Open Source Cranio

Tag: ShareCare

  • Cranio Sacral Therapist and Student Newsletter 26

    August 13 – 2007

    Questions and comments for this issue:

    + Comments about Parkinson’s disease from
    Vicky in Melbourne, Etienne in Belgium,
    Nica in Berlin and Joyaa on the Gold Coast
    in Australia.

    Hello,

    I’m feeling a bit like Tarzan in this issue.
    Standing manfully atop a tall tree and sending out
    the call.  The difference is I’m not summoning an
    army of elephants to rescue Jayne.  Jayne rescued
    herself years ago and has in fact rescued me quite
    a few times, something my chimp pals love to
    remind me of.

    No, I am putting out the call for cranio sacral
    therapists.  Particularly in France, particularly
    in the South and South West of France and Denmark,
    particularly near Copenhagen.  I have had quite a
    few requests from people looking for cranio sacral
    therapists in these areas and so far have only
    been able to find a few.  Do you know or have any
    cranio chums in these areas?
    Let me know.

    As you can see there has been an excellent
    response to the question about Parkinson’s disease
    that was asked the last issue.  It prompts me to
    once again encourage you to ask a question or send
    in a comment.  You can be sure 10 other people are
    thinking of the same question or will benefit from
    your comment.

    On the website front, you can see pictures of
    me treating children here
    http://www.open-source-cranio.com/baby.html
    And my links page is up and growing.  There are
    5 main categories – Research and Information,
    People, Climate, Services and Products, Funny and
    News.
    http://www.open-source-cranio.com/resources/links.html
    Have a look let me know of any sites you think
    I should include.

    Let me just climb down from this tree and
    change out of this loin cloth and we can get on
    with the mailbag.

    ***COMMENT FROM VICKI IN MELBOURNE***

    Hi John and JN
    I have worked with a Parkinsons Patient for a
    short period of time.(6 sessions. I was standing
    in while his usual therapist was away.) This
    gentleman has a CST treatment weekly and has been
    doing so for quite a few years now. He is also
    under the care of a Homeopath in Melbourne who
    specializes in Parkinsons Disease.
    (www.returntostillness.com.au )

    It was quite amazing working with this client
    because as soon as I put my hands on him his body
    “grabbed” me.  After not too long the shake would
    cease and there would be a tremendous quiet within
    his system.  This peace would last from a couple
    of hours to a couple of days. There didn’t seem to
    be any rhyme or reason to it.

    In answer to the question, I feel CST is a very
    effective management strategy for Parkinsons. In
    conjunction with the Homeopathic treatment this
    client had used CST to lessen the severity of
    symptoms and too slow the onset of the disease. (I
    would like to say “Halt” but I am not sure about
    this.)  He had been given a pretty short time line
    by specialists in which to expect to live a what
    he would consider a full life but at the time I
    was treating him he was successfully running his
    own business.

    The other thing I did was organize for his wife to
    come in and experience CST for herself and then to
    learn some simple techniques like Still Point
    induction.  Now the client gets treatment once a
    week from a CST practitioner and nearly daily from
    his wife. I have not seen him for over a year now
    but I will enquire how he is going at my next
    Cranio study group meeting. I hope this helps.

    Warm regards from Frosty Melbourne

    Vicki Saray

    MY COMMENTS:

    Thanks for that Vicky.  Lots of very useful
    tips, particularly the shaking and the inclusion
    of Homeopathy.

    As you know I’m not a big fan of teaching
    simple techniques to family because I don’t think
    there is anything simple about cranio sacral work.
    In my experience it is complex, layers within
    layers and all that. . .
    I know that after 14 years I am still trying to
    figure it out or maybe it is figuring ME out.  One
    way or the other, the idea of teaching simple
    techniques feels like going to have your portrait
    painted and the artist encouraging you to paint
    the background of the painting while they get on
    with painting the more technically difficult parts
    like the hands and face.  Images of the Mona Lisa
    against a Simpsons background come to mind.

    Having said all that it sounds like in this
    case it is working so what do I know?

    ***COMMENT FROM ETIENNE IN BELGIUM***

    Hi John,
    I had some excellent results with Parkinson’s;
    however it is a long term commitment for therapist
    and client (nothing wrong with that – if you have
    the patience).
    Parkinson’s is not a disease; it is a simple
    question of waste management.
    Too much toxic material has accumulated in the
    center of the brain (due to stress patterns around
    it), that simple Cranio (releasing the chronic
    tensions all around) will already have a
    beneficial effect.
    The fluids need to move!!!

    Toxic waste accumulates in and around the
    substantia nigra (who produces dopamine) that its
    production becomes limited and its dopamine (who
    is the messenger that stimulates to the Basal
    Ganglia, Globus Pallidus and Caudate Nucleus)
    cannot reach its destination. It is the restricted
    function of the Basal Ganglia that creates the
    typical Parkinson’s lack of movement control.
    So, any CS will be beneficial.

    Also I instruct my clients (during the sessions –
    so they can directly connect with them) about the
    functions of the different brain structures
    involved and how they work and get blocked due to
    the accumulation of waste.
    I introduce them to the glia cells who can help in
    the removal of waste products and I set up a home-
    work program, where the client works twice a day
    talking to his glia cells while on a still-point
    inducer or on a tennis-sock (if there system can
    take the pressure – rarely they cannot).
    I also convince them (by asking their brain
    structures) that they need to drink more water
    (besides the coffee their used to) and I start
    them on a daily intake of flax-seed oil, what will
    soften the membranes of their brain cells
    (instruction also during the sessions).

    In the beginning I work on them bi-weekly (or
    weekly – depending on your confidence) and after a
    few months, they come once a month, depending on
    their home-work.
    It can become a months long program, sometimes for
    the rest of their lives and often (hopefully) they
    will get hooked on what you have to offer. Since
    they are usually quite old CS will benefit them
    tremendously with rounding of this life time.
    The elderly are like baby’s, they are so happy to
    ride the wave.
    Have fun,
    Etienne
    Belgium.
    www.craniobabies.com

    MY COMMENTS:

    Thanks for that Etienne.  I really like the
    whole waste management perspective.  Very useful.
    I also like the way you talk about getting the
    person involved their own recovery by telling them
    about the different structures you are both
    working with.  Top Stuff.

    I’m not wild about the use of still point
    inducers for the reasons I mentioned in my
    response to the previous letter except in this
    case it is images of the Mona Lisa against a
    computer pixelated background coming to mind.

    Personally I haven’t found the elderly are like
    babies . . . at all.  Hang on, maybe I am being
    too quick to say that. They are like babies, just
    babies that are locked behind 500 layers of
    compensation.

    ***COMMENT***

    yes indeed I have some (small) experiences with my
    female cliente (82 years old). as you say john:
    take time for the treatment itself and be there
    every week, working on the same structures.

    maybe the client “really” feels any release just
    for a short time – but YOU will feel changes in
    each session. sometimes my cliente preferes to sit
    instead of lie on the treatment table.(sorry for
    my bad english-writing — french is my mother
    language!!) just be there…..

    love and peace – nica Berlin.

    MY COMMENTS:

    Thanks for that Nica.  More confirmation that
    treating Parkinson’s is more of a long term
    proposition.
    And Nica, compared to my French your English is
    outstanding.

    ***COMMENT***

    Hi John,

    I am only part-way thru’ reading your latest
    missive (massive missive?) and am sending in this
    response in case I otherwise never get around to
    it(!)

    Parkinsons:
    My experience is about the same as the South
    African cranio-chiro chappy.
    The best results I have achieved with PD is by
    using gentle stretching / articulation techniques
    using the patient’s (client’s) arms and legs as
    “long levers” – that loosens up their muscles to
    give them some ready relief.  I believe that
    abdominal stretching (a technique that has been
    coined the “tummy tug”) is also useful with some
    of the abdo sx (e.g. bloating and constipation).
    PD is a condition which, in relation to cranial
    work, I still find myself thinking “Can I do
    better?”

    All the best, Joyaa
    Gold Coast
    Australia.

    MY COMMENTS:

    Thanks for that Joyaa.  The main thing that
    stands out for me in your email is the last
    sentence.  ‘Can I do better?’

    That is a courageous and honest question to
    ask?  It’s not an easy question to ask because of
    what you may have to live with if the answer is
    ‘Yes.’  But it is a question that we need to ask
    ourselves at the end of each session and the end
    of each treatment program.
    Not in a beating yourself up sort of way but in
    an honest appraisal of how it all went.
    Did the person get what they came for?
    If not, why not?
    Even if you arrive ate the conclusion that they
    didn’t get what they wanted because their issues
    got in the way, it is still worth asking ‘Could I
    have dealt with their issues better?’

    So that’s it for this issue.

    Cheerio for now.

    Till the next time.

    Your Mate,

    John D.

  • Teaching family members

    + Teaching family members basic techniques? – October 06

    Hey John, thanks yet again for the e-newsletter. As always, and I
    don’t know how you do it, you’ve included material that prompts
    me to write. Usually I’m too preoccupied with matters here in SA
    to respond. But here is one SA real world question / comment.

    Quite often in my practice I see a baby and parent(s) or grandparent
    or carer just once or twice. This is because of my hectic schedule
    and because we often don’t have practitioners nearby to follow-up,
    or because people can’t afford it.

    Most of these families come into teaching clinics in courses where
    there is no cost. They may come from distant places, but only the once.
    However, I usually find that mum or dad or somebody in the family
    can easily learn to hold their baby in constructive ways, especially
    during tantrums.

    They get a demo and a paper by Aletha Solter to explain this. It is
    also possible to show how to massage the scalp (e.g. with shampooing),
    how to stroke the spine and conception channels. Parents will usually
    respond to recommendations for dietary (chelation) and feeding /
    weaning problems. I have many parents / carers working very
    creatively with their babies, some even coming forward for training
    in CST, with others coming regularly (with their babies) to learn
    more in our local evening empowerment workshops.

    This situation isn’t ideal, but in the far flung communities in SA it’s
    often all we’ve got. Sometimes I worry about this. One would always
    prefer to be in a position to follow-up with the baby and family as a
    whole, however long it takes.

    However, I find that the whole family conflict situation often resolves
    with up-skilling and empowerment of the parents. It helps to break
    the chain of disassociative and inconsistent behaviour that the baby
    is adapting to within the family.

    Any feedback welcome!

    Al Pelowski in Joburg

    >>>MY COMMENTS:

    Being able to do follow up is ideal, Al. I’ll talk more about the
    IDEAL a little later.

    It looks like you’re faced with the dilemma John Upledger was
    faced with when he realised he couldn’t treat everyone. It prompted
    him to develop his ShareCare program, which is the second worst
    idea he has had in a long line of good ones.

    What was his first?

    Well, calling what we do cranio sacral therapy, of course. He could
    have picked a hundred different names. Quirky, fun, easily pronounced,
    easily remembered names. Like Voltron or Gobon or Praxas or Flow…..

    What I wouldn’t give to be able to say I am a Flow therapist, when
    asked what I do for a living at a dinner party.

    But oh no, I have to say I’m a cranio sacral therapist and they have
    to ask me if I was at the Tour De France and then I have to correct
    them and say, ‘That’s cranio SACRAL, not cranio CYCLE.’

    So we’re stuck with it and for the sake of public recognition we
    shouldn’t change it or add to it or fiddle with it at all.

    No matter how much we feel that what we are doing is different
    or visionary or resonant or balanced or biodynamic or whatever . .

    All this re-labelling is confusing adolescent assertions of individuality
    and just leaves Joe and Mary Blogs scratching their heads wondering,
    ‘What the?’

    Okay, back to shades of ShareCare.

    While imparting new information and different perspectives is
    definitely part of our job, it’s important to acknowledge the limits
    of just how much skill you can impart to parents or family members.

    The sorts of things you have described sound good and practical.
    Massaging the scalp, stroking the spine and conception channels.
    All good.

    The temptation is to think you can build on this by teaching family
    members to do simple techniques which I’m strongly against,
    if you hadn’t noticed, and here’s why.

    What has become second nature to you in terms of holding, following,
    supporting and so on has taken you years to achieve.

    And while the process of gaining mastery in CST is one of realising
    how little needs to be done, it’s important to remember that it’s a
    very informed and focused ‘little’ that we do.
    Its simplicity is deceptively complex.

    When you think about how long it has taken you to gain the level
    of skill with a particular technique and all the subtle nuances that
    only reveal themselves through time and practice, it doesn’t make
    sense that you can show someone a technique and think that they
    will be able to do any long lasting good with it.

    Sure, everyone will feel good about it.

    The family member will feel good when you’re showing them the
    technique because it will feel like they’re being empowered.

    You will feel good when you’re showing them the techniques because
    it will assuage the aching knowledge that you can’t treat the person
    yourself long term.

    The person will feel good every time the family member does the
    technique. They will feel good for about ten minutes or maybe
    twenty but the chances of it helping long term are slim.

    It takes a long time to learn how to do this well for a reason.

    It’s not easy to master.

    The whole SharCare idea is like giving a one-day workshop for the
    friends and families of virtuoso violinists. At the workshop they learn
    how to play a couple of notes on the fiddle.

    They can use these ‘new skills’ on the nights that the virtuoso is a
    bit tired and needs someone to fill in the for them at certain times
    throughout the performance. The family member can play the notes
    the virtuoso is too shagged to play.

    Ridiculous, right? But it gets worse.

    Giving friends and family of patients the idea that they can learn a
    few techniques that will help their loved ones, generates the idea
    that what we do, can be learned in 10 minutes.

    It’s shooting yourself in the foot with both barrels and then
    bludgeoning yourself with the gun..

    I don’t think you are about to launch your own South African
    ShareCare program Al, but I do understand the pressure that
    the kinds of situations you have described can generate.

    Considering what you have to deal with and the constraints you
    have to work within, the fact that you give these families ANYTHING
    to help their situation is nothing short of a bloody miracle!

    And you’re not alone in that, your students and graduates are doing
    remarkable things too. The outreach work you all do. The education
    programs you have set up. It’s brilliant. You are all doing excellent
    work in VERY difficult situations.

    What I’ve talked about above is the IDEAL, what you have to work
    with in South Africa is far from ideal and in that, anything you can
    do is great.

    I commend all the people involved in cranial work in South Africa
    and you in particular Al.