April 2008

Newsletter

Dr. Michael’s New Hours

Effective April 1st

Monday 2:00 – 6:30 pm

Tuesday 1:00 – 7:00 pm

Wednesday 7:30 – 1:00 pm

Thursday 1:00 – 7:00 pm

Friday 7:30 – 1:00 pm

 

As it is in our life, so it is in our bodies…

Just today I was working with a client whereby I needed to move his knee and upper leg in a certain direction and as I started to apply pressure to move it he pushed back making it more difficult. It was like he was fighting me, not wanting to give up control. When I reiterated what I needed him to do and he understood what was needed he let go and allowed his leg to move freely. He commented on how reflexively you want to push back and how hard it is to instinctively relax.

I have many clients who are like this and it always makes me wonder what it is that won’t allow them to simply rest their head in my hands or allow me to move a limb without them helping. Didn’t they come for some kind of relaxation? But in that moment it dawned on me that this small example could easily be paralleled to how we sometimes are in life.

Rather than allowing for the path of least resistance we constantly want to have control. Instead of allowing our lives to be fluid and easy we put up barriers and obstacles. When someone or some thing pushes us (and I’m not talking about a physical push, just an interaction that may challenge us) it may cause us to hesitate, to question, to doubt, to defend…to fear. Opportunities may arise but we choose not to see them or accept them for fear of the unknown. We prefer to remain in a situation that in familiar but that doesn’t necessarily make things easy on us.

What we fear may be different for all of us but no matter what it is it can paralyze. And that can get locked in our bodies. It’s toxic waste in a way; a by-product of negative energy or energy itself that is stuck because we can’t let it go. Could it be a sense of vulnerability? An idea that if we don’t hold ourselves together for every moment of the day, that we might simply unravel and lose all control? Is it the anticipation of pain or lack of trust? Or perhaps just thinking that they are helping?

I will often say “just relax” but I’m realizing that some people don’t even know that they are holding their head or making their arm stiff and difficult to maneuver. It’s entirely unconscious. Or they make a statement like my client today that they just don’t know HOW to relax. If I could respond without anyone thinking that I was asking them to lay down their life I would say “surrender yourself”. Allow yourself to open up, be vulnerable, stop controlling and just be. Allow yourself the opportunity to feel pleasure without guilt and to be nurtured. Let someone gently take care of you.

Massage can be a very safe environment to allow this therapeutic exchange to occur. The more a person let’s go of their muscles, the more tension is released. The more tension that is released the more movement is achieved and a sense of ease and flow are experienced. This can then transfer into our lives. Massage isn’t just about relaxing itself, it’s about our body in relation to our mind. Yes, a sprained ankle can be just that. I’m not suggesting that everyone has fear issues locked in their body but I would suggest that next time you are on the massage table to ask yourself if you feel you are surrendering yourself to whatever may happen, to whatever movement your neck or limb may be guided into. Tell yourself to relax.

We have Parking!

Our parking spots are located just at the end of Danforth, across the street towards Curves. We have 4 spots along the fence which faces Byron Ave.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask Andrea at the front desk.

Lighten up with CranioSacral Therapy

By Rosemary Brown-Tucker, RMT

During our lives, our bodies become shaped and conditioned according to how we’re able to deal with stresses or traumas. Common causes are physical injuries, emotional and psychological stresses, birth trauma and toxicity. Due to an accumulation of these stresses, tissues can become imprinted with these unresolved experiences and so act like a blueprint which may keep replaying. If stresses or traumas are overwhelming, they become locked in the body – until such time as we are able to process and release them.

The emphasis in Craniosacral Therapy is to help resolve these trapped forces (lesions) that underlie patterns of disease and imbalances in both body and mind. This involves the practitioner “listening through the hands” to the body’s subtle rhythms. Through the development of subtle palpatory skills the practitioner can read the story of the body, identify places where issues are held and then follow the natural priorities for healing as directed by the patient’s own physiology.

The intention of treatment is to facilitate and enhance the body’s own self-healing and self-regulating capabilities. This is done in a non-invasive way as the practitioner subtly and gently encourages the bodies own self-healing.

CranioSacral Therapy takes a whole-person approach to healing of the mind and body. It is an effective form of treatment for a wide range of illnesses helping to create the optimal conditions for health. It is suitable for people of all ages including babies, children and the elderly, and can be effective in acute or chronic cases.

Restoring and Reorganizing

During a medical procedure, a patient is narrowed down to a specific set of symptoms and signs to reveal a precise diagnosis. Usually the first step in narrowing is the separation of the mind and body. This can be very satisfying for the patient and the doctor.

The doctor makes use of extensive expertise and may save a patient’s life. The patient is ready for a clear and specific treatment once the diagnosis has been made. The treatment happens from the outside in.

When two people meet for the purpose of healing, we open the larger perspective by combining mind, body and emotion. We trust in an innate, natural self-healing and ability to transform. We assume an increased awareness increasing self correction, self evolution and self organizing. We see a possibility that pain is good and simply to take inventory and take action. We remove judgment from the healing process by finding common ground shared by all. We strive for compassion by recognizing our shared pain and discomfort.

Andrea is pleased to be back at the Network Healing Centre after a year and a half absence. She is looking forward to seeing you all again and meeting all the new faces!