Architect and inventor Buckminster Fuller coined the term tensegrity (or tensional integrity) to describe a principle for designing light-weight integrated structures that use materials that are strong in both compression and tension.

This forms a strong structure that is flexible and adaptable by allowing tension to be communicated evenly throughout by a balanced combination of compressive and tensional elements.

A tent, with its poles and sheets of fabric, form a real structure with real structural integrity.

Tensegrity represents the preferred structural system in biological nature as well. When looking at the physical body the bones act as the tent poles and the fascia, ligaments and tendons are the fabric or tensional elements.

Tensegrity helps us experience compressive and tensional elements of stress as positive and unifying forces.

There is a healthy tension that holds us together and this is a good thing! It allows us to be supple, pliable, light and bouyent.

But it depends upon healthy associations with stress and tension.

The problem is, the fascia and connective tissue that hold us together, also happen to be where we store subconscious and unconscious emotions, thoughts, memories and beliefs from unresolved trauma.

We literally start to where the costuming of our psychological pain within the physical body.

This then distorts the healthy compressive and tesnional elements that hold us together.

Instead of being held together with healthy tension in a manner that supports resilience, flexibility and vitality we are then held together in survival mode and fear.

Living in chronic bracing makes us tense, hard and brittle.

And these maladaptations to stress trigger the alarm signals in the brain that create, maintain and amplify chronic pain and illness.

It may feel like we are falling apart, losing it or breaking altogether.

Fortunately, just as we have put on a costume of survival and fear we can also learn how to take it off.

We can teach the body to metabolize and process the subconscious and unconscious emotions, thoughts, memories and beliefs from unresolved trauma that are stored in the connective tissue and fascia.

This helps to turn off the alarm signals in the brain so we can unlearn pain altogether.

Then, instead of being held together in survival mode and fear we are held together in safety, trust and connection.

When we are no longer wearing the costuming of fear or survival we reclaim a sense of wholeness and come to understand that we are not our pain.

Instead of harboring the pain of the past we can learn to live in the fullness of the present.

Instead of carrying the posture of victimization we can live in a posture of power, freedom and aliveness.

The function of healing is to transform our relationship to stress.

The thing is stress is not the enemy here.

How we perceive and relate to stress is what either makes us or breaks us.

And the same holds true for our pain.

How we perceie and relate to pain is what makes us or breaks us.

When we are living in survival mode we will eventually break as we are perceiveing everything (including our pain) as a threat and through the lens of fear.

Yet when we are no longer living in survival mode the brain is no longer sounding the alarm that fuels pain.

So less fear and less survival equates to less pain.

This happens when we see stress as a positive force.

Stress can help us grow in resilience.

It can help us become more adaptable and flexible.

Stress can be a useful and healthy binding force of cohesion just like a suspension bridge.