Presence Matters

May 5, 2012

Dr. Mark Hyman is definitely on a roll about what he calls “diabesity” and he has some of the best information out there about the trends in eating that are slowly killing us as a culture. Yesterday’s eNewsletter was chock full of good information, and the one that caught my eye was the one on the hidden costs of eating processed, manufactured food vs. eating fresh, organic, minimally-processed foods. Here is the link to the article - it is not long, but quite thought provoking. While you are there, if you have the time, read the article on childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes. It is important to know what the facts are because the advertising industry is not putting it out straight.

April 27, 2012

I continue to be amazed at how life offers me multiple opportunities in any given day to experience love and connection and beauty, and then lack and want and feelings of being less than someone else.

As I look back over this week I am struck by the breadth of experience I have had in just the last seven days. As I do all the things that keep me healthy (walking, eating good food, being in right relationship) there are still pockets of beauty (aren’t the pink azaleas so exquisite right now?) and pockets of lack (why can I not organize my office better?)

Sometimes I can recognize that it truly is all a choice, moment to moment, in how we perceive the world. And whether or not if feels safe. And whether or not we stop to take pleasure and enjoy our lives and our relationships. So take a moment this weekend - if you choose – to slow down and appreciate something in your world. Drink it in and appreciate what you have. And, enjoy!

April 21, 2012

Angela Stevens is my guest blogger today – speaking about her experiences here at Beyond the Dura.

“I feel so jazzed by the whole conference this year – there is an exciting new vitality coming from the breadth of the vision that is unfolding for CranioSacral therapy. As it moves forward, there is such deeper understanding of the magic of what we do as CST therapists, as well the concrete grounding of the specificity of information. There is an immediacy that is palpable in the ‘calls to action’ we have heard from every corner of our profession here at the conference. There is an excitement in the air. It as though we are reaching a critical mass – and are about the ride a surge of energy into the future of CST. There has also been such a deep honoring of Dr. John’s vision that has been spoken about again and again, by speaker after speaker. I feel tremendous gratitude to have the opportunity to be here now.”

April 18, 2012

I am so excited to be rolling out this brand new workshop Ethics in Action as a pre-conference event before the Beyond the Dura conference. This day was the brainchild of many people in my close circles who have been asking me for years to create a course where they could get ethics CEUs and have the time spent be interesting and healing. SO, after brainstorming with all my instructors (thank you all!), Amelia Mitchell (thank you Amelia!) and I sat down late last spring, and put this fabulous day together. And, it is being born tomorrow! It will take place at the Upledger Institute, so come on down and join us – I understand there are about 5 spaces left. Click on this link for all the information and get registered today!

April 17, 2012

On my travel day to Florida for the upcoming Beyond the Dura conference, I leave you all with a fabulous TED.com talk by Lissa Rankin, MD.(thank you once again, Gene Miller for bringing this to my attention!)  Lissa is so articulate about the very thing Healing From the Core and Full Body Presence is all about – she even uses the term “healing from the core” and “healing to the core” in her talk. It is a 20 minutes well spent, so take the time and let me know what you think!

April 14, 2012

My colleague Tamara Blossic just sent me another great TED.com talk by one of my favorite anatomy authors, Alexander Tsiaris. I was able to see an exhibit of his early work at Walter Reed a number of years ago and it was tremendously helpful in my understanding of our inner workings (as in physical anatomy: organs, fluid systems, bones and how interconnected they all are.) In this TED.com talk he has done a magnificent job of uncovering – in living technicolor – how life itself starts in the womb and then miraculously unfolds from there. It is only 10 minutes long and beautiful to see.

One of the things that strikes me – as I watch scientists like Tsiaris unfold the inner workings of life itself in exquisite book illustrations and video footage – is that it corroborates the magic I can feel under my hands as someone’s healing process is happening. What we could only imagine before now, is being confirmed by some of the most left-brained of methodologies that science can offer.

When I release a restriction in someone’s mid-section and their neck pain and/or their lower back pain dissolves, it feels like magic to them. When their endocrine function starts to rebalance itself and they feel more energized, they are doubly amazed. What we know about this, as CranioSacral therapists, is that the inner workings of the body are all intimately connected and that when you successfully release one part of the body, all the other systems respond in kind. And, when we release impediments to the body’s own self-healing mechanisms, then the cellular intelligence seems to kick back into gear, allowing all kinds of “magic” to occur “spontaneously.” And, science is now bearing us out on this. This miraculous unfolding of life and our capacity for healing and regeneration continues to leave me in awe. So, take a little break and catch this video – and, enjoy!

April 11, 2012

As I get ready to close my eyes after a busy, productive day, I recognize how I have learned to listen to the ebb and flow of my energy across a day, then across a week, then across a season, then across a year…

It is an interesting dance to listen honestly to when I am truly jazzed, like today with my daughter here for a visit, and when I need rest and quiet and nothing on the calendar at all. I have learned to honor these ebbs and flows across the years, rather than judging myself as not strong enough, or too energetic at times. Now I just do my best to notice and follow the energy – and sometimes this is easy and sometimes I have to really be gentle with myself. How about you?

April 6, 2012

Some more thoughts on expanded states of awareness as it applies to what I teach.

In Healing From the Core we learn to turn our attention inward in a neutral, loving manner in order to meet ourselves in every cell of who we are. From there we connect to the Universal Source of life (otherwise known in HFC lingo as an unconditional healthy resource) and fill the container of who we are with nourishing, nurturing sensation. Thus, metaphorically getting into the river of life and being drenched and filled up and connected all at the same time – which is to say, in the present moment. From that point we can hold the parts of ourselves that are still feeling contracted or scared or isolated from the rest of us. We are meeting ourselves where we are – holding these places within, from a place of love, with no expectations or agenda, until they can gently come back into connection. There is no time frame for this process.

There is a lot more on this in Full Body Presence: Learning to Listen to Your Body’s Wisdom - check it out!

April 5, 2012

After Deepak Chopra’s talk yesterday I began to reflect on the ways in which I already work with the expanded states of awareness he was speaking about. When people come in to see me with pain – emotionally, physically or spiritually – they are exhibiting a contracted state of awareness. We all do this whenever we get anxious, resentful, irritated, angry, afraid, feeling powerless, unable to speak, fragile, etc. just to name a few. Most of us rotate in and out of our favorite ones all day long. And for all we know, all night long as well. Physical illness also can cause a contracted state of awareness.

Chopra’s point, which I agree with completely, is that we cannot solve the problem of whatever is causing our contracted state, from that contracted state. We cannot see clearly or imagine a solution that would work when we are feeling so small and powerless. In HFC lingo, our perceptual lens is just too narrow to see clearly what is actually happening and thus be able to make a new or wiser decision.

The solutions for our problems, show up when we have allowed ourselves to move into an expanded state of awareness. So how do we do this?

One of the things I do in my CST practice is to work together with my clients to create an expanded state of awareness using the body – fluids, membranes, bones and soft tissue – opening techniques of CST which then facilitates and encourages an expanded state of awareness. The dialogue we do facilitates the client in letting go of old resentments, fears, expectations and other emotionally contracted events which also takes them into an expanded state of awareness. The cool thing about all of this is that whether I have talked and dialogued throughout the whole session, or remained silent as the cellular intelligence of the body does what it knows best, the client inevitably leaves feeling more connected, more open and in whatever expanded state of awareness they can reach that day.

And when I ask how soon they want to return, it is an easy answer because they are in an expanded state and can access what is best for them in the future from that place. I observed different examples of this as I worked today – feeling grateful to get to share this with the world.

March 12, 2012

Last Saturday was our quarterly CranioSacral-SER Study Group day-long gathering. It was a rich, valuable day of sharing, learning and growing. I would like to share some of the bits of wisdom that came out of it for those of you who were not there.

We spoke about migraine headaches and the deeper dialogue through our hands and out-loud that can facilitate the healing process when all else has failed (and sometimes failed for years!)

Then we discussed about all the ways that dialogue with the body can happen – and how to learn to trust whatever way you, as a therapist, dialogue most effectively. We talked about how it is sometimes more of a casual conversation than a formal process.

In the demonstration after lunch, we dialogued with the immune system, the meridians and organs, and released a twenty year old energy cyst that held the grief of a loss that she did not even know she was still carrying. It was a fabulous session that amazed and energized us all.

One subject we talked about a lot was the immune system, and here is a link to the book “How The Immune System Works”. This book is a prerequisite for the new and improved CST: Immune Response workshop coming soon! In fact, I will be teaching the CST: Immune System class August 9-12, 2012 here in Reston if anyone is wanting more information click the link above.

Our lunchtime topic of Lyme Disease was fascinating for all of us…here is a link to the documentary “Under Your Skin”: http://www.underourskin.com/ - Thank you Eduardo for all your information and wisdom on that topic!

Here in the Washington, D.C. area we are blessed to have not one, but two doctors who are Lyme specialists:
Dr. Jemsek’s Lyme Specialty clinic website:http://www.jemsekspecialty.com/ and
Dr. Fishman’s website: http://www.fishmanallergyandasthma.com/

Then there was a huge discussion about trauma and illness and Randy shared a book he read that has just come out about the role of childhood trauma and disease, “Scared Sick.” Click the title for the link to more information about it.

These study groups always cover a whole variety of topics, from the more technical details of our anatomy to what makes our hearts ache and how to facilitate the healing process for it all! I love leading these days quarterly, so if you are a CST student who has successfully completed SER I you are eligible to join us – and please do! The next date is June 9th and here is the link to more information about how to get registered.

And, last but not least….for an evening of FABULOUS comedy, there is an upcoming one-night-only show for only $6, and here is the link to buy tickets to come see Ann Randolph at Arena Stage on March 27^th. This TRULY is a show not to miss: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/226972

And…thank you Bobbi Wade and Eduardo Cortina for your teaching assistant time and energy. The other big gratitude for the day is to Cynthia Schell for facilitating the whole study group process – fielding calls, getting the word out and generally making it happen!