I had RSI before it was even officially recognized. During my studies in 1992, I spent several months working in an archive, sliding papers into hanging folders all day long. I still remember how a muscle or tendon under my shoulder blade started to itch and twitch, and how my “sliding” arm would go numb faster each day. It was the dawn of the computer age, and by the time I graduated in 1993/94, I had spent a year and a half behind my first — monochrome — monitor. I earned my degree with RSI in my shoulders, arms, and hands.
After that, I dove into the wonderful but hectic world of freelancing, which — 13 years later — I still enjoy immensely. I produce films, which means long days behind a computer and lots of mental work. Like in all creative professions, there are always too few resources for too many ambitions: stress, hard work, takeout food, irregular hours, heavy responsibilities, no weekends… it’s all perfectly normal to me. So yes, the RSI never really went away.
Over time, the balance between work and relaxation has become skewed, and I’m now actively trying to restore it. That’s been quite confronting. I used to be very athletic, and now I have to accept that my physical condition has seriously declined. Everything feels locked up, and I’m constantly tired. I don’t believe RSI or a stiff back exist in isolation — I think I need to take a hard look at my overall lifestyle. To put it simply: I’m a workaholic. I see Shiatsu therapy as a way to reconnect with my body. I didn’t ask Louis to treat my RSI directly, but rather to focus on blockages and energy flow. Strangely enough, his massages always have a strong effect on my hands and arms, which consistently lock up; sometimes my upper arm is so stiff I literally can’t move it. Turns out that’s the area most in need of attention. (After the massage, they work again.)
The massage also has other effects. It brings deep relaxation, and it feels like your blood starts flowing better. You can literally feel knots being released and stiffness melting away. It also becomes clear where the problem areas are — something I find helpful to be reminded of regularly.
A great example of Shiatsu’s immediate effect happened about a month ago on set. The lead actor had just become a father and hadn’t slept much in weeks because of his newborn. Normally full of energy, he was literally falling asleep between takes. I asked Louis to come by and give him a boost. During lunch, the actor received a short chair massage. To everyone’s surprise — including his own — he worked until late that evening without any trace of fatigue. It had completely vanished. He was already familiar with Shiatsu, but said he’d never experienced anything like that before. Several crew members immediately asked me for Louis’s phone number. Whether they’d all just become fathers, I don’t know — but clearly, more people were in need of an energy boost.
For me, Shiatsu is a long-term therapy. After years of yoga and various forms of physiotherapy, I’ve concluded that I need something stronger to get out of my head, learn to relax, regain energy, and reconnect with my body. There are several aspects of Shiatsu that really resonate with me. First, it looks at the body itself and explores what can be improved. Shiatsu taps into something I haven’t found in other therapies. I find it an intelligent discipline, because it manages to treat something as intangible as “energy.” It affects your entire system — not just that stiff RSI hand. After a massage, you go home thinking, “This is how I want to feel all the time,” and you become more aware of what disrupts that feeling. The RSI then naturally starts to fade.
The second aspect I appreciate is Shiatsu’s holistic approach, where the body is seen as a whole, not just a collection of isolated complaints. As I said, I don’t believe RSI or fatigue exist on their own — they’re part of a bigger picture. Shiatsu focuses on the connections within that whole. So I’m not surprised when my lower back hurts while Louis massages my left calf, or when my upper arms lock up as he works on my shoulders. I’m just glad I’ve finally found a therapy that understands those connections.
What I also appreciate about Louis himself is his down-to-earth approach to Shiatsu — he treats it like a science, applied intuitively. Unblocking energy pathways is as concrete to him as massaging a stiff neck. There’s no mysticism involved. Even though I sometimes reach deep states of relaxation, we usually chat during the massage — about the latest theatre productions or his vacation in Greece. It shows how grounded he is in his practice. And that tells me he really gets it.