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 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.