Gees! What a ride!

Part 2 – Mirimiri

Before my first mirimiri treatment, I had absolutely no idea what I was walking into. I asked a few people what mirimiri was, and every single one of them gave the same answer:

“It’s a massage.”

Well…

At that point, I couldn’t cope with being out in public, let alone allowing someone to touch me.

I was terrified.

Terrified I wasn’t enough. Terrified of how I would be received. Terrified of how my “weird” brain would react.

But I desperately needed support.

So I put my brave pants on, took a deep breath, and wobbled into my first appointment.

I felt completely out of place. I didn’t know what to do, and my body was reacting… overreacting. My heart raced, my nervous system was on high alert, and fear had a firm grip on everything I thought and did.

Despite all of that, I spilled my guts.

I cried. And cried some more.

Then something happened that completely caught me off guard.

During my very first mirimiri, I couldn’t stop coughing. My nose ran like I had some crazy virus, uncontrollable shaking, and the tears just kept flowing. It was the strangest experience. Honestly… it was soooooo freaky!

I couldn’t explain what was happening. I wasn’t sick, yet my body seemed to be releasing something that had been trapped deep inside for years. It didn’t feel physical alone—it felt spiritual. As though my body, mind and wairua had been carrying burdens for so long that, when they were finally given a safe place to let go, everything simply poured out.

Each session, weeks afterwards, my body kept expelling what felt like toxins.

I would feel completely drained, like everything had been pulled out of me from the inside out.

I left that first appointment feeling completely wiped out.

But also a little better – the sun was a bit warmer, the world didn’t feel so dark.

From that very first session, Heni made me feel safe. She explained what I might experience, reassured me that my reactions were “normal”, and gently encouraged me to listen to what my body was trying to tell me.

Over time, she has helped me see my own worth and strength again. She has walked beside me as I have slowly found the courage to keep moving forward, even on the days when it felt impossible.

With every follow-up appointment, little improvements are being made, and for those I am eternally grateful.

Now, I genuinely look forward to my appointments. My body relaxes immediately, hoping in the table….

It’s difficult to describe, but my body feels stronger. More connected. I have a deeper appreciation for who I am, what I still have, and the strength I’ve discovered while living with the ongoing challenges of a brain injury and everything that comes with it.

I feel more self-aware.

More grounded.

More connected to myself than I have in years.

What continues to amaze me is how Heni finds the places I didn’t even know were hurting. Not just the physical aches, but the wounds that have been buried for years—the grief, the pain, the sadness my body had quietly been carrying.

People told me mirimiri was “a massage.”

Now I know that, for me, it is so much more.

It is release.

It is understanding.

It is connection.

It is healing.

It is remembering who I am.

It is reconnecting my body, mind and wairua (spirit).

And I’m learning to stand strong again with a little more mana (Pride).