Читать книгу The Gentle Birth Method: The Month-by-Month Jeyarani Way Programme - Karen MacLeod Swan - Страница 36

What is it?

No this is nothing to do with mystic powers, it’s a specialized hands-on massage technique using virgin olive oil. Its aim is to restore function to a disturbed part of the body. This is achieved by applying the four principles of Creative Healing, which are:

1 to normalize body temperature through cooling or warming techniques

2 to create drainage channels to decongest (along with lymphatic drainage)

3 to remove congestion by light massage on thickened areas under the skin

4 to reposition displaced substances i.e. within vertebral disc spaces, or knee cartilage.

Its pedigree

Creative Healing was developed by Joseph B. Stephenson, who was born in 1874 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He migrated to America, where he practiced as a respected healer for over 20 years and passed on his method to several chiropractors and physical therapists on his retirement. Creative Healing has a wide following in the United States and in 1989 I met Patricia Bradley of The Joseph B. Stephenson Foundation of Creative Healing, based in California. Struck by the simplicity and effectiveness of the method, in 1990 I invited Patricia and her husband John to come to London to teach us the method. Since then I have been practising Creative Healing and have taught courses in England, Europe and India.

Creative Healing in pregnancy

The success of Creative Healing in clearing the body of congestion and optimizing physiological function was my primary reason for incorporating it into my Gentle Birth Method programme. There is a great need for the joints and muscles of the lower back, sacrum and coccyx to be functionally mobile and clear from congestion if a mother is going to have a gentle birth. When muscles and ligaments within the body are returned to their natural state, they automatically become supple and elastic. The Creative Healing treatments in the programme concentrate on bringing about this transformation to the birthing areas – the spine, pelvic area, sciatic area and sacrum. However, since birth is a function of the whole body, treatments for the organs that are important to maintain optimum health – for instance, the heart, liver, pancreas and gut – are included at specific times during pregnancy.

What it can do for you in pregnancy

 Reduce nausea and vomiting

 Optimize digestion and pancreatic function

 Relieve constipation and regulate bowel function

 Increase energy levels

 Reduce breathlessness

 Reduce anxiety and stress

 Eliminate back and neck pain

 Eliminate sciatica

 Stimulate the lymphatic drainage in all key areas of the body

 Cleanse and drain the pelvic area

Can you do it yourself?

Some parts. The basic General treatment explained on page 55 can be administered to you by your partner. This is gentle and easy and has immediate benefits. However, the most important massage technique for your partner to learn is the Pelvic Drainage massage (see page 68). This is a 10-minute procedure that ideally should be performed every other day, especially from 36 weeks of pregnancy, in order to create more space for your baby’s descent into your pelvic birthing space. You will need to see a qualified Creative healer for the other treatments that tone up your heart, digestive system and other vital areas of your body.