Osteopathic Manual Therapies (OMT)

These manipulations  (to care for with the hands)  take the opposite approach to MFR, in that they hope to elicit a large effect from a small manipulation.  These releases transition into MFR very readily, allowing us to gain a handle on the center of the issue and untangle the ball of worms from the inside out.

Osteopaths have long believed that the body ought to be able to heal itself without the use of drugs or pharmaceuticals.  In Osteopathic Medicine, practitioners help to bring the body back to a stable state such that it can maintain homeostasis from there on out.

I am not a DO, or Doctor of Osteopathy, but my beliefs strongly coincide with the Classical (five-finger) Osteopathic Perspective: by finding those things in the body that are not moving in harmony with the rest of the environment, listen to where they are going, follow them there, add a bit more and allow the body to return to resonance, the body is allowed to get better without the aforementioned hinderance.  I do believe that western medicine and pharmaceuticals have their place in health care, mostly to take the edge of the disease away and allow the person to learn the lessons they need to learn, or find the other pieces of their healthcare that they have been missing.  Unfortunately, pharmaceuticals often do not re-establish the foundations necessary for wellness -- here, herbal medicine plays a key role in nourishing the body and continuing healthy progress.

 Thankfully, Jean-Pierre Barral has teamed up with The International Alliance of Healthcare Educators (IAHE), to teach Osteopathic Manual Manipulations to a wide range of Bodyworkers.  

I have taken courses for Visceral Manipulation (VMT 1, 2, 3 - covering the organs of the abdomen and pelvis), and Neural Manipulations (NMT 1,2 - covering the central nervous system and upper extremities).  I am looking forward to taking more of these classes, but the touch and techniques have been a priceless addition to my repertoire-- they have brought my awareness to a completely deeper level and I have worked the approach into most of the therapies I employ.