November 2011
1 post
All the Kings Horses and all the Kings Men
Well, its show time here on Planet Earth! do we remain under the influence of the banksters who somehow got the evil gene, or do we mov forward with one for all and all for one. Its odd isn’t it that we are the only species that have to pay to be on the planet. It wasn’t always that way for all the tribes. someone invented central banking and decided they have the fingerer on the...
September 2011
1 post
The End As We Know It!
Wow…a 9 month hiatus from blogging as I watch everything around me spin downwards. The banksters have been at work and their devious undertakings have chipped furiously away at both my teaching and my practice. Thank goodness for my home study DVD courses. Up until 2008 I was humming along both with a good practice schedule and 5 or 6 cranial sacral classes and the occasional Rolfing class...
December 2010
4 posts
Its More Than What You Think: The Energetics of...
In the last post I talked about the latices of highly organized repeating systems of collagen tissue that vibrate with great gusto when the frequency is high enough and emit large coherent energy fields. And as the tissue becomes more organized and coherent when the tissue is worked, and becomes more coherent (in my cased Rolfed) the practitioner’s system is more easily coupled with the...
Energy Work and Coherence: Don't Be Fooled By What...
You will very often hear these days about different forms of energy work in the bodywork field. When one conjures up that image it is naturally associated with very light pressure, or no pressure at all. Naturally, if a therapist talks about a discipline where there is from time to time enough pressure elicited to cause a wince or two…we have automatically left the realm of energy work and...
The Logical Mind, Running Guard Role In Healing
In the vast scope of practice in which every manual therapy is lumped under the massage therapy genre, it is interesting to note how the logical mind often times gets in the way of healing. Its prevalent these days to hear the axiom, “Where your mind goes, your body follows.” Or, “so as you think shall it be.” Essentially, the wisdom that has been passed down over the ages, is the importance of...
Has Mandatory Continuing Education Helped The...
About 20 years ago there was a movement to create”legitimacy” in the massage industry due to the public misconception that anyone who practiced the ancient health technique of massage was undoubtedly, engaged in prostitution. There are some men in our society even today, that associate loving, healing touch with sexual activity. So, it is my belief that large organizations popped up in the...
November 2010
5 posts
Creating A Better Session By Igniting Your...
Regardless of what form of healing that you practice, we aim for enhancing function and health in our clients. Every discipline that is lumped into the wellness industry has a set point that tells them their job has been accomplished. Hopefully what we have accomplished at some level has effected the entire human being and not just the “problem” that was presented to us when the client walked...
Hip Replacements Continued
Hip Replacements Continued
Now let’s turn to the ligaments of the hip joint as the wind around the neck of the femur resembling a twisted towel. The ligaments unwind as we flex the joint and tighten as we extend. Back bends are limited by these powerful muscles. And in full extension the ligaments also inhibit lateral rotation which subsequently keeps the hip joint from popping out. Although...
Why So Many Hip Replacements
I have been asked recently in a massage continuing education class if I have many clients who have had hip replacements. I answered I have a few clients in my practice who have had the surgery. Some the older approach where the muscles are cut, and the newest approach that have been performed at John Hopkins where they are not cutting the muscles and the recovery times and range of motion are...
Don't Overlook The Soft Tissue's Impact on...
Sometimes I think the generally public has been duped into the viewpoint that the bony framework is no more than the home for. The spine is the central theme, so to speak. Well, in my massage continuing education classes, Structural Integration classes to be specific, I plant the seed of the non-Newtonian concept where tissue/muscle is omnidirectional, extremely mobile and flexibly hinged....
Viewing The Body As A Tensegrity Model
I taught a massage continuing education class recently, and in my explanation of how Rolfing and Structural Integration worked, I harkened back to my education in the late 80’s at the Rolf Institute. We were taught the concept of Buckminster Fuller’s tensegrity model to explain our vision of Dr. Rolf’s approach to massage therapy. R Buckminster fuller was an architect who developed the concept of...
October 2010
7 posts
How Rolfing Works, Or So We Think
I was teaching a structural integration course in the beautiful hills of Tennessee a couple of months ago in a very well run school as part of their massage continuing education program. And a very insightful student asked how does Rolfing work? “Well, Rolfing attempts to change the structure and improve function”, was my short answer. “No”, she said, “how does it actually work”, meaning...
The Evolution of Energy work in Massage Therapy
Dr. Rolf the founder of Structural Integration and Dr. William Garner Sutherland the founder of cranial sacral therapy both were bucking the tide with their inquiry into energy of electricity and magnetism. It was just not fashionable in the early 1900. Any experiences of practitioners of their era or today for that matter, who espoused the rhetoric of energy medicine, were considered quacks,...
The Tensegrity Model of Bodywork
There was a time in the not too distant past, where many people looked down with distain on those of us who believed in the ancient thought concerning energy fields around and produced by the human body. As a Rolfer and Craniosacral therapist t I think it is increasingly more important to be aware of the energy that circulates in and through our bodies. In fact, I believe that the more a therapist...
The Continuing Saga of Massage Continuing...
The Continuing Saga of Massage Continuing Education
I know it may begin sounding like a rant, but I really want to do something about the current mindset of those who are looking for massage continuing education credits/units. I recently went to teach a two day course in Cranial sacral therapy at a massage school and realized that this might be my last class in this format. Its like trying to...
Stuck In The Quicksand Of Inaction
Stuck In the Quicksand of Inaction
I recently got a call from a former student who was flustered about his National Certification status. He was now a very qualified practitioner of cranial sacral therapy having thoroughly covered the fundamentals in my seven seminars which consisted of 30 hour each of massage continuing education courses over a two year period. And then this student went on...
Massage Continuing Education DVD
You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone, for the times they are a changing. I grew up with that Dylan song in the 60’s. And Bobby apparently was right on. The economic challenge that many are experiencing, has hit every aspect of our massage industry, and it may be here for a while. I have moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to weather the storm, as the demographics for massage...
August 2010
17 posts
Massage Continuing Education: Golfer's Back Pain...
Has anyone asked you how your Quadratus Lumborum was doing lately? Probably not. I doubt your bodyworker/massage therapist ever mentioned it in passing. Well, here is some information you should know. It arises by aponeurotic fibers from the iliolumbar ligament and the adjacent portion of the iliac crest for about 5 cm., and is inserted into the lower border of the last 12th rib for about half its...
Massage Education
So what exactly is massage education? I began teaching in the industry in 1993 at the Utah College of Massage Therapy. The classroom size was anywhere from 24 to 48 people, and the instructors were highly qualified. The students got a great basic education and if they decided to stick around for an additional 300 hours or 400 hours, they left with a pretty darn good massage education. I was the...
What Is Deep Tissue Therapy?
What is deep tissue massage therapy? We could sit around smoking cigars and brandy and talk on that subject for a long time if you like cigars and brandy. Doesn’t sound like a very healthy discipline, but it’s one that I enjoy on a rare occasion. The notion of what you think deep tissue therapy ais depends on your viewpoint. Some think it is a painful application of tools to alleviate painful...
The Dilemma of Continuing Education Credits For...
I’ve been practicing manual medicine for about 22 years. The concept has been successfully lumped under the umbrella of massage therapy. I began teaching the work after four years of practice in massage schools across United States. Eight years after beginning my practice, I began teaching privately for continuing education credits. I was trained at the Rolf Institute in Boulder Colorado. And...
Challenges of the Lower Leg
There are a lot of syndromes that are brought to the office that have to do with the feet and the pelvis. Many clients come to visit with painful conditions of the feet and lower legs. Our intention is to create a base of support for the pelvis from below. I have done thousands of sessions on plantar fasciitis and other problems of the lower leg and feet. When treating this, we want to get as...
Rolfing/Structural Integration: The first look...
Only do a minor amount of neck work in this initial session. We just worked the trapezius and the SCM while the client turns her head slowly to the opposite direction. We then do a pelvic lift, and back work while our clients are sitting on a bench.
Remember that chronic pain frequently occurs at an outer layer, so our first work with our client can have a huge impact on their pain. Think...
Rolfing/Structural Integration: The first look
Okay, our client comes in to our office for the first time and you have a look at them. You look at the blocks from the feet to the knees, from the knees to the waist from the waist to the shoulders, shoulders to the top of the head. Which one of those blogs looks most out of alignment? Our intention for this session is to create a uniform outer surface, by freeing the superficial fascia. So...
Dr. Rolf. "What is Structural Integration": Part 3
She believed our job was to build an emotional bridge between our clients and ourselves. This emotional bridge is our greatest protection. All doctors and therapists work on people, but we work with and in people. That’s what separates us from the rest of the physical therapy genre. Dr. Rolf told us to let our bodies have a two-way conversation with our clients body. If a person has a...
Dr. Rolf. "What is Structural Integration": Part 2
Bones have a tendency to get more spherical as we get older. A round body is not as healthy as one that is elliptical. The floor of the pelvis is the key to physical vitality. One reason we as a discipline do better in many ways and other techniques is that we create the understanding of the complex confusion at the rami and seemed to be the only ones intrepid enough to do something about...
Dr. Ida Rolf: "What is Structural Integration"?
What is Structural Integration? There are lots of different opinions out there about what it is; let’s talk about a few ideas that Dr. Rolf left for us to meditate upon. She said that knowledge of anatomy is a primary way of conveying what we see and do, so others may learn. Whole mastery of anatomy does not allow you to see, you learn to see the body first then go to the anatomy book. The basic...
Distillation Part 2
Without minerals water becomes acidic. Even the EPA says that distilled water can be dangerous to use in the long run, because it is essentially mineral free, which then begins to leech the necessary minerals to keep blood acid levels within the normal range, from the bone. Remember water is on of our planets great solvents. The jury is pretty much back and seated around the issue of an alkaline...
Why I Don't Support Distilled Water Usage
There is quite a bit of controversy out there about what kind of water to drink these days should it be from the tap, should it be distilled, should it be reverse osmosis, or and ionizer machine. Let’s talk today just about distilled water. In the 1970s there were a number of health practitioners, whose good name I will not tarnish, because they brought a great deal of valuable information to...
Water Filtration:Fluoride 2
Let’s look at a few statistics. Fluoride has been around for about 50 years as an additive to the United States water supply which you may be surprised to learn. Why have they done this? Well, as we said before, in order to protect its citizens from dental decay “authorities” made the decision as great benefactors for their society, to add one of worst toxins the world has ever known...
Water filtration:Fluoride
In one of my previous articles I mentioned how passionate I am about water filtration. We are made up of over 70% water and its the most vital substance for our health and well-being on this Water Planet. Yet, so few of my patients are educated on the value of good clean water. Its an aspect of their health that is often taken for granted, yet they often understand the need to hydrate and may...
Plantar Fasciitis-continued
So, what has caused this inflammation to begin with? Is it an over use injury? Well, yes, one could say that but who cares what caused the painful injury. I have seen it in flat as well as high arches. But, it does seem more prevalent in the less flexible higher arch anatomy. It really doesn’t matter what caused it, because I have seen plantar fasciitis in every walk of life (pun intended). So...
Plantar Fasciitis
PLANTAR FASCIITIS
I have been privileged to journey on the healer’s path for over two decades. And I have been blessed by the Spirit to have made this journey without the benefit of third party insurance, although some of the Doctors I know might argue that fact. There are usually only a handful of painful conditions that are brought to all of us who are lumped in the huge genre of massage...
Water: You Either Use A Good Filter, Or You Are...
Have you ever heard the adage, ” You either use a great water filter, or you are one. Anyone that isn’t using a filter should have their head examined by a competent psychiatrist! The information on the web, and in printed materials is overwhelming clear. Our most vital element, that makes up the majority of our Planet, which was once drinkable right from the source, is now so laden...
July 2010
3 posts
Equine craniosacral therapy: Head shaking
I was out in Chesapeake the other day working on a gorgeous thoroughbred horse, a grandson of Secretariat, who had the unmistakable look of Nasrullah in his eye. He was well over 17 hands and put together nicely. He nearly walked over 3’6” fences I was told. But, he was being plagued by a condition known as Head Shaking, which some have said is Trigeminal Neuralgia.
Headshaking...
Craniosacral Therapy's "Direction of Tide"...
There is a magical technique in craniosacral therapy that I use from time to time to create change in conditions that are brought to my massage table. It is called a “direction of tide” and its purpose to to open inertial fulcrums and to dissipate energy that is stuck. In alternative forms of therapy there are many “techniques” that create inherent changes. This form of intention works beautifully...
April 2010
5 posts
Carpal Tunnel or Repetitive Stress Injury
Carpal Tunnel and repetitive stress, talk about a bread and butter issue for massage therapists. Hey we live in the era of keyboards and tools of many trades doing the same thing over and over again until the pain disallows us to hold anything and we are at a loss of where to go for help. Voila, enter the master of the brachial plexus. I have heard that the carpal tunnel surgery is successful 50%...
The Psoas, Quadratus Lumborum and Back Pain
I once read and article by an “expert” in the massage field that stated that the quadratus lumborum was responsible for a whopping 65% of all back pain. It certainly has some merit, and releasing the QL can bring pain relieve…occasionally. But, I had to laugh when I heard that his statistic on back pain! Knowing my industry pretty well, I imagined white smock coats and clip...
The Stillpoint
In the cranial sacral system there is a ‘technique” know as the stillpoint, and is very different then the stillness that happens after the holistic shift. In the mechanical model of cranial sacral therapy, the practitioner asserts the need for the stillpoint based on an assumption. In the functional model of craniosacral therapy the therapist asked in a much more gentle, and...
The Practice of Stillness
I know its a bold statement, but I believe all true art springs forth from Stillness, the field which Rumi spoke of when he said, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there.” It is the field where motion is held in swirls of stillness, like the eddy of a raging spring river. It is from this place, which all modalities of healing work, emerges from. It...
Equine Bodywork and Massage
For those of you avid horsemen and horsewomen who enjoy massage and other types of bodywork to keep you tuned up mentally and physically, I imagine you might understand my viewpoints around bodywork for our equine partners. I had the good fortune to have the critters in my backyard for a good portion of my journey on this water planet. The sounds of their munching to my ears was worth the price...
March 2010
10 posts
The Wholistic Shift
There are lots of craniosacral therapists out there poking around blissfully following a protocol that somehow perfectly lasts about 60 minutes and all the bones and membranes are tidied up to perfection! That all done without any sense of the infamous Wholistic Shift, where in the Biodynamic model, all the meaningful works begins. Hmm, how about that? The nice thing about a protocol, is that it...
The Practitioner's Mind Part 2
So, did you ask yourself what it would be like if you didn’t have to know any answers? This thought process is shift in a paradigm of thinking that has been established for may centuries in our culture. A deep hold on our minds, a cultural quicksand. It is not an easy journey shifting the paradigm. Our minds were formed in a specific pattern of thinking from a very early age. You are...
The Practitioner's Mind
My students have asked me many times why I love cranial sacral therapy, sometimes spelled craniosacral therapy? And my answer is always, “its who you have to become, in order to be able to hold sacred space”. It’s the classic, healer heal thyself. I’ll share this with you, once you have felt the Presence of the Long Tide, your life will be forever changed! Oh yes, many of...
Getting a Big Belly? Might Be Your Sleep Patterns
Getting Fat? Sleep More!
Recently, there have been a few scientific studies that demonstrate that folks who are under 40, and who sleep five hours or less a night will grow more abdominal fat than the rest of us and begin to resemble “Fat Bastard” in the movie the “Spy who Shagged Me”. But, if you need more than 8, or you are just lazy, you will also grow fatter, but not...
Caloric Restriction Looking Good and Living Long?
Ok let’s see, there is the Scarsdale, Paleolithic, Zone, South Beach, Low-Fat Vegetarian, Vegan and probably many other diet approaches, but my Omega 3 starved brain cells just can’t remember their names! Most of these heralded ways of munching down the goodies work for a while then fail, unless yor narcissism is well developed and you want to hang around on this planet because you believe the...
Urinary Tract Infections
Here is an interesting statistic, one out of three women will contract a urinary tract infection by the time they reach their mid-twenties. Believe it or not, its the most commonly treated infection. Ready for this, it accounts for nearly 7 million office visits a year and once a woman has had one infection, she has about a a one in five chance of getting another one. Of course the typical...
Careful with the use of Antidepressants
I have often said, if you took away all the legal and illegal drugs from members of this society, America would go insane, literally! Here is a statistic that should freak you out, especially if you are using anti-depressants. 230 million prescriptions are written for those powerful little pills every year! One in 20 Americans are depressed. Whoa, now that is a bit scary! The statistic my friends...