Kathryn
I have been writing articles for a few months about natural childbirth, herbs used
during pregnancy, non-invasive techniques for easing pregnancy and childbirth such
as massage, reflexology, and accupressure, and the use of different positions for
supporting childbirth and easing the pain.
The reason is that I am always suspect when I read things such as "reflexology is
always safe for pregnant women". I then did deeper, to be sure that this is true. Even
with something as seemingly harmless as massage or reflexology, I always caution
people to consult with their physician, midwife or experienced professional.
I found Shmulik's website and article while searching for cautions. I have not found
any other source of such information (yet).
Shmulik
The concept, and name, “Human Ecology” came down to me form the three persons
that established the institute in 1985. Among them was my Reflexology teacher,
Zacharia Kahalani.
When I agreed to take on the position of head of reflexology teaching, I felt attuned to
the name, believing it to be appropriate. This is still my belief, and it will continue to
be so.
The name “Human Ecology” implicates an internal body-soul ecology, and the
management of the somatic individuum in the external space. According to my belief,
the external space in which we are positioned is a mirror image of the inner body-soul
ecology, i.e., we perceive the exterior by the state of our inner self; we affect the way
in which we perceive the exterior from within. In the same time the exterior affects
our inner self.
According to this approach we must position ourselves in many different vintage
points so that we may view our personal complex differently, each time anew. This
way the whole is perceived and understood each time anew.
Question
Shmulik, if I understand your concept of human ecology, this seems similar to what
Native Americans believe, that we are all synergistically part of a whole that is
greater than the sum of the parts; that all aspects are inseparable: body, mind, spirit,
family, community, environment, and so forth. Is this correct?
Answer
Anything that we perform and which combines different elements becomes
synergistically a whole greater than its parts. That is true for the following examples,
as well as to other phenomena:
Two tones simultaneously produced create a musical accord Individual letters combine to create a word Two numbers create a sum larger than the individual values Colors mixed create a new color Reflexological stimuli combined create a resonance of a therapeutic accord
The “Law of combinations” expresses the natural way of human thought, but its
application necessitates not only coordinative thinking, but also an ability to act in a
coordinative fashion.
Question
Your background in movement and dance involved physical coordination and
attentiveness as well as a mental and spiritual focus. Can you tell me how this and
Human Ecology developed into your concept of Coordinative Reflexology?
Answer
For many years I have been involved in the project of “movement notation”, a
notation by which body movement can be analyzed, documented or
choreographed. This was the form of dance I was engaged in for 25 years.
Using this notation I have analyzed, documented and taught the subject of animal
movement in the university of Tel-Aviv.
In order to be able to perform the dances that were choreographed by my teacher,
Prof. Noa Eshkol, a very high level of coordination was required
The principle on which that movement form was based is simultaneous movement,
i.e. the use of traces that are created in the space by the body’s movement. These
traces are mysterious and undefined. That means that when we perform the movement
we perform exactly that which we do not understand. Usually dancers and
choreographers dance emotions; the dancers express their emotions, or the emotions
of the choreographer. For me, approaching the sphere of emotions in a pure way,
without any prior prejudices or directive emotions is a pure act that symbolizes pure
“Human-Ecology”. In this way the movements create a new and unknown mass of
emotions.
When I decided to be involved in Reflexology in 1980 it was clear to me that I will
bring into the subject the perspective of my own share of past experiences and
knowledge.
The advances in the method of “Coordinative Reflexology” were made in relation to
the course of my activities and with the gist of the form of dance I was involved with.
A simultaneous action in the reflection points in the feet synergistically creates an
“Accord Resonance”.
In the exact same way that I knew how to perform a dance, a thing that I do not
understand, Reflexology, being a thing not apprehended, brings us to perform a thing
which is undefined in the scientific world, a thing that is beyond our faculties of
reason.
Question
In your article about reflexology during menses and pregnancy, you stated that we
normally hold back the body's self healing processes because we are unable to let go
of problems we may have been holding on to for a long time. Can you give an
example of this holding on to problems, and why pregnancy is a time when a woman
can overcome this?
Answer
A “blockage” of natural healing processes means that a person is unable to
transcend his/hers problems and ails, and in such a situation the person and the
sickness are one. In certain situations it is indeed difficult for the body to
become free of its problems.
Chronic diseases are a clear example of the phenomena related to the subjugation of
the body by its diseases. Another example is the difficulties confronted when trying to
stop smoking.
The dynamics of the drainage of waste materials from the body during the period, and
the intensive physiological and mental changes that take place during pregnancy make
times like these potent for helping the body discard of the “known” and the
“familiar”, i.e., the chronic diseases. The reflexologist should of course be
knowledgeable about the nature of pregnancy, and of the exact stage of pregnancy the
patient is in. He/she should also be aware of the essence of the therapeutic techniques
that will transform his/hers intentions into actions and effects.
Question
Does the cleansing that is possible during pregnancy, using reflexology, only apply to
issues connected to pregnancy, or can it be more than that?
Answer
There is no doubt that therapy given during a period or during pregnancy, being
especially related to the body’s purification, is especially attuned to many chronic
diseases. Constipation, asthma, and hyperactivity or hypoactivity of the thyroid gland
can be given a partial solution by such a treatment. In fact, it is possible to help
women with the entirety of the spectrum of chronic problems. It requires, of course,
an understanding of the nature of each disease and the know-how for treating in a way
that will not harm the natural course of the pregnancy.
Question
Can you give an example of the differences between how you would use reflexology
for lower back pain on a woman who is not pregnant, and one who is? How does
treatment differ depending on what trimester she is in?
Answer
The spine, in a structure that is not without similarity to a tree’s trunk, is
connected to the peripheral limbs connected to the spinal cord through the
peripheral nerves. This anatomy results in two different types of back pains:
Back pains that result directly from the condition of the spinal vertebrae projecting to the peripheral limbs.
Back pains resulting from the condition of the peripheral limbs projecting to a segment of the vertebrae to which they are neurologically connected.
Treating lower back pains under normal circumstances
Because of the connection of the spine to the peripheral limbs the treatment will be
performed simultaneously, one hand treating the reflection area of the vertebrae
sending distress signals, the other hand working on the reflection areas of the
according peripheral limbs.
A combination of manipulative techniques will be used in the ankle joint skeletal structure.
Note – The manipulative action performed on the feet’s skeletal structure
constitutes the “deepest” therapy. The stimuli sent to the body result from the
movement of the feet preformed simultaneously with the movement of the feet’s
bones over the therapist’s fingers.
The manipulative action is not recommended during pregnancy.
Treating lower back pains in pregnant patients
The pregnancy itself affects lower back pains. During pregnancy a pressure is created
on peripheral organs. This pressure changes during the first, second and third
trimesters.
Common attractive reflection points would be the following: the urinary bladder, the
loin muscles, the sigmoid colon and the small intestine valve. The points project
distress onto the lower stomach during pregnancy. The application of pressure would
be simultaneous, working both on the reflection area of the lower back and on one,
several or all of the mentioned points.
With regard to pregnant women, my students go through an embryology course that is
given by instructors coming from conventional medicine. This course presents the
ongoing processes of pregnancy, week by week, presenting the various changes the
woman’s body goes through, and the various forms of relexological therapy that
should be applied throughout the pregnancy period. This course also reveals the much
discussed “relations” between conventional medicine and Chinese medicine.
Knowledge not only prevents the situation where there is a lack of awareness to
consequences of actions taken in the treatment, but also gives the therapist a
confidence in his/hers practice.
Question
Dr. Robert St. John developed what he called the Metamorphic Technique; have you
heard of this, and, if so, do you see any similarities between it and Coordinative
Reflexology?
Answer
As I perceive it, I do not make use of the metamorphic method. My approach
is much closer to musical interpretation – both the where and how of the
pressure application are crucial: rhythm, directions, pressure levels
andcombinations are all factors effecting the sensitivity, excitement and
musical resonance that are created in the patient’s body and should all be
taken into account.
I do not think it right to “return” the patient to a stage where he/she is a fetus. I
concentrate on the now, as it is related to the past and to the future. Coordinative
Reflexology has a wide array of techniques, including a soft caressing technique, not
dissimilar to the metamorphic method. However, this technique is only a single tool
out of a larger array.
click here to link to an article about Coordinative Reflexology
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