This brand new section was created because I would like to begin to share different happenings and observations with everyone regarding my therapies, treatments and the wonderful results they bring. I will also share various published articles that I have written.

I hope you enjoy this section and I welcome your feedback.

I've had the privilege of treating my youngest client to date, to a healing session of Craniosacral Therapy. Her mother Shelly Frank had to undergo an emergency C-section after Ophelia was two weeks overdue. The water broke early Saturday morning but the baby was stuck with her hips towards the birth canal, unable to turn around to make that timely journey through the birth canal. When I came to see the baby at Women's College Hospital, she was just one day old and quietly nursing in her mother's arms. When I took baby Ophelia into my arms she almost instantly responded to the gentle motion of the dural rock as it opened up the energy along the spine and removed tiny "knots" in the dural membrane. It's just amazing to see the relief Ophelia felt as she kept yawning, stretching and pumping her legs. She must have smiled about ten times.

Some gentle direction of energy helped clear the mucous settled in her upper chest and she let out a noticeable sigh. She brought her tiny arms up above her head to let go of the tightness, and I thought, my God, she knows what to do! When I handed baby back to Mom, Shelly could see the difference in the way the baby was holding herself. Her shoulders had been up around her ears and now they were relaxed. I also noticed the lower back had let go of its distress at being in one position for so long.

There is such a magic about holding a newborn. Someone told me that for the first three weeks a baby is in "Samahdi" which is the sanskrit word for Divine state of bliss". All I can say is that it is very contagious and that all of us in the hospital room were lovingly affected by this small bundle of spirit. I walked on air for the rest of the week. Thank you Shelly and Steven for allowing me to give your child the therapeutic benefits of releasing birth trauma and giving the baby a peaceful and expanded body with which to start her journey! That's my daughter Amy looking on while I gently facilitate the thoracic outlet.

1. Getting the Message of Safe
If you could put the chemicals of love and safety into a petrie dish containing a disease or disturbance, it would be transformative. This is exactly what happens when the flow of the craniosacral rhythm brings us into a loving and peaceful state. We are then able to let go fully of the defensive or overwhelmed state our bodies experience, especially after traumatic events such as loss, divorce or accidents. The brain is a double-edged sword. In times of stress it can release chemicals that put us into defense. It
triggers hormones that squirt out adrenaline, cortisol and histamine, all detrimental to our bodies. But the brain can also be taught to release chemicals that give us messages of safety and love.

We all contain natural opiates that calm us and remind us to "lighten up and take a second look. They give us messages that say, "You can exhale now. It's over. YOU ARE SAFE." Our brain can both hold us captive and set us free. It was Andrew Talylor Still, the founder of Osteopathic medicine who a hundred years ago said, "The body makes its own medicine. We now know that we have a storehouse of therapeutic biochemicals that are free to the user, need no prescription and have no side-effects.

Diminished Energy; Diminished Life
When a person comes to me for a craniosacral treatment I always honour what the body has to tell me by what I feel with my hands. A tight neck or tight shoulders indicate a body that is guarded and prepared for attack. A tight pelvis may also indicate an unresolved internal fear because our tailbo
ne will seize up like an animal as part of a flight-fight response. When abody has experienced a physical or emotional impact, it is no different from a single-celled animal that curls up into a small ball when in danger. We contract with fear and often we do not realize that our bodies have become more and more compromised. The energy available to us has diminished and we are not even breathing fully.

2. Waiting To Exhale:
When I feel congested areas or areas that are in pain, I am determining the pattern of armouring that the body has as a way of walling off a fear, event or trauma. Getting the message to the body-mind that an old experience is over and there is no longer a need for struggle or defense is very important in the process of healing old wounds. What the brain is waiting to receive when it remembers and retraces a shock, is the vital message that the body is loved and is safe. It can then let down its defense and literally give up the struggle that has continued to go on. This internal war can be seen outwardl
y as pain, obsessive compulsive behaviour, addiction, depression and auto-immune diseases.

Still Point Technique
One of the techniques I use is called "Still Point". Placing my hands on the head, feet or hips, I follow the ebb and flow of the Craniosacral motion until it comes to a stop. Here the body and mind sink into a deep state of peace and surrender. This state can be compared with a scuba diver who avoids the current at the surface of the water by descending to the bottom where there is a calm and a stillness. During still point any muscle tension seems to melt away. Here is where somatic dysfunctions may self-correct.

I believe that when the body is not interfered with by an onslaught of activity, it can "smooth out" a lot of problems. During this deep and pleasant state of consciousness many things happen that are part of the healing process: the release of tension, the increase of endorphins, lower blood pressure, increased circulation, letting go of stored emotions, release of toxins, and an active flow of energy to depleted parts. It is not uncommon for people to say to me after a session that they feel lighter and can breath
e more fully.

The Dural Rock
Another technique I use is called "the dural rock or glide". I cup one of my hands underneath the base of the skull and the other hand goes under the sacrum. This contact activates the flow of cerebrospinal fluid from the tailbone to the brain with a gentle and peaceful rocking motion. The current of spinal fluid not only acts as a carrier of electrical impulses and messages but gives our mind a sense of being at peace. It makes sense that many autistic children or those who are frightened go into a spontaneous rocking motion. Parents are given this instinctive behaviour as a way to move this life-enhancing and peace-bringing fluid to their infants.

3. Retracing
During Craniosacral Therapy the body may retrace or remember an experience from the past. This is rarely experienced in the mind but rather is sensed as impressions and sensations in the body. Many of my clients have retraced birth tension that has been held in their body and has developed into sy
mptoms that will not go away. Tension imprints on the cranial bones may keep them in a state of compression. Imagine the improved potential for children and their ability to learn when sutural restrictions and cranial membrane restrictions are released. John Upledger, the creator of Craniosacral
Therapy, writes, "Evidence now supports the idea that brain growth continues throughout life." If the obstructive forces were removed from the body, there would an increased ability for the body to grow towards its fullest potential.

When you are born there is an actual physical requirement for the membrane around your brain to be touched and massaged. During a session with one of my clients, I spent almost a half an hour holding the cranium and bringing it into a retracing experience of birth. The head seemed to be missing th
at original contact and bonding, which would make sense since the client's mother had been ill after giving birth. When the body went into a deep connection, there was a release of neck and upp
er chest tension. The following week, my client reported that the cough she had had for years had
stopped.

In my practice I have seen people heal from accident trauma, injuries, abuse, and various illnesses by getting the restorative benefits of the Craniosacral motion and its fluid. The more I work with people who have various health problems, the more I am aware that they all have one thing in common. There is an internal war going on inside their bodies that begins to affect the normal function of their nervous system, their immune system, their organs, and of course their relationship to the world around them. Often they are depressed, tired and frustrated but can't find a way out of this constant discomfort. Where membranes are not free to glide, where energy is contained and walled off because it carries traumatic information, where joints or sutures are compressed from mechanical or emotional stress - these are all points of concern for a Craniosacral Therapist who follows the dynamic interplay of the Cranio sacral system to give the body the message of peace and bring it back to health.

Our Bodies, Our Selves

When you touch an area of your body and you allow your breath to flow into that area you are showing it compassion. When you can be present with whatever you feel and let your voice make the sound or tone it needs to, you are engaging in an incredible journey of healing, self-acceptance and self-knowledge. Somato Respiratory Integration is a protocol that combines breath, touch and dialogue in such a way as to reunite you safely and lovingly with repressed, shamed and forgotten areas held in your body. It has been discovered that tapping into our bodies can be therapeutically rewarding because so much of our personal stories in the way of struggle, lost dreams, and bruised spirits are waiting to be listened to. As a body-mind therapy I find Somato Respiratory Integration will actually change the tension system of the body to shift old ways of behaving and thinking.

Our bodies hold memories of abuse, rejection, abandonment, trauma, and feelings that we label as bad or wrong. As Dr. Andrew Weil writes in his book Health and Healing, “...painful experiences, emotions and memories can find their way to the musculature and simply remain there as frozen patterns of energy.” When you have areas that are holding onto old hurts, it is important to recognize and acknowledge them. It is like embracing a lost child that does not know it is part of a family. It feels separate. Only when the hurt is acknowledged through breath, touch and words, will it be able to share its information with the rest of the body and enter into the body’s community.

Life Can Activate A Raw Place

For anyone going through an illness, a divorce, depression, loss of a job, loss of a loved one, or loss of part of ourselves life feels hopeless and dark. These events activate a raw place deep inside that says something is terribly wrong with our lives and there is nothing we can do about it. You may have previously gone through various medications or undergone various procedures and finally come to the conclusion that ”nothing is working” or “there must be something out there that can help me”. As we enter into admitting our helplessness and surrendering we are actually bringing ourselves into one of the most essential steps of the healing journey. Here, doing the “stage one rhythm” with a facilitator will allow you to fully participate in embracing your hurt.. It will move you through this stage faster and bring you to a new perspective.

By the time you have reached stage eight with its distinct position and breath, you will have released an old pattern or an old way of looking at things that no longer serves you. There is a wonderful sense of lightness and of renewal. Many of my clients have discovered that once the emotional tension is released the pain they carried is gone. Furthermore when the energy can flow more fully in their bodies, many people have found their health improves in a variety of ways: increased energy, self-confidence, ability to enjoy life more, creativity, improved concentration, and less self-criticism. Many have been able to move towards goals they were unable to because of depression and fatigue.

Battles and Cures

Dr. Donald Epstein, founder of Network Spinal Analysis observed thousands of his patients opening up to their inner healer, “innate intelligence,” by going into spontaneous rhythms. He categorized them into twelve stages. Once a person learns how to do the exercises of the rhythms for themselves they have a powerful system for self-healing and transforming. He noted how most of us avoid the initial stages he calls Suffering and Polarities. He feels there is a crisis in humanity and we have lost the means of resonating with and fully experiencing our full range of rhythms or life expressions.

As a result we continue to battle against sickness. We are at war with our bodies, our minds, our instincts, and our spirits. Just the other day I noticed an add in a woman’s magazine: “Face it- women are predisposed to cellulite ...we’re fighting an uphill battle against Mother Nature”. Our Western Society is so adamant about the pursuit of happiness that it distracts itself and avoids at any cost the down side of life or tries desperately to eradicate “the enemy” with new discoveries and cures. But the internal forces of our own bodies have a way of carrying out the healing we need. Starting with the rhythm of Suffering or Polarities and surrendering to feeling hopeless or helpless is in itself liberating and empowering because we can stop lying to ourselves. When we do this we also experience our energy and our bliss.

Redefining Health

In my practice I find S.R.I. is integral for anyone going to a Network Chiropractor to help them to move successfully through the levels of healing. I also use S.R.I. in conjunction with a number of other modalities such as craniosacral therapy and acupressure because it is so synergistic with other therapies.

As a facilitator the first thing I do is show you how to scan your body so that you can get the brain to work with the body. The scan gets you to initiate the rhythm you are in. There is less analysing or figuring out mentally because you will get understanding as you move through the stages. You depend less on outside advise as you feel the rewards of doing S.R.I. You learn how your inner world of thoughts and emotions are at the bottom of everything you do. You wake up to a greater awareness of self and a need to honour all our parts.

We can stop letting our learned unconscious patterns run our lives, but it can’t be done with the brain alone. Health is acquired through the interplay of body and mind. Pain is the messenger for the need to start looking inside.