Chapter 11

Phantom & Opera

“Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot

comprehend.” – Ludwig van Beethoven

S itting on her black leather driver’s seat beside the tinted windows that block the hot sun, she

turns up the car radio and listens to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Waiting for her son to come

running out the double doors of his elementary school at any moment, she cherishes the music

as it touches her deep inside. She is reminded of a time when she was young, fearless and exactly

where she knew she was meant to be. Playing the piano on stage, this ambitious musician packed in

auditoriums with people who dressed in jewels and gowns just for her concert. They came just to

hear her play. 

 Closing her eyes, she returned to that time when her fingers brushed across the keys as she felt the

music warm her inside and the echoes of each note were a reminder that “God was there.”

Shooting through her body was a sharp stinging pain that jabbed her in the side and she returned to

the present and gasped for air.  The pianist was gone.

“I was back in the shoes of this stranger that I had become,” she said.

 
Clinging to most disease like a parasite, pain is the sidekick that causes the most damage. Resulting

from symptoms which attack the body, pain is two-faced, literally. Pain is emotionally provoking

and physically taunting and can be broken down into two levels:

• Latent pain – Primary (or first) Level of Pain

• Active pain – Second Level of Pain

The intensity of each “face” of pain is what separates one from the other. Latent pain is

“dormant” but if provoked, it will emerge from under the radar.   

As defined by Dr. Groshell, “Latent pain is the pain that is present but not discernible until the

area or location is firmly palpated [pressed]. The pain at this time can be moderate to extreme.

My findings are that latent pain for those with or without fibromyalgia is only a symptom. The

main cause of the pain is an energy field blockage or decrease in energy stimulated by external and

internal triggers.”

Got all that?

Just in case, let’s whiz through this again:

• Latent or Primary Level of Pain:

 

Having learned that one of the main causes of pain in fibromyalgia syndrome and myofascial

pain syndrome is faulty foot biomechanics, this is also where the primary or latent level of pain

originates.

“Poor foot biomechanics produce a lowered energy flow from the foot’s afferent neurotransmitters

to the Central Nervous System,” Dr. Groshell stated. “Energy field meridian [energy channels

throughout the body] flow is weakened to the musculoskeletal area and energy field blockages

occur to all body systems. This can be compared to attaching a rheostat to a light bulb and turning

down the power. The multiple myofascial [muscle tissue] trigger points are not causing pain at

this level unless they are firmly palpated and, then, they can be exquisitely painful. Multiple bodily

functions are also affected by lower energy flow.”

Sola and Kuitert performed a survey of 200 fit young people serving in the American Air Force

as early as 1955.  Participating in the survey were 100 males and 100 females.  Males ranged in age

from 17-27 and females ranged in age from 18-35.  Out of the group, a total of 54 females and

45 males had myofascial trigger points that, while exquisitely tender on firm palpation, were not

causing pain. Therefore, they were considered to be in the latent phase, also referred to as Level

One. In other words, according to Dr. Groshell, “latent pain resembles a train wreck waiting to

happen.”

These latent myofascial trigger points and weakened bodily energy fields can be converted into

active, full-blown fibromyalgia and/or myofascial pain syndrome.  This sequence of events causes
further additional trauma and energy field blockages and is referred to as…remember…the

• Active or Second Level of Pain

The Second Level is the further weakening of energy fields, evoked by even more stimuli

(internal/external) such as excessive mental stress, physical stress, chemical stress and a poor

diet. In simpler terms, this is the least desirable level that we all want to avoid.  It is pain that

we feel intensely. Ignoring it is no longer a privilege granted to those on the first level. For

fibromyalgia patients, this pain can “bring you to your knees.”

Is there a way to tell when the next level is coming? Yes, there is and, below is a list that Dr.

Groshell refers to as “some of the symptoms to watch for in detecting the early stages of the

Second Level of pain in fibromyalgia.” It is in this level of pain when the condition begins to

sprout and blossom into Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors.

• Chronic fatigue

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Severe sleep disturbance

• Digestive problems – (gastric reflux, ulcers, etc…)

• Lower thyroid energy

• Restless leg syndrome – (energy field blockages)

• Frozen shoulder syndrome

 • Abdominal pain

• Intense muscle pain

• Sensitivity to cold

Dr. Groshell concludes that “by balancing these two systems [kinetic musculoskeletal and meridian

energy flow system], we can reverse the progression of fibromyalgia in patients.”

“The techniques I’ve developed cause a release of endorphins in the body,” added Dr. Groshell.

“Within the first treatment, the patient becomes extremely relaxed, sometimes euphoric. It’s pretty

dynamic.

“Acupuncturists can get you to a state of euphoria with multiple needles and an hour long

treatment. By using our types of practices on the foot, we are capable of putting you into that

euphoric state within minutes. Patients are just amazed at how good they feel.”

The music rings in her ears, growing louder until she sits down and begins to play. Brushing the keys and hearing the

echo in the room takes her to a euphoric place where her memory could never go. Her closed eyes open wide and she

realizes where she is…

She is here.