Читать книгу The Gentle Birth Method: The Month-by-Month Jeyarani Way Programme - Karen MacLeod Swan - Страница 48

The Creative Healing back treatment is useful for treating back pain due to different causes. Even if there are no specific back problems this treatment strengthens the back and keeps it flexible, which is important for giving birth. The partner uses the tip of the thumb of each hand on either side of the spine to replace displaced substances in between the vertebral spaces. Most back pain is caused by the displacement of tissues: however, even if there is no displacement the back trouble can be helped by this remoulding movement.

The mother sits upright on a firm bench. Begin at the bottom of the spine, identify the lowest space between the sacrum and the last lumbar vertebrae – to find this ask the mother to rock gently forward and you will be able to identify the space between the sacrum and the last mobile vertebra of the spine. Place the tip of your right thumb horizontally in the soft space about an inch away from the mid-line on the right side of the spine. Feel your thumb gently sinking into this spot and with a light pressure rotate the thumb from a horizontal to a vertical position. Do not go beyond the vertical. Repeat the same movement in the same space on the other side of the spine using the left thumb. During the quarter twist of the thumb make sure that the thumb stays in the same spot. Once you have done this in the first space, move up the spine one space at a time, left hand following the right hand, until you reach the base of the neck. Work slowly with a healing intention. Once at the top of the spine use the palms of the hands stroking directly downwards, one following the other, straight down the middle 10 times. Repeat this remoulding using the thumbs as many times as you feel is necessary.

A valuable movement for remoulding the spine and loosening up tense columns of muscles on either side of the spine. The mother should sit up-right on a firm seat. [N.B. All back treatments are done sitting up as lying down will close the spaces between the vertebrae and it will not be possible to treat the spine effectively.] During this movement the thumbs are forming two blades of a pair of scissors, the rest of the fingers are stretched out and held together as units. The partner should start by placing the right thumb on the left side of the spine, with the tip of the thumb in the space between the sacrum and the last vertebra (fifth). The left thumb is placed above it on the right side of the spine in one space above the other thumb, so that the thumbs are crossing. The tips of each thumb form a pivot point. To perform the movement move the thumbs from the horizontal to vertical positions: if you think of your thumbs as two blades of pair of scissors, the scissors close. The thumbs in this way make a quarter turn in each space. Proceed in the same way up the entire spine to the base of the neck. Then begin again at the lowest part of the spine, this time with the left thumb in the higher position. These two upward movements are considered a ‘set’: perform 5-6 sets of these movements and then stroke downwards over the spine one palm following the other 10 times.

[Note: this movement loosens the back muscles and the vertebrae. I often describe this movement to my students as a bird flying up the spine.]