How Can You Help Someone to Heal? Reach out and lend a hand. by KATE MACKINNON MANY OF US KNOW that we have a part of us that knows everything that is happening in our body and in addition knows the solutions to any problems or difficulties we are having. This can be described as our inner wisdom, our inner knowing or as John Upledger, the founder of Craniosacral Therapy (CST), described as our Inner Physician. When I am working with somebody and I ask the question “Do you think that you have a part of you that knows exactly what you need?” I often get the answer: “Yes I do, but I am not sure I know how to access it.” Getting in touch with this innate ability to heal is a central premise of CST, and I devote a whole chapter to this in my book From My Hands and Heart: Achieving Health and Balance with Craniosacral Therapy. Many times once the therapist’s hands are what we call blended and melded with the tissue (in other words, the hands are connected with the least amount of intrusion to the body), the inner wisdom of the body guides what is needed. My job as a therapist is to follow the direction of where the tissue wants to move with just the right amount of presence and pressure. The more skilled and practiced the therapist’s hands are, the more they can listen with their hands and support and follow very delicate and nuanced changes within the tissue. There are other times when it is appropriate and helpful to dialogue or talk with the inner wisdom more directly. This can be initiated by the client who spontaneously recalls an incident that happened in that particular area of the body we are working on. For example, I was working on Jim’s right hip and he remembered being told that he had to wear a hip brace as a baby because of having a “clicky hip.” This memory popped up seemingly out of nowhere. His wife of 30 years did not even know about the brace. As he talked about this memory, there was softening of muscles and surrounding tissue through the hip with heat. Therefore energy was released and then there was a lengthening of the leg as if the bone was less compressed within the socket. Other times, craniosacral therapists will talk directly to the inner wisdom that can take many forms or shapes, such as guides, angels, or animals. There are endless possibilities. Once a client is able to envision their inner wisdom, they can use this same approach to connect to a specific part of their body, such as their heart, and find out what it knows about a specific issue or how it’s being affected. Once clients make contact with their inner wisdom, in whatever form it takes, I ask for permission to speak to it. If this is granted, I then ask that my clients allow it to speak without censoring or editing what it has to say. When we’ve reached this agreement, I begin asking questions about what is going on for my clients; then their intuitive self really directs the session from this point on. The other great benefit to working in this way is that there can be an image that clearly comes to a client’s mind as they explore their inner wisdom. Oftentimes I ask a client to picture a place where they feel comfortable, supported and safe before entering into a dialogue about an issue. I had a client who pictured herself in her grandmother’s garden surrounded by flowers and from this place she was able to check in with herself to see if there was anything that needed taking care of. After working with that imagery a number of times in her CST sessions, she now conducts a daily check-in at home after she gets home from work. I hope that this inspires you to not only explore more about CST but also to trust and follow your inner wisdom in your everyday life. I send love from my hands and heart to yours. Kate Mackinnon PT, supports people in creating comfort and ease in their bodies. A Physical Therapist for more than twenty years, Kate has found CranioSacral therapy to be the key to her patients’ speedy, complete, and long-lasting recoveries, while also making the other treatments and techniques they receive more effective.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 04:53:21 +0000
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