Energy Work Defended (Against Devotees and Detractors)

Energy is too important a subject to be, on the one hand, defined only by its devotees – some of whose ideas or practices have been shown to be false or dangerous or with claims made for scientific validity where there is insufficient scientific evidence or disproof. On the other hand, energy work has been…

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Energy and Integrative Massage in Recent History

When I began as a therapist in 1977, Swedish massage, Shiatsu, Rolfing, Aston Patterning, Reiki, Feldenkrais, Alexander work, Polarity, and Cranio-sacral therapy were what one mostly encountered.  There was a broad umbrella under which they all easily co-existed. As the massage and bodywork field grew, its proliferation gave rise to new modalities, new educational standards,…

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3-D Massage – Disease, Disposition & Destiny

In my last blog piece, I outlined three realms of massage/bodywork – wellness, orthopedic, and holistic.  We can also look at three purposes for massage and bodywork.  These relate to the “3 D’s” – Disease, Disposition and Destiny. DISEASE People come to us with dis-ease.  It may be a physical disease – an injury or…

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Massage and Meditation: Sacred Science and Art

Bodywork is in some respects a sacred art form, like mandala painting. Sacred art forms are themselves pathways for self-growth, ultimately vehicles for enlightenment. In the Western world, sacred art was the predominant art style until and through the Renaissance. Dance throughout the world has been the Path of movement. I recall reading about an…

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Anatomy Review: Back of the Future, Future of the Back

By David Lauterstein, LMT, Cert. ZB Most people don’t know much about their bodies.  As a result, we live with suffering individually and as a society suffer from the symptoms of “psycho-physical illiteracy”. Most of the physical suffering happens in the back.  Lower, middle, and upper back problems account for most worker absentee-ism in the U.S. –…

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