BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE
A Personal Experience with Chris Korfist and RPR
By Glenn Buechlein
It has been approximately a year and a half since I was introduced to the philosophy and practice of Be-Activated. As I continue to delve deeper into self-help modalities I realize that as one door is opened several others appear. It is as if I am exploring a mansion with a never ending expanse of rooms and each room represents an entirely fresh and exciting start and opportunity. I discover a new room and decorate it as I see fit and then I move on, but always realizing that I can return. Truly, “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
“There is always more.” These words stated by Doug Heel, the originator of Be-Activated, have consistently echoed through my head. Many individuals live in a box. They harbor thoughts and actions that are unchanging and stagnant as if stuck in a perpetual revolving door. Rather than embarking on a journey of new discovery they stand like statues firm and steadfast. Not only do they stick with their stale beliefs and approaches they also make it a life’s goal to discredit anything that does not jive with their personal dogma. They remind me of a turtle that lives in an aquarium at the high school where I work. The turtle is much too big for the glass enclosure he calls home, but that is his whole universe. He neither knows nor experiences anything more.
This is major Tom to ground control, I’m stepping through the door
And I’m floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today
After completing levels one and two of Be-Activated, I decided to accompany an old friend to Columbus, Ohio to attend a level-two course of RPR, Reflexive Performance Reset, hosted by JL Holdsworth and Chris Korfist. I am, by nature, inquisitive and knowledge-seeking, but I must admit I assumed that much of what I was to learn would be redundant because of my earlier experience with Be-Activated. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the amount of original things I learned throughout the day. First and foremost was the knowledge of how to effectively incorporate RPR into a team or group setting. There was an emphasis on self-activation and teaching athletes and others to manage their own health and well being. Be-Activated is generally more practitioner-based whereas RPR is more client-based.
I was lucky to meet and speak to Chris Korfist throughout the day at Columbus and he graciously made an effort to reset or work on some of my problem areas, namely my shoulders. Chris joked as the day went along that I reminded him of Evil Knievel with my vast assortment of injuries and compensations. I really liked the approach Chris took both while whole group instructing as well as working one on one. Chris has many attributes that enable him to be highly effective at what he does. First and foremost he is an excellent listener and observer. Too often, individuals become sages on stages spewing what they know without ever garnering any feedback from the people they are trying to teach. The whole goal of instructing is for a certain level of understanding to exist before moving on. If this is never checked then how does one know what is being learned? He is incredibly knowledgeable but knows how to deliver information in a clear and concise manner that is audience appropriate. He also has the ability to sprinkle in bits of information that spark interest and keep the listener engaged. Lastly, he is humble and sincere. I left Columbus with newfound applicable knowledge as well as a gatekeeper and guide who could lead me to new doors. I stayed in contact with Chris as the year progressed.
Perhaps once a month I would e-mail Chris with certain questions and he would never fail to respond with sparse, but quality information. I repeatedly put the bug in Chris’s ear that when the school year ended I would like to visit him in Burr Ridge to both pick his brain and be activated/reset. Finally, we agreed on the date of June 12. My partner in crime, Rodney Crawford, would also be making the five-hour trip with me. Rodney had never met Chris but I assured him that Chris was the real deal and I personally believed he was the best of the best primarily because Chris does not come from a medical background. I read Chris as someone that was clearly outside the box… hell he was nowhere in the vicinity of anything close to a box. Chris generously agreed to put aside three hours of his time. This opportunity was more like a drawbridge opening than a door.
Rodney and I headed out at 4 AM not fully aware what to expect. We were headed to parts unknown. I Googled Burr Ridge and discovered that it was a rather affluent suburb south of Chicago that was a retirement community of sorts for old rockers such as the lead singer of Survivor as well as the former lead singer of Styx. The trip northward was uneventful other than my co-pilot routinely failing to inform me of required exits. I also blew by or through two toll booths, but later dutifully paid my fees upon receiving notification and photographic proof that it was indeed my Chevy Cruze with me at the wheel.
We arrived at Chris’s house and we were unsure if anyone was home. We eventually did see that someone was peering through a window. We got out of the car and started walking toward the house when Chris emerged barefoot walking through the garage. We were greeted with a welcoming smile and a friendly handshake. We were invited downstairs where Chris maintains a gym and training facility. Right away we felt at home. After we settled-in Chris simply asked Rodney and I to talk about ourselves and why we had made the trip. What were we seeking? I went first and shared my goals for the day including what my priority was regarding my physical needs and I also wanted hands on instruction on visual field resets. Chris started by saying to me that he was sorry, but my movement problem was only going to take ten minutes to alleviate. What? Chris shared that he observed me through the window when we arrived and watched me as I got out of the car and began walking toward his residence. This is all it took.
My main issue was actually my left lumbar area. I did have major back surgery when I was a senior in college and occasionally the beast rears its ugly head. However, in this case it had more to do with too much Mr. Clean over Memorial Day Weekend. I decided to wash the front of my house and was so pleased by the sparkling results that I could not contain myself. I went hog wild and was busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. Hours later my lumbar on the left was jacked up. This issue tends to arise if I do anything overhead such as reaching up and scrubbing pillars and such. My shoulders do not exactly function properly so I compensate. This is why I am a poster child for activation and resets. The following is what Chris did to reset and help mend me.
♦ Checked my feet-dorsiflexion
♦ Light sternal rub-also upper ribs-Tiger claw
♦ Turn onto stomach-worked on diaphragm-“what’s in the front is in the back.”
♦ Checked psoas- 3 points-high-medium-low-leg in 3 different positions.
♦ Glute check
♦ Glute medius check
♦ Put gloves on-mouth-Holy shit this hurt!!! Rodney said I cried.
♦ Clavicle area
♦ Trap points
♦ Shoulder-sawing
♦ 1st rib-5 second count
♦ Biceps
♦ Top secret level III stuff with my calf and glute medius and cranial points.
My time was done. My discomfort was gone. My feeling was that I was light and almost floating. I have not had a problem with this area since. I learned a lot during this brief moment in time. A new door opened.
I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW THE RAIN IS GONE
I CAN SEE ALL OBSTACLES IN MY WAY
Next the welcome mat was placed at Rodney’s feet. Would he be fully committed? I was not truly convinced he would choose to accept the invite and cross the threshold. I thought to myself peek inside… you just might like it. To give you a brief background, Rodney endured a terrible accident while he attended college. He fell off a balcony at the age of 18 and was not lucky enough to land like a cat. Rodney’s face actually absorbed the brunt of the impact. He has now dealt with this incident for three decades. Rodney actually accompanied me at the Be-Activated conference the year prior. I distinctly recall summoning Doug Heel to our table when we were learning activations for the neck. I was aware of Rodney’s past injuries and I did not want to awaken old wounds and memories. Doug was not so reluctant and he soon had Rodney in his grasp. Rodney whimpered a bit but the end result was spectacular. Sure, there was a protrusion similar to a rhino’s horn sticking out one side of his neck, but Rodney could not believe how he felt and how much his ROM improved. In the months after the conference Rodney and I would occasionally activate each other. Rodney still harbored an extreme sensitivity to touch, very ticklish, especially near his arm pits. It was clear by his actions that Rodney went into defense mode when I went anywhere near his upper torso or neck. Rodney was still protecting this part of his body and it was off limits.
Chris had Rodney tell his story. The next thing I knew Rodney was writhing around on the table in an effort to avoid and or block Chris’s attempts to work on his upper torso. Rodney later stated that he must have looked like a fish flopping around on a dock. Rodney was giggling like a little kid being tickled by Grandpa. This went on for a minute or so and then there was a marked change in Rodney’s countenance and overall demeanor. He appeared to be angry or frustrated and the giggling stopped. Chris said that he was in fight or flight mode. Chris suddenly popped up and said hold on for a second. He retrieved something from a shelf in the back of his gym. Chris handed the item to Rodney and asked him to put them on. Rodney looked perplexed but complied. It turns out the mystery item was a pair of sunglasses with violet tinted lenses. Let’s just say the result was immediate and profound. Rodney was calm and relaxed. More importantly he was not resistant to touch in the areas his body was asking for the most help. Violet is associated with the Central Meridian and tends to help with sensory overload. This is a whole nother door though…
Chris did the following activations/resets for Rodney.
♦ Hit trap points
♦ SCM
♦ Pushed/stretched pecs with downward motion
♦ Worked on lats- pulled on them as well.
♦ Worked armpit upper rib area-Tiger claw
♦ Generally just activated/reset the upper torso and neck.
The above does not appear to be much; however keep in mind that Rodney has been in defensive mode for three decades and was clearly compensating. It was a huge breakthrough that Chris was able to perform what he did.
And I know that look that’s on your face
There’s somethin’ lucky about this place
There’s somethin’ good coming
For you and me
Somethin’ good coming
There has to be
Here is where it gets interesting or dare I say freaky. Rodney sat up still with the glasses on. I immediately noticed that there appeared to be snakes crawling under Rodney’s shirt. His upper torso primarily the pectorals were undulating. Rodney appeared to be oblivious to all the rippling and stared ahead with a baby deer in headlights look. He then began to shiver and shake uncontrollably like someone who just emerged from taking a polar plunge. I did not know what was going on. I looked at Chris and he seemed to be not the least bit worried or concerned. He simply said that this was the first time in his adult life that Rodney was actually free of defending this area of his body. Rodney looked like he was going to become emotional. Rodney later admitted that he felt good, but also a little weird. Chris suggested we go outside to do a field of vision screen and reset.
We made our way outside to Chris’s front yard. I honestly believed Rodney was going to bolt. He was acting a bit strange. I was prepared to form tackle him if necessary because we did not need to deal with a middle-aged red haired man wearing violet sunglasses running through Burr Ridge. Then again, I bet this may be commonplace in a suburb filled with retired rockers. Rodney recalled that at this point he remembers still shivering and being anxious. Chris had Rodney look left and right, up and down, far and near. Chris looked for feedback and Rodney did not disappoint. It became apparent that Rodney had a compensation or weak focal point whenever he had to use his mid to far peripheral vision. Rodney actually panicked when he could not see Chris’s finger. Rodney summed up his distress as resulting from an inability to see something that you should clearly see and not being able to. Also, the realization that he was unaware of this problem existed in the first place. Chris used the shoulder abduction test while I began to reset Rodney first by starting with the upside down Y (sternum area) and then moving to the psoas and glutes. I believe it was the psoas activation that was the key for Rodney. Afterwards Rodney was like a kid in a candy store because of his ability to look literally behind himself peripherally. Rodney continued this when we went out to eat and throughout the long drive home. Rodney repeatedly asked questions because the experience was a bitty foggy.
Hopefully this account of one of a personal RPR experience will both intrigue and prod you to try new things and knock on some new doors. Do not be apprehensive. Look through the crack and walk on in. Everyone is welcome.
Ring the bell
Proceed through the door
Reap the benefits
Keep breathing.
B
Glenn Buechlein
