Bio-Energetic Bodywork
An Introduction.
by Daniel Jacob, L.M.P.
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Hello........and Welcome to the site. Some of you were referred here for more info about my Bodywork Sessions (I have been a Rehab Bodyworker for over 26 years). Others will be more interested in my Metaphysical Work. When I work with clients, I meet them at whatever level they feel ready to develop. Those referred by physicians for Rehab Work may never experience the Spiritual Side of my work unless they request to do so. This article, and the links directly below tell about some the support services I offer. The links after that will lead you through some highlights of my Spiritual Endeavors. Enjoy!
In my professional training, I learned to approach everything through the physical body. Even though I am a Visionary Writer and Philosopher, I have also been active in Muscular Rehab and Wellness Therapies since the early 1980s. I began my practice in California and then moved back up to the Pacific Northwest in 1985---working side-by-side with Chiropractors, Naturopaths, and Wholistically-Oriented Medical Doctors. It is within this context of psychophysical balancing that my work grows---in the writings, the individual consultations and channeling, workshops and seminars, and in my sessions of hands-on healing.
After a few years of internship in physician's offices, I began my own Multi-Therapist facility in Kirkland, Washington. The office opened officially in 1988. Myo-Rehab Therapy Associates. For 14 years, the office was a springboard of development for many talented Massage Therapists---who, having a great deal of talent, tended to lack the business expertise required to expand themselves in the field. I was able to provide that grounding, and many generations of magical, gifted beings began their professional practices in a comfortable and "safe" community of peers, which eventually became known simply as "Myo." (in medicalese, the term means "muscle")
In 2006, I completed my journey of training and nurturing Massage Therapists, and I down-sized the office to a comfortable 3-person Clinic. In 2010, I gave up Bodywork to continue writing, and also to help my friend Nina Florenz in her Health Insurance Business. Together, we co-own a Dental Plan, Foundation Dental, which provides important Dental Services for those who are Medicaid Eligible---usually because of Developmental or Injury-Related Disabilities. I am also a Washington consultant for NASRO---The National Association of Socially-Responsible Organizations---to assist small-business owners and families who wish to provide adequate Health Insurance for Employees and their Families. I will be writing more about this side of my work in days and months to come.
The business of Myo-Rehab Therapy is now under the direction of Tom Harvey, L.M.P. and Teri Tamas, L.M.P., both of whom have been active with me in the organization for 20+ years. We still specialize in the treatment of Personal Injuries, Sports Mishaps, and Difficult Life Transitions. We are well-known in our medical community as seasoned professionals, with special skills to assist people in recovery as they regain strength and welness.
The field of Professional Bodywork is incredibly diverse. When I began my work in Massage, there were only a few good folks around. Since that time, the field has literally exploded, with Massage Therapy becoming one of the preferred treatment modalities for chronic stress and injury in the world. Some Therapists center their training on the medical side of things. Others move in the direction of Bio-Energy, which is the binding force that surrounds and inter-penetrates everything and everyone. Although my Bodywork can be precise, deep, and incredibly effective on a physical level, many people come to see me because of other dimensions I bring to the work. You can read extensively about those other dimensions here on this site.
When I work with injured or transitioning people, my primary goal is to provide a safe and comfortable space in which they can do their own healing work. If they happen into my office (usually by referral of someone), and they are not metaphysically inclined, I tend to let them be. We talk a bit, relax a lot, and I let the Massage set a tone for renewed wellness in their lives. And if, during the time they are with me, they experience some kind of "opening" for faith and personal spirituality, I am well-equipped to nurture that as well. There is a big difference between "Spirituality" and "Religion." I no longer consider myself religious, to be sure. What I emphasize, on the "Reconnections" side of things, is a journey that begins INSIDE a person and expands itself outward, to affect family, friends, co-workers, and ultimately..........the world. Please allow me to expand on that just a bit.
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VIBRATIONAL MEDICINE
There are those among you who might ask: "What is the difference between "Vibrational Medicine" and other forms of health care and healing? It's quite simple, really. Most traditional (and many alternative/complementary) forms of health care begin with the physical body, as a symbol for an individual, and move outward from there. The focus in those traditions is on "fixing that which is broken." To Allopathic¹ Physicians (what most folks think of as "traditional doctors") the practice of medicine is often seen as analogous to repairing broken parts on a machine or vehicle. Their usual choices are to medicate, therapize, or surgicalize a body that is in pain or dysfunction. Some of this can also be true of Naturopathy, Oriental Medicine, or Homeopathic Practitioners if they have no Metaphysical Framework into which they can expand their focus. For non-believing Physicans and Therapists, the body is a matter of "what you see is what you are." But we will discuss the difference between various treatment systems another day.
Before I begin on this subject, I would like to emphasize that I firmly believe that there is still a place for ALL these healing systems in today's world. This is because the people who populate this planet still live within a huge spectrum of varied mindsets and states of awareness. It is crucial that each level of awareness be honored, and provided means whereby it can be sustained and nurtured, while learning the lessons contained therein. "The only way out is through," is what they say. The definition of "through," however, is up to the individual creator for each universe. Healing does not always have to be linear.
I would also like to add that, to date, I have had no contact with Dr. Eric Pearl, or the rapidly expanding Network of "Reconnective Healers" that are the product of his work. Many have asked me about this, because we share similar domain names. I have been channeling The Reconnections since 1991, long before Dr. Pearl published his book, or registered his patents. Reconnections, Inc. has been an established Corporation in Washington State since 1996. That being said, I hear many good things about what Dr. Pearl is doing, and I hope to eventually meet him someday. The overlap in our terminology is not coincidence, I am sure, and we probably would have a great time in the sharing.
Rather than being the beginning of an Energy Healer's focus, the physical body of a patient is seen more as the end-product of a belief system that has become crystallized into matter. We are speaking here of a junction of spirit, mind, and emotion. The present is NOT the result of past events or decisions. It is the other way around. We create our reality in every Now Moment that we live. But we think otherwise, at times....and it is that decelerated thought process which tends to hinder our present expansion, producing a sense of "stuckness" that many refer to as disease.
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The Reconnections' transmission "How Universes are Formed" gives a lot of insight into this creation process, which is something that shifts and alters itself with each beat of the heart, and each in-breath and out-breath that a body takes. I suggest you review that transmission if, at any time, you feel lost in the explanations that are being given here.
A Vibrational Healer, out of love, may listen carefully to a patient's account of how he got where he is (his detailing of precipitating events and the appearance of symptoms), but his greater concern will always be toward understanding how the patient is presently working to perpetuate this physical state, and why. There are reasons for everything, though they are often obscured by unreasoning bias that has little connection to the bigger picture.
Let's give an example. Let's take three densities of the same element: Vapor, Water, and Ice. Each is a part of one energy, yet they exist at different densities of physical manifestation. What creates density is the frequency of vibration that characterizes each level of expression. Vapor vibrates faster than Water. Water vibrates faster than Ice. Each of these "levels" has its own purpose and meaning. It also has its own life cycle, which ultimately produces a dissipation (death) of one form of expression through transformation into another. Vapor (Clouds) turn to Water, and rain falls to Earth. Water turns to Ice, and remains so until the sun comes out to melt it. Eventually, that which is melted becomes Vapor once again, and the cycle continues--with, perhaps, a few detours. What if that Rain Water gets consumed by a person or an animal? Then, it goes through a completely different cycle.
Physical Bodies operate in much the same way. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust"......as people say. But lots of things can happen in-between, can't they? A patient's body is a temporal solidification of a specific "recipe" of human ideas and emotions. The "idealistic" level represents SPIRIT as MIND, while the "reflective/reactive" levels might correspond to EMOTION, leaving the "somatic" level as that finalized product we call a BODY. We can ponder things, while typing on a computer. We can erase ideas, add new ones, and it all remains suspended in space. However, when we push "print" and begin streaming out paper, our (seemingly) diffused ponderings actually take on physical form.
What began as Vapor (Spirit and Mind), solidifies a bit more into Water (Feeling), which eventually (under the right conditions) freezes itself into Matter (Flesh). It is at that stage that we encounter it, along with the specific "story" that the patient carries about the body, as a reason for why he is as he is.
Our task, at that point, is either to invite him to consider a new "story," or to harmonize the one he has into an acceptance and awe that honors the perfection of each expression of life in 3D. Along with that process, will always come our perpetual task of reading the reflection which each soul brings to the table--concerning our own life and purpose. In Vibratory Medicine, the healing never goes just one way. All may be healed, if our work is done from an expanded viewpoint, and a pure motive.
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BIO-ENERGETIC BODYWORK
There are many ways to affect the body through energy. Since the year 1984, I have been licensed to work as a Massage Therapist, having graduated from The Academy of Health Sciences in Garden Grove, California. My original teacher was Dr. Doris Dietemann, N.D. I considered her training to be well-rounded, and she deeply impressed me with the importance of impeccable professionalism in the work. To me....Professionalism in Bodywork means, above all things, creating and maintaining a space of safety and dignity for those with whom I work.
The primary ingredient for safety is TRUST, which is developed when resonant souls commit themselves to achieving a common goal, with no hidden undercurrents or covert agendas. Over the years, I have cultivated a deep respect for the healing modality of TOUCH. This single element is one of the most needful, and often one of the most overlooked elements in health care today. Without it, infants have been documented as failing to thrive. And, after 20 years of working with people of all ages, adults don't get along very well without it either!
After The Academy, I went on study many different approaches (techniques) for dealing with muscular pain and tension. I will probably go into them in depth at some point. In Massage Therapy, people study a few "basics" about our field, and then they go off into their preferred specialty. Since a good deal of my early years were spent working in Chiropractic and Naturopathic Offices, I studied Rehab Massage. And always, in the background, I was studying every possible connection between Bio-Energy and the Healing Process.
The word "technique," used to describe many of the approaches I studied, betrays a connection to that original allopathic concept. The word literally means "technical operation." This puts us back at the Body Shop, fixing an automobile that appears to be on the blink. To be honest, many of the patients/clients who initially come into our Clinic for care, do so with exactly that in mind. They will say to me: "My neck is messed up. Fix it." Depending on their level of awareness, I will either go about practicing some "techniques" on them, or I will move to a new level, challenging them to consider the bigger picture about who they really are, and what their body is telling them about that Expanded Self.
At Myo-Rehab, we are known for doing Deep Work, as physical bodies are often locked in spasm when they arrive, and have lost contact with what it feels like to be "clear." But my work can be very subtle as well. It all depends on what it takes to get an "in" with the person involved. We make it a point to work well within the levels of tolerance that are expressed by the patient. When people are in pain, they long to get out of it. They will put up with many things if they think the hurting will cease. After they get relief, many of them are open to expanding their perspective, and learning more about the energy that is behind the pain.
Most folks respond well to a mixture of Cross-Fiber/Trigger Point and Myo-Fascial Work. I call it "Postural Integration," and it is a common means for establishing trust, and rapidly restoring a sense of wellbeing, so that other realizations can be made. Trigger Points are the circuit breakers that exist in muscles, to govern the process of muscular guarding. Applying pressure to the correct place in a muscle can effectively "quench" a Trigger Point, thereby eliminating a good deal of muscular pain. The system was first advanced by Dr. Janet Travell, M.D., and was administered through local injections of saline or procaine to the motor areas of muscular spasm. It was later adapted to a finger-pressure system by noted fitness guru Bonnie Prudden, and popularized in her wonderful little book, called "Pain Erasure."
Manually working with Trigger Points (TP's) helps the body let go, and re-aligning the Myo-Fascia² restores the body it to its "default rest" position, so new habits of movement and lifestyles can be formed. Cross-Fiber Friction goes against the grain of muscle fibers to produce heat in the area, and stimulate the flow of blood to malnourished and aching muscles. Some patients, admittedly, use this work as a band-aid, to help them recover quickly, so they can continue their old habits of abusing and misusing that which nature has given to them. We're a stressed-out society, are we not? And, though our minds can rationalize nearly anything away, our bodies do not lie. Eventually the seriousness of what we're doing begins to catch up with us.
When folks have traumatic injuries, such as those produced by auto "accidents" or sports mishaps, I seek to comfort them, and support them through the shock phase of their process. Then, when time allows, we explore together the many reasons why this situation had to develop as it did. The word "accident" is still quite relevant in today's victim-oriented society. In Metaphysics, however, we know that nothing happens by accident. Everything has a reason attached to it, if we're expanded in our perspective enough to perceive it. However, in 3D, we still have to deal with insurance companies, as well as plaintiffs and defendants, who are locked in litigation about who is responsible to cover costs.
The real trick for practicing Bio-Energetic Massage Therapy today is to let each person be in charge of his or her own process. The "charge" is very important, since we're dealing with electricity here. Some of the work that I do with a person is off-the-body, in the auric field that surrounds the physical. People are very surprised to find how deeply a Therapist can affect someone while not laying a finger upon them. Also, there is a considerable amount of wisdom and knowledge that circulates throughout the aura, and hangs suspended there. It is not unusual in my sessions for me to tap into that information, and tell a person directly what his or her body has not been able to get through to them.
Emotional Freedom Technique: Self Care at its finest!
A good Therapist will initiate change, in exact accordance with an patient's ability to tolerate it, and he will also hold the space of observer for the overall process. We watch for patterns of movement and living, plus cause and effect relationships (what you think usually has a huge effect on what you manifest in your life), as well as hidden stressors that may be holding up recovery. These hidden stressors are known as "Perpetuating Factors," and they often represent a gap which exists between the patient's conscious mind (I want to get well) and his sub or unconscious mind (I need to stay sick).
We learn to move at the exact speed that each body wants to move, and to let the patient operate out of whatever paradigm of belief that he desires, providing that we can remain in integrity with our own. Then, as a state of trust and rapport develops, we might also be allowed to mid-wife a person into a new understanding or experience of himself. What an adventure! And such has been my gift, and my privilege, as I have laid my hands on hundreds of people over the years.
MASSAGE / BODYWORK AS A TREATMENT MODALITY
One primary benefit which comes through the practice of Massage Therapy is MOVEMENT--the mobilization of "stuck energy" which exists in a injured or overworked physical body. Another benefit, at the other end of the spectrum, would be SEDATION--which offers tense and painful muscles a chance to find rest and harmony, following a period of over-exertion or injury.
First, let's talk about the MOVEMENT. When muscles go into spasm, they cut off circulation which could bring nutrition (oxygenated blood, vitamins, and minerals) which is needed to rejuvenate their power. Also, when circulation is blocked, there is no way for a muscle to release the chemical waste that is part of its normal metabolism. The primary waste products which muscles accumulate are Acids--Hyaleuronic and Lactic Acids--which, if left in the muscles for any length of time, can produce a stiff and localized "burning" sensation.
The three elements we move in the body are blood, lymph, and electro-magnetic energy. In other words, we deal with the body on many levels--both physical and non-physical. As we systematically stroke and knead key areas, we encourage the body to move deoxygenated blood and waste products back to the heart, so that filtration and elimination can take place. Visceral Massage³ is a new modality, which is currently enjoying an upsurge of attention. It beats the heck out of taking medicine to artificially stimulate organ function, and it solves problems at a structural level, rather than merely at a chemical one.
Passive and Active Stretching is also very instrumental for teaching the body to move through injury and regain freedom from instinctual "guarding patterns" that develop following a trauma. One of my favorite approaches is called "Positional Release," which involves moving an injured body in space until it can find its "center," and begin releasing pent-up energy that is left over from stressful situations. Akin to that is "PNF Stretching," also called "Strain/Counterstrain," which uses the muscular system's natural laws of balance to relax muscles that would otherwise be too tender to touch. These are "techie" terms at this point. I will go into them in more detail as this Sector expands. If the reader has questions about them, please write to me. I will discuss your situation with you for free, and see how what I do may be of assistance to your healing process.
Now, let's talk about SEDATION. Often, when a body has been injured, a patient will become discouraged about moving around. When he moves, there is pain. So, most people's preference is to avoid the pain. Since Massage Therapy is a form of passive exercise, the movement that is produced (in blood, lymph, and energy) will give the body the impression that everything is okay again. Also, the secretion of endorphins (the body's version of natural morphine) produces a sense of wellbeing, as it also relieves some of the pain. Endorphins are the source of the natural "high" that runners receive, when they practice their sport. If a Therapist is highly skilled, the movements used will be strategic, rather than random, producing effective and safe results, leading toward rapid recovery.
Milton Trager, M.D. was a Physiatrist, a Doctor of Rehabilitation Medicine. He developed a system of Bodywork which is called "Trager Psychophysical Integration." He is gone from us now, but the integrity and value of his work lives on. I studied Trager as my first "elective" training when I graduated from The Academy. Dr. Doris and Gary Brownlee were friends, and he came by to give us a demonstration of Trager at the school. I have used it in sessions ever since. The basic movements are gentle, involving lots of jostling, rolling and systematic rocking of the involved areas. In a sense, Trager is like a dance that transpires, between the natural energy of a person on the table, and a Therapist who is seeking to align with his or her natural healing forces. This is also true of "Lomi Lomi," which is a lyrical, and highly pleasing form of Swedish Massage and Bio-Energetic Healing, originally developed by the Kahunas in Hawaii.
Whereas the body is automatically programmed to resist certain active movements following an injury, Dr. Trager developed a series of counter-movements that override those guarding mechanisms, and keep the body in motion. They also begin to re-educate the tissues in how it feels to operate freely and easily once again. Over the years, a body tends to compensate and adapt itself to habitual patterns of stress and disempowerment. Before long, it forgets what easy movement feels like. In many cases, parts of the body may develop a kind of numbness, which de-emphasizes contact with certain areas of the body altogether.
The gifts of MOVEMENT and SEDATION can be life-changing. Some people get so wound up that they forget what it's like to calmly contemplate life, and be at peace. Their hormonal systems are constantly pumping, to provide extra "oomph" to meet the growing tide of chaos and drama they create for themselves. It's a habit, and it eventually gets the better of us, if we don't take some action.
MANAGING STRESS
The term "Stress Management" is a highly important one at Myo-Rehab. It is one of our two primary focuses of care, as we assist people through times of recovery. Our first focus is Muscular and Energetic Rehabilitation--or the return of a body to the most effective and harmonious condition it can remember. Then comes the Conscious Management of Stress.
What is stress? It is a word that is often bandied about--even though people have a hard time explaining exactly what it means. In my own experience, STRESS is a condition of mild to severe somatic emergency, that is created when we do one of two things:
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Force ourselves to do things that we do not want to do.
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Stop ourselves from doing things that we DO want to do.
And there you have it. So simple, yet so complicated for many folks to fix. At the heart of the emotional and physical healing process is learning to listen....really LISTEN....to the innate voice of guidance that exists inside you. A huge portion of that voice involves a clear statement of what we WANT in life. And if so, then another big portion of it involves a red light that flashes when we're doing something that we don't want. The word "desire" is a holy one. It means "of the Father" (de+sire). It roots itself at the depths of our personal spirituality.
Who, or What is God to you? And is He or It a benevolent God or a brutal taskmaster? Does he require you to make bricks without straw, climb mountains that do not interest you, or please people you cannot stand? If so, your God is too small, and He doesn't love you in the ways you need to be loved. In fact, He may not be your God at all. He may just be part of some subliminal programming that you have picked up along the way. Watch your speech for the appearance of the word "should." People often say "I should be doing this, or I should be doing that." When I hear this, I cringe. It means that some "outside source" has hacked into their database of human motivation, and dropped some viruses that do not meet their needs. If you truly wanted to do something, you would use the term "I want," would you not?
The Reconnections speak often about the natural principle of "attraction and repulsion" that exists in every person. They recognize that people will be inclined to do certain things, while they will be disinclined to do others. It's the way of things. This is why Baskin and Robbins Ice Cream has 31 Flavors! In a healthy mind and body, there is no such thing as "procrastination." There is only an intuitive tendency to avoid that which feels burdensome, boring, or ineffective.
The world in which we live is a world of advertising, political manipulation, and the wholesale promotion of private agenda. Before a company can convince you to give them your money, they have to "educate" you about your absolute need for the kind of service or product they offer, while programming you to only obtain those goods from them! There are thousands of subliminal messages, flowing past each of us every day. If we are not aware, or if we have little skill in creating and maintaining personal boundaries, we may find ourselves pushed and prodded to move in directions that neither serve or satisfy us. This, too, is a focus of concern for a Bio-Energetic Bodyworker.
In this brief introduction, I have sought to give you a thimble-full of self-care and healing information that may not have come your way through regular channels of Medicine or Health Care. Indeed, the things I write about are often considered "fringe" by those who profit from the wholesale processing of human misery through a Health Care Industry that is growing ever-more expensive---and, in many cases, feels quite cold and impersonal.
I am still practicing Bio-Energy Bodywork, even as I am expanding the work of the Reconnections throughout our country and our world. As I write, I continually return to the body as a means of grounding and understanding the physical implications of all the new energies that are coming in. If you live in or near the Greater Seattle Area of Washington, I would be happy to speak with you about Bio-Energetic Body Work, as well as give referrals for anywhere else in the country you might be able to receive similar care.
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New Article: "VIBRATIONAL HEALING"
¹Allopathic Medicine: A method of treating disease with remedies that produce effects different from those caused by the disease itself. The treatment of symptoms or malfunctions, with the end goal of restoring a body to an accepted definition of "normal." (See "The Cure, Pt. 1" for more info on this.)
²Myo-Fascia: The fibrous sheath that surrounds a bundle of muscle fibers. Think of it like a won-ton skin that surrounds a muscle. In physical space, the sheath can get distorted in its position around the muscle, due to postural problems--like the plastic bag which surrounds a suit coat, when it comes back from the cleaners. When we see this happening, we use various Massage Strokes to restore that "plastic bag" to the most efficient position we can.
³Visceral Massage: Visceral manipulation enhances the normal mobility and tissue motion of the body's organs. Spasm, displacement and adhesions can all cause organs to work against each other, creating chronic irritation and abnormal points of tension. The organs are dependent on their ability to move freely in the torso to work correctly and efficiently. When they are pulled out of their effective positions, they stop functioning properly. By freeing each organ to work compatibly with the others, a Therapist can potentially alter and improve the structure and functioning of the entire body.
Copyright, 2006, by Daniel Jacob. All Rights Reserved. May be copied and shared, for purposes of personal growth and/or research, so long as the above URL and this copyright are included. All reproduction for profit, by any means, requires the written permission of Reconnections, Inc.
