|
Ease and harmony - that’s what the body seeks to rediscover with Ortho-Bionomy, a gentle osteopathically-based system that works with the bodys self-corrective reflexes. According to Ortho-Bionomy founder Arthur Lincoln Pauls, D.O., ease and harmony are things we already know, and Ortho-Bionomy is one way of remembering.
Ortho-Bionomy follows the principle of osteopathy that structure governs function. In other words, the correct alignment of the physical structure allows the most efficient functioning of the person. What makes Ortho-Bionomy unique is in how such alignment is accomplished.
While a student in osteopathic school, Dr Pauls came across a paper by Dr Laurence Jones, D.O., entitled ‘Spontaneous Release by Positioning’. Jones reported a resolution of structural lesions by finding positions of comfort into which he guided the patient, and where the person would be left for anything up to an hour by which time the body had self corrected.
Dr Pauls extended this work and through his understanding of body kinetics, he developed a simple system suitable for use in all aspects of structural imbalance. Indeed some see Ortho-Bionomy as a complete system of natural healing, able to help anyone capable of responding to any body therapy. In practice, this has included people with arthritis, whiplash, sports injuries of every description, rheumatic ailments, headaches and migraines, chronic back, neck, joint and muscle problems or pain/stress syndromes.
Comfort is a key consideration during an Ortho-Bionomy session. Rather than going against a resistance, resistances are respected, so that movement is away from pain and in the direction of ease. Likewise, a practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy works with the ‘preferred posture’ not the idealized posture, but that which is most comfortable for the body. Once found the practitioner affirms this position by lightly compressing into the joint.
Ortho-Bionomy does not use forceful manipulation. Instead, positional release techniques and gentle compression are utilized to correct physical imbalances thus helping to restore efficient functioning in muscles, joints and organs. The guiding principle in Ortho-Bionomy is to work with the body to activate self-correcting reflexes.
Through positioning, gentle touch and focussed compression, proprioceptive reflexes in the joints and the stretch reflex in the muscles are activated. Our proprioceptive system tells us where we are in space and where the different body parts are in relation to each other; the stretch reflex lets us know what the relative tension in the tissue is. When the ‘self-picture’ arising from these activated reflexes is processed by the nervous system, the body can decide whether the current state is optimum or not. Since our bodies naturally seek balance and most efficient function, the organism will self-correct once it becomes aware of an imbalance. Unless there are additional complications in other parts of the body or in the body-mind-emotion interface, corrections occur spontaneously and the consequent changes are long-lasting and well integrated since they are initiated from within rather than being imposed from the outside.
To assist with the integration of work completed during a session, body re-education techniques are incorporated. This may include the use of isometric/isotonic exercises, post techniques that provide a focus for the client, posture and gait training, or simple awareness based therapeutic exercises. Each treatment and homework prescription is tailored to the needs of the individual.
Ortho-Bionomy offers a refreshingly comprehensive system of healing and self-understanding that is simple, direct and accessible. Ortho-Bionomy honours the instinctive wisdom of the body, facilitating self-healing to occur as the body remembers its natural ability to move away from pain or tension and toward ease. While mostly identified as a bodywork modality, it is also very much a way to approach life and can help anyone to function more harmoniously within his body and environment.
Follow this link to the New Zealand Ortho-Bionomy site
|
|
