspires you?
Our job isn't easy. And the holidays can make everything more intense, highs and lows. This week I have already seen multiple folks in more acute states of struggle than usual. It can sometimes be a challenge to fully show up for our people and make sure we are tending to our own sweet selves. Don't worry, this wont be a treatise on self-care. Rather, I'm thinking about "inspo!" Sometimes inspiration just happens and that's rad but unpredictable and we might need it more frequently than that. I believe we can cultivate that feeling of inspiration in lots of ways.
Exploring Possibilities with Gil Hedley
On a Monday afternoon in early November, the self-taught fascial explorer (somanuat) and seminarian of the body, Gil Hedley, gave a stunning four-and-a half hour talk. His talk centered around the question – “What is my body?”. The talk plumbed at depths that the question doesn’t immediately reveal.