For the past five years I have been a member of an organization called RIVO. It is a network of therapists who treat refugees who were victims of torture and oppression in their home countries, and have come to seek political asylum in Canada.
One such refugee was K. He was born in Algeria and became blind at the age of 25. In 1996, he had to flee the country because of civil war and violence. He lived in the United States until 2002, but after 9/11, and the discrimination against many Muslim immigrants, the U.S. government decided to deport him back to Algeria. Upon the advice of a Canadian friend, he fled to Montreal and took refuge in a church in the southwest part of the city. He could not step outside of the church, for fear of being captured by the authorities and deported back to Algeria. He was basically confined to a bedroom not larger than five or six square meters.
I treated K. during this time, every 2 weeks for about 2 years. Initially his Ki was so heavy, with fear, depression and anxiety. He had a lot of tension in his neck, head, shoulders, back and in his legs. But he responded very well to Tao Shiatsu treatment. He began to feel lighter after each session and appreciated it so much. He was having trouble sleeping at night, but after a treatment he would sleep and rest for a long time.
After one year of treatment, his condition had changed considerably. He was more hopeful and his attitude more positive to overcome the obstacles in his life. He started working out and taking better care of himself. After two years of treatment and nearly three years of living in the Church, he was finally granted permanent resident status in Canada. He moved into his own apartment and started putting his life back together. Our final treatments took place in his new home.
Lawrence Lefcort Montreal Canada
