Bodywork Systems Based on Energy
Many systems of bodywork are based on various
"energy" models. For example, the eastern body therapies are
based on the concept of vital life energy, or qi
(also referred to as chi),
and although their concepts are not well understood in the West,
modern research has documented their effectiveness.
Acupuncture and acupressure work on the
principle that there are energy channels, called meridians, which
run throughout the body and through which the qi flows.
Different organs are associated with different energy meridians, and
health problems in various organs show up as energy blocks in the
meridians they are associated with.
Western energy therapies (such as polarity
therapy), with their aim toward manipulating and balancing the
client's energy flow through touch, often unite a variety of
approaches gleaned from different cultures and traditions.
Therapeutic Touch is a modern
energy-curing system widely used in American medical
facilities and hospitals. It is based on the supposition that it is the
healing force of the therapist that affects the patient's recovery
and cure.
Acupressure and Easten Bodywork Therapies
Over five thousand years ago, the Chinese
discovered that when certain points on the body are pressed,
punctured, or heated, certain sicknesses are relieved. The beneficial
effects are achieved by the release of energy blocks in the
meridians. As the art developed, more and more points were
discovered that not only lessened pain, but influenced the
functioning of internal organs and body systems.
Whereas acupuncture uses needles, acupressure
uses the pressure of the fingers and hands. Acupressure is the older
of the two techniques, but was ignored as the Chinese developed
more "technological" methods for stimulating points,
namely with needles and electricity. Still, acupressure continues to
be an effective self-care and preventative health care treatment for
tension-related sicknesses.
Acupressure considers symptoms as an expression
of the condition of the whole person, and focuses on relieving pain
and discomfort. It is also concerned with responding to tensions and
toxicities in the body before they develop into illnesses.
Self-acupressure techniques such as Acu-Yoga and
Do-In use the same points but teach effective methods for
administering to oneself. Acu-Yoga uses the whole body for
breathing, finger pressure, yogic postures, meditations, and
stretches. Do-In also includes body awareness, stretching,
and breathing, but focuses on vigorous techniques that stimulate the
body through the points and meridians.
Acupressure massage techniques and practices (referred
to as Tui Na in China and Amma in Japan) use rubbing,
kneading, percussion, and vibration to improve circulation and to
stimulate stale blood and lymph from tissues.
Styles of Eastern Bodywork:
Eastern bodywork has developed originally through a combination of instinct
and hands-on experience. Its principles and curing techniques
integrate breathing meditations, herbal remedies, and massage.
Modern practitioners continue to unite these traditional
principles along with the discovery of new treatment protocols and
bodywork styles.
While traditional points are common to all
styles of Eastern bodywork, each style has distinctive
characteristics that incorporate unique ways of touching and
interacting with clients. The following descriptions focus on the
primary styles or methods currently in practice.
Shiatsu literally means "finger pressure" in Japanese. This well-known method uses a firm sequence of
rhythmic pressure held on specific points for three to ten seconds
and is designed to awaken the acupuncture meridians. Director of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley,
California, Michael Reed
Gach, Ph.D., recalls a highly athletic patient, who often
complained of pain in his back and leg muscles. He had found no
relief with massage therapy, but shiatsu produced excellent
results on his back and legs, the deep pressure releasing the
stiffness and improving the muscle tone and circulation.
Jin Shin Jyutsu was developed in Japan by Jiro
Murai, who rediscovered the ancient qi
flow in his own body and mapped a powerful system of curing
points. Combinations of points are held with the fingertips for a
minute or more, usually with the client lying on his back.
Various schools of the Jin Shin style have developed,
including Jin Shin Do and Jin Shin acupressure.
All of these systems can positively regulate
and harmonize the body, and can be used to relieve pain and
muscular discomfort, correct imbalances, and prevent illness.
Relieving Headaches
The following acupressure points are helpful
for relieving most headaches. The point numbers are for identification
and referencing in the acupressure and acupuncture professions.
Firmly press GB20: With your thumbs, press
underneath the base of your skull into the hollow areas on either side,
two to three inches apart depending on head size. With your eyes
closed, slowly tilt your head back, and press firmly up from
underneath the skull for one to two minutes as you take long, deep
breaths.
Hold GV16 with B2: Use the right thumb to press
GV16 in the center hollow at the base of the skull. Use your left
thumb and index finger to press B2 in the upper hollows of your eye
sockets near the bridge of your nose. Again, tilt your head back and
breathe deeply for one to two minutes.
Firmly press LI4: Place your right hand over
the top of your left hand. Use your right thumb to press the webbing
between the thumb and the index finger of your left hand. Angle the
pressure toward the bone that connects with the index finger. Hold for
one minute. Then press this point for one minute on your opposite hand.
A note of caution: This point (known as ho-ku) is forbidden for
pregnant women because its stimulation can cause premature
contractions in the uterus.
Therapeutic Touch
Therapeutic Touch was developed by Dolores Krieger, Ph.D., R.N.,
Professor Emeritus at New York University, and Dora Kunz, a healer. It
is a modern interpretation of many curing
practices, such as visualization, laying on of hands, and aura therapy.
From its development in 1972, Therapeutic Touch has been taught in
more than eighty American colleges and in sixty-eight countries.
Commonly, in Therapeutic Touch there is a
no
physical contact between patient and practitioner. Sometimes,
hands-on touching is employed when treating a fracture or other
traumatically injured part of the body. A typical session
usually lasts for twenty to twenty-five minutes and begins with
the practitioner centering or quieting him- or herself. Then takes
place brief
assessment period, where the practitioner places his hands two to six inches away from the patient and, with
rhythmic and slow-hand motions, determines where the blockages in the
patient's energy field lie. The practitioner then works to replenish
the energy flow where necessary, release any congestion, and remove
obstructions. The patient, who is in a relaxed comfortable state, can
undergo a range of experiences, from a discharge of previously
suppressed emotions to a quiet, gentle sense of well-being.
Therapeutic Touch is very effective in treating a variety of
medical conditions. Dr. Krieger says, Therapeutic Touch is a modern interpretation of several ancient
curing
practices in which the practitioners consciously direct or sensitively
modulate human energies. The proper use of Therapeutic
Touch can decrease anxiety, reduce pain, and ease problems associated
with autonomic
nervous system dysfunction. This technique has been
taught to more than 37,000 nurses, doctors, and health practitioners.
In clinical studies, Therapeutic Touch has been
shown to have physiological effects. For example, it has changed enzyme
activity, increased hemoglobin
levels, and accelerated the curing of wounds. Nevertheless, the technique
is primarily known for its ability to relieve pain and reduce stress
and anxiety. Patients receiving Therapeutic
Touch experienced a significant reduction of headache pain. Further
evidence supports the use of this technique to calm crying babies,
ease asthmatic breathing, reduce pain in postoperative patients, and
reduce fever and inflammation.
Therapeutic Touch has been used with pregnant
women in connection with reducing anxiety and discomfort. It is now
commonly practiced and taught in Lamaze classes. Many people continue
to use this curing technique with their infants and children, and it
can be applied to one's own body to reduce pain and stress, or to cure
injuries or increase relaxation.
Polarity Therapy
Randolph Stone,
D.C., D.O., N.D., was deeply interested in the electromagnetic
energy currents of the human body. He explored the world's curing systems for an understanding of their underlying essence,
and developed polarity therapy. He
based his work on the Eastern concept that illness originates from
blockages in energy flow.
Polarity hands-on techniques include manipulation
of pressure points and joints, massage, breathing techniques,
hydrotherapy, exercise, reflexology, and even simply holding pressure
points on the body. Both hands are used (one is positive, the other
negative) to release energy blockages in the body and help to restore
a natural flow. Polarity bodywork is both invigorating and
rejuvenating, and can result in positive changes on the physical,
mental, and emotional levels.
The stretches and other exercises used in polarity
therapy are simple techniques that anyone can employ to release energy
blockages and restore a balanced energy flow in the body. These
techniques, combined with dietary and nutritional counseling based
upon Traditional Chinese Medicine's five element theory, as well as
the emotional balancing work that is also part of polarity therapy,
help clients achieve a heightened level of well-being.
The benefits of polarity therapy can include
a heighten sense of well-being, improvement in physical health,
increased energy, and a deeper understanding of oneself. It is useful
for all conditions, from excellent health to extreme disease, and Dr.
Stone himself specialized in cases that others pronounced as hopeless.
Polarity therapy is taught by individuals and at
various schools worldwide. In 1984 the American Polarity Therapy
Association was formed to assist in networking, research, and
maintaining quality of practice, and has certified 130 practitioners.
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