SHEN THERAPY

SHEN is the acronym for Specific Human Energy Nexus and was developed by American scientist Richard Pavek. A scientifically researched form of energy healing, SHEN aims to release emotions trapped in the body, leading to freedom from pain and tension.

SHEN teaches that most emotions are held in the torso, at four main sites: the heart, the solar plexus, the kath (below the navel), and the root (the perineum). The practitioner places hands in paired positions on the fully-clothed client who’s lying on the table.

The practitioner ascertains the locations of somatically held emotions and determines an appropriate physio-emotional release plan. A naturally occurring energy flows from the practitioner’s hands through the emotional centers of the client’s body in a precise way to discharge debilitating emotions.

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HOLISTIC MEDICINE

Holistic medicine recognizes that the mind, spirit, lifestyle, environment, and other aspects of a person’s existence significantly affect the functioning of the physical body. Thus, in evaluating and treating illness and prescribing preventative intervention, this approach treats the whole person, addressing more than just the symptoms or disease. Holistic practitioners may utilize a combination of conventional treatments along with alternative therapies.

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MYOPRACTIC MUSCLE THERAPY

Robert Petteway developed the Myopractic system after 30 years in the healing arts. His experience in structural integration, biomechanics, acupuncture, Oriental medicine, and a wide variety of muscle therapies contribute to the system. He worked with physicians, surgeons, and chiropractors for more than 20 years to develop this therapeutic model.

Myopractic muscle therapy combines three basic techniques: compression stretching, which achieves deep relaxation and relieves tension, spasms, and holding patterns; clearing methods, which use the myopractic covered thumb and framing techniques to clean obstructions from soft tissue (e.g., trigger points, scar tissue, muscle bundles, and old bruise); and separating techniques to release myofascial adhesions, separate fascial planes, and rebalance muscles.

Myopractic muscle therapy integrates its own unique style of energetic work, Swedish, sports, trigger point, myofascial, and even structural integration techniques into one easy-to-learn system.

Myopractic teaches user-friendly, pain-free therapy for both client and practitioner. This is accomplished using the therapist’s body weight and leverage, rather than relying on size and strength. Myopractic posture balancing evaluation identifies the source of chronic pain misalignments in the body’s structure and realigns them.

Myopractic treatments focus especially on misalignments in the lower body, particularly in the feet, ankles, and the hips. Addressing lower-body misalignments often relieves tension injuries in the upper body. Myopractic espouses a therapist can clear their clients only to the degree they themselves are clear. Therefore the seminars focus on clearing the therapist, as well as learning new techniques.

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POLARITY THERAPY

Polarity therapy is based on universal principles of energy - attraction, repulsion, and neutrality. The interrelation of these principles forms the basis for every aspect of life, including our experience of health, wellness, and disease. With this understanding, polarity therapy addresses the interdependence of body, mind, and spirit, the importance of relationships, and the value of creating a way of life in harmony with nature. Founded by Austrian-born naturopath Dr. Randolph Stone in the mid-1920s, polarity therapy is a clothes-on, noninvasive system complementing existing systems with an integrated, holistic model.

Polarity is based on the belief that positive and negative poles exist in every cell. The body is gently manipulated to balance the positive and negative energies. In addition to physical manipulation, blockages and toxins are eliminated through a cleansing diet and simple exercises. Treatments are suggested in a series of four. Training to become a practitioner is 430 hours.

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AI CHI (FLOWING AQUATIC ENERGY)

Ai chi is a water exercise and relaxation program, created by Jun Konno, to help aquatic practitioners and students enjoy the water in a flowing, yet powerful progression.

Ai chi, created by combining t’ai chi concepts with shiatsu and Watsu techniques, is performed standing in shoulder-depth water using a combination of deep breathing and slow, broad movements of the arms, legs, and torso. The ai chi progression moves from simple breathing to upper extremity movement to movement of the trunk, and finally to lower extremity movement.

Ai chi promotes relaxation, stability, and coordinated breathing. It improves flexibility, mobility, and strength, and it will animate the mind as well as the body.

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SOFT TISSUE RELEASE

Soft tissue release (STR) is a powerful injury treatment technique developed in Europe with the world’s fastest sprinters. Due to the amazing amounts of prize money and endorsement contracts available to these athletes, faster and more permanent results were warranted.

Soft tissue release was developed to meet this need. Recovery rates once considered impossible by traditional therapists and sports medicine doctors were achieved. These are not new concepts, but are based on European osteopathy techniques, along with insights from quantum physics. In recent years, Soft tissue release has been given clinical application for chronic low back pain and whiplash injuries.

Soft tissue release deals directly with the reasons for soft tissue dysfunctions and subsequent referred pain and nerve entrapment. In acute conditions, Soft tissue release affects the insidious way scar tissue is formed, and in chronic conditions Soft tissue release breaks up the fibrotic and adhered mass of scar tissue to quickly allow the muscle to return to its natural resting length. Once the muscle or muscle group has returned to the original resting length, there is an immediate release from the pain induced by the inflammation response.

With Soft tissue release, the client is placed in a particular position so that the muscle begins to stretch in a very specific direction or plane. The exact location of the injury has been defined and a determined pressure is applied directly into the affected tissue or along a specific line of injury. At the same time, depending whether passive or active techniques are being used, the client is given a set of instructions that now engage the antagonist of the muscles involved. The muscle is extended from a fixed position in a determined direction under a pinpoint of pressure. Decrease in pain and increase in range of motion are often immediate, offsetting any minor discomfort experienced.

Soft tissue release can be modified so there is no client discomfort at all. The flowing motions of Soft tissue release and total client control afford new levels of deep tissue work and subsequent pain relief.

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NEURO-STRUCTURAL BODYWORK

Neuro-Structural Bodywork (NSB) is a somatic therapy which combines a variety of techniques, including fascial release, neuromuscular re-education, craniosacral adjustment, and breathwork in balancing the musculoskeletal, nervous, and chakra systems.

Neuro-Structural Bodywork techniques restore sensory perception and motor control, and allow for new neurological impulses that support postural balance and free range of motion, ultimately enhancing one’s poise, balance, and sense of well-being. NSB is effective in treating both acute injuries and chronic conditions including strained muscles, upper/lower back and disc problems, frozen shoulder, joint injuries, fibromyalgia, migraines, TMJ, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Neuro-Structural Bodywork helps create a more receptive environment for a variety of other modalities (especially chiropractic and physical therapy), improving results from exercise, and supporting the body in sustaining skeletal adjustments. It also provides a possible alternative to more invasive treatments (including surgery) in cases where the underlying cause of the problem is fascial restriction and/or loss of sensory perception and motor control. Developed by Nancy DeLucrezia, Neuro-Structural Bodywork can also be used to stimulate and support emotional release and as an adjunct to psychological integration therapies.

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RAINDROP TECHNIQUE

Originated by D. Gary Young, raindrop technique is a noninvasive tool for helping to correct defects in the curvature of the spine caused by viruses and bacteria that lie dormant there. Antimicrobial essential oils are used to reduce inflammation by killing the viral agents, thus bringing the body into structural and electrical alignment.

The oils (primarily thyme, oregano, birch, cypress, peppermint, and basil) are dispensed like little drops of rain from a height of about six inches above the back and massaged along the vertebrae. The oils used in this 45-minute treatment continue to work for the next five to seven days.

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NEUROMUSCULAR REPROGRAMMING

This therapy utilizes a form of positive kinesthetic conversation with the body to imprint new learnings on the motor control center of the brain, and replace damaged imprints created through trauma, injury, or repetitive strain.

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REBALANCING

Loosely based on a conglomerate of modalities, rebalancing combines energy balancing, joint release, deep-tissue massage, and dialogue to relieve pain and induce emotional healing and relaxation.

Developed in the 1970s by a group of practitioners of various backgrounds including Rolfing, the Trager Approach, pulsation, psychotherapy, and craniosacral therapy, the theory was to combine the best attributes of several existing modalities with introspective analysis into a 10-session series of treatments.

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MYOFASCIAL TRIGGER POINT THERAPY

Based on the discoveries of Drs. Janet Travell and David Simons in which they found the causal relationship between chronic pain and its source, myofascial trigger point therapy is used to relieve muscular pain and dysfunction through applied pressure to trigger points of referred pain and through stretching exercises.

These points are defined as localized areas in which the muscle and connective tissue are highly sensitive to pain when compressed. Pressure on these points can send referred pain to other specific parts of the body.

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HELLERWORK

Movement education and deep-tissue bodywork are the major components of Hellerwork, named for founder Joseph Heller.

Emphasizing vertical realignment of the body and release of chronic stress and tension, Hellerwork involves 11 sessions: in each session, one hour is devoted to bodywork and 30 minutes to movement therapy.

Additionally, the therapist uses verbal dialogue to explore emotional factors that may be contributing to tension in the client's physical make-up. As a preventative technique, the goal of Hellerwork is to produce permanent, corrective change in alignment and movement.

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REFLEXOLOGY

Based on an ancient Chinese therapy, reflexology involves manipulation of specific reflex areas in the foot, hands, and ears that correspond to other parts of the body.

Sometimes referred to as zone therapy, this bodywork involves application of pressure to these reflex zones to stimulate body organs and relieve areas of congestion.

Similar to acupressure principles, reflexology works with the body’s energy flow to stimulate self-healing and maintain balance in physical function. Developed in the United States in the early 1900s, this technique is used today to reduce pain, increase relaxation, and stimulate circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids. It is especially useful in stress-related illness and emotional disorders.

Reflexology is also convenient in cases where an area of the body is traumatized or diseased to the extent that direct manipulation is not appropriate.

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ACU-YOGA

Acu-Yoga is a system of exercises integrating the knowledge of two holistic methods of health maintenance - acupressure and yoga. Both relax muscular tension and balance the vital life forces of the body.

Yoga does this through controlling the breath while holding the body in certain postures. Acupressure does this by directly manipulating body energy through a system of points and meridians.

Each Acu-Yoga posture naturally presses and stretches certain nerves, muscles, and acupressure points, awakening the meridians and releasing the tension in the points so that energy (chi) can circulate freely. This energy is the source of all life, and its flow is the key to radiant health. The process balances the body and stimulates it to heal itself.

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HYDROTHERAPY

Although ancient Greece and Rome had both adopted the beliefs that water had healing properties, it was the Romans to first integrate hydrotherapy into their social life, building temples and baths near natural springs. Father Sebastian Kneipp from Worshofen, Bavaria, however, was the true father of modern-day hydrotherapy in Germany.

Various hydrotherapy massage techniques exist and are generally utilized by massage/bodywork practitioners, physical therapists, physicians, and spa technicians. These include underwater massage, herbal baths, thalassotherapy, Kneipp therapy, vichy treatments, scotch hoses, and Swiss showers.

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JAMU MASSAGE

Jamu massage is a Balinese-inspired technique based on Indian, Chinese, and European techniques involving acupressure, rolling motions, long strokes, and percussion-like drumming. Beginning slowly and building to a staccato pace, Jamu massage is designed to energize and increase blood circulation.

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INFANT MASSAGE INSTRUCTION

Qualified instructors teach parents how to properly massage their infants. Infant massage is also utilized in hospital neonatal care units. This specialized form of touch is successful, not only in the critical weight gain of premature infants, but also in creating a strong bond between parent and infant and exposing a young child to the benefits and pleasures of touch.

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CHAIR MASSAGE

Also called on-site and seated massage, chair massage includes techniques that provide fully-clothed seated massage, bodywork and somatic therapies to clients, generally in a corporate or business setting. Practitioners utilize shiatsu, amma and/or Swedish techniques.

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COLON HYDROTHERAPY

A gentle infusion of warm water through the colon is intended to cleanse trapped impurities, preventing the recycling of toxins into the blood stream.

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QIGONG

This traditional Chinese treatment combines hands-on and hands-off techniques that balance the flow of qi (energy) through the body, move and relieve qi blockages, and improve circulation.

Qigong is also a combination of timed breathing and gentle flowing movement, meditation, visualization, and conscious intent all working together to achieve an integrated adjustment of mind and body in order to better cultivate, circulate, and balance qi, or life force.

Qigong theory is the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is used to treat many serious illnesses, as well as for relaxation. See Qigong Meridian Therapy.

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SHIATSU

Developed in Japan, shiatsu is a finger-pressure technique utilizing the traditional acupuncture points of Oriental healing.

Similar to acupressure, shiatsu concentrates on unblocking the flow of life energy and restoring balance in the meridians and organs in order to promote self-healing. With the client reclining, the practitioner applies pressure with the finger, thumb, palm, elbow, or knee to specific zones on the skin located along the energy meridians.

The treatment brings about a sense of relaxation while stimulating blood and lymphatic flow. The benefits of this treatment may include pain relief and a strengthening of the body’s resistance to disease and disorder.

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