Nancy E Paul

CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle bodywork technique in which the therapist "blends" with the client to ease restrictions and balance energy. It is called CranioSacral Therapy because it treats the central nervous system which extends from the cranium (the brain and skull) to the sacrum (tail bone). The central nervous system affects the whole body; optimizing it can impact the body in amazing and sometimes surprising ways. CranioSacral therapists listen deeply, follow, and allow, trusting the body and the psyche's ability to heal itself. I think of it as soulwork. CST classes I've taken -- CST 1 and 2, SomatioEmotional Release 1 and 2, Mastering the Inner Physician (Imagery and Dialogue), The Brain Speaks 1 and 2, Visceral Manipulation 1, CST and The Life Cycle; Grief, Loss, and Dying, Advanced CST 1, 2, and 3. CranioSacral Therapy EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a powerful healing tool originally developed by Francine Shapiro to treat trauma. It has been modified, adapted, and refined to treat almost any type of emotional distress. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to bridge the gap between left brain and right brain, “lizard brain” and “higher thinking” brain, irrational fears and innate wisdom. Our bodies do this naturally when we sleep (REM). EMDR therapists use bilateral tapping, awake eye movement, or other types of bilateral stimulation to help the brain heal itself, to shift maladaptive beliefs, and to become more mindfully present. What is EMDR? A related blog: EMDR Wow YouTube Videos: EMDR, Another EMDR video Person-Centered Psychotherapy is an approach to healing that was pioneered by American psychologist Carl Rogers in the 1940s/50s. It was originally called client-centered psychotherapy to distinguish it from the therapist-directed therapy popular at the time. Rogers believed that each person instinctively strives towards self-actualization, so that the therapist’s unconditional positive regard for the client is all that is needed to facilitate healing. Person-Centered therapists enter into, honor, and acknowledge each client's unique inner world and nurture the client’s innate tendency towards health. They create a space in which clients can heal themselves. Like a watered seed, a person grows (and heals) with adequate unconditional positive regard. The belief is that not only do people want to feel good, they instinctively know how. When affirmed with a skilled, congruent therapist's empathic listening and warm regard, clients bloom. I think of CranioSacral Therapy as the bodywork version of Person-Centered Psychotherapy. Carl Rogers and Person-Centered Psychotherapy Inner Dialogue ~ One form of inner dialogue is Internal Family Systems (IFS). Internal Family Systems is a psycho-therapeutic model created by Richard Schwartz, an American Marriage and Family Therapist. In Schwartz's words, “It is the nature of the mind to be subdivided into an indeterminate number of sub-personalities or parts.” * He references Freud's Id, Ego, and Superego, object relations therapists' “internal objects” and Transactional Analysts’ “ego states” as theoretical precursors of IFS “parts.” He discovered that these sub-personalities intend to protect, manage, or nurture, and do so with varying degrees of success. Many times they need updated job descriptions borne of an awareness of updated needs. The goal of IFS is to strengthen the Self, the part embodying “calmness, curiosity, clarity, compassion, confidence, creativity, courage, and connectedness.”* Another term for inner dialogue is therapeutic imagery and dialogue. In utilizing therapeutic imagery and dialogue, clients can identify “spiritual” beings as parts of themselves or as players in their psychodramas. A wounded child part can dialogue with and be comforted by an angel, a spirit guide could be called on during a session for guidance and reassurance, a totem animal could protect. The distinction between inner and outer, between “me” and the Transcendent can be minimized. Clients can connect with themselves while connecting with their Higher Power. They can access their inner wisdom and discover their own truth, obviating the need for advice from the therapist. And the Self can be experienced as the sacred, undamaged essence at one's core. What is IFS? Zero Balancing is "holistic" because it deals with energy and energy fields directly, as well as with body structure. The balancing processes often release stress before it becomes physically manifested. Likewise, they release old or outmoded tissue-held patterns and imprints, supporting change and growth in an organic, integrated way. While Zero Balancing looks at symptoms, it moves beyond them to address our more fundamental nature. After a session, the vibrations of stresses pass through the body more easily, making difficult situations less problematic. What is Zero Balancing?