Healing touch - the line between good & bad

by cstherapist 11 Replies latest jw friends

  • cstherapist
    cstherapist

    Hello everyone, I am a Norwegian therapist using various treatment modalities in my work. I have heard that JW's are against the use of touch in therapy, and I am wondering if this statement is correct? Or does it only apply to bodywork where the therapist has a "spiritual intention", for example by asking silently for answers to specific questions?

    I am trained in myofascial release techniques (deep tissue massage), and here I mainly detect contracted tissue by looking at the client's posture and performing range of motion-tests. I have problems seeing how this could be forbidden by the Bible. It is simply body sculpting.

    Some of my other techniques, however, are far more subtle and of a more "listening" character. This is especially true of craniosacral therapy, which is based on mechanical principles but, as the manual pressure is extremely light and the goal is to follow the direction of ease in which the client's body moves, it can be reminiscent of meditation. The therapist must be very quiet and tune in to the minute movements of the client. This work can have profound emotional effects and give both the client and therapist visions, for example of the accident wherein the touched body part was injured.

    Personally I believe in biointelligence and tissue memory - it does not seem far-fetched to me that information can be received from another individual by experiencing their electromagnetic energy field, which permeates and to a certain degree extends beyond the human organism. (By the way, it is this field that MRI, ECG and EEG scans monitor - the field's existence is proven beyond doubt.) Does it not sound reasonable that the sense of this field is a sixth sense, comparable to sight or hearing? The blind rely on more than just their hearing to visualise their surroundings. An active use of this sense is, in my opinion, what allows some people to feel what is troubling people they have never met before. The information is stored in their bioenergetic field. Have you never felt stress or "bad vibes" from a person passing you on the street, even though you didn't look at him and therefore couldn't read his body language?

    I have a friend who is a JW, and she is warning me against using these subtle techniques. But I cannot see how it can be a bad thing that I am helping people with loving intention. I'm not asking angels for help while I do my work, I just follow the client's movements, letting the client "unwind" himself. The client has to repair himself. All I do is offer some external energy (my own energy) in order for the repair to start. It is very difficult for me to imagine working as a therapist without doing my best, so it is frustrating when my friend tells me that many of my best techniques will only bring trouble. What does the Bible say regarding this matter?

    I believe my intuition comes from knowledge within the client's biomechanism - not from demons. Past life experiences (which none of my clients have had thus far, I might add) can be explained with the fact that fragments of one's ancestors are in the DNA. How can it be bad to try doing good? I don't get it.

  • cstherapist
    cstherapist

    I am sorry that there are no line breaks - I tried making them but they disappeared...shucks

  • ex-nj-jw
    ex-nj-jw

    Welcome to JWD!

    I'm not sure how to answer this one, not much on the bible here. But I can say the JW's are very superstitious.

    I'm sure others will be on help you out soon!

    nj

  • lesterd
    lesterd

    They are afraid that touch, which feels good, is sexual, or can be. They are so uptight, that touching can lead to imoral thoughts and actions, so they try and keep a dont touch anyone but your mate policy.

  • Awakened07
    Awakened07

    They don't believe that God works miracles through anyone today, not even in their own congregation, so anything that is - or seems to be - spiritual healing, must be from Satan and his demons. However, if you could show that this is a purely physical practice that can be verified scientifically, then I guess at least some JWs would allow it, but they would probably still be very cautious, as they are very 'superstitious' as has been mentioned. Pretty much anything that is not from the organization is from Satan in some way or another according to them, even if it is something that helps people, because "Satan makes himself into an angel of light" to deceive us. Or so they would say. I guess the fear of touch from a sexual point of view is also there, as was mentioned above, but I think the fear of evil spirits is bigger.

  • quietlyleaving
    quietlyleaving

    Hi cstherapist

    Hello everyone, I am a Norwegian therapist using various treatment modalities in my work. I have heard that JW's are against the use of touch in therapy, and I am wondering if this statement is correct? Or does it only apply to bodywork where the therapist has a "spiritual intention", for example by asking silently for answers to specific questions?

    I am trained in myofascial release techniques (deep tissue massage), and here I mainly detect contracted tissue by looking at the client's posture and performing range of motion-tests. I have problems seeing how this could be forbidden by the Bible. It is simply body sculpting.

    Some of my other techniques, however, are far more subtle and of a more "listening" character. This is especially true of craniosacral therapy, which is based on mechanical principles but, as the manual pressure is extremely light and the goal is to follow the direction of ease in which the client's body moves, it can be reminiscent of meditation. The therapist must be very quiet and tune in to the minute movements of the client. This work can have profound emotional effects and give both the client and therapist visions, for example of the accident wherein the touched body part was injured.

    Personally I believe in biointelligence and tissue memory - it does not seem far-fetched to me that information can be received from another individual by experiencing their electromagnetic energy field, which permeates and to a certain degree extends beyond the human organism. (By the way, it is this field that MRI, ECG and EEG scans monitor - the field's existence is proven beyond doubt.) Does it not sound reasonable that the sense of this field is a sixth sense, comparable to sight or hearing? The blind rely on more than just their hearing to visualise their surroundings. An active use of this sense is, in my opinion, what allows some people to feel what is troubling people they have never met before. The information is stored in their bioenergetic field. Have you never felt stress or "bad vibes" from a person passing you on the street, even though you didn't look at him and therefore couldn't read his body language?

    I have a friend who is a JW, and she is warning me against using these subtle techniques. But I cannot see how it can be a bad thing that I am helping people with loving intention. I'm not asking angels for help while I do my work, I just follow the client's movements, letting the client "unwind" himself. The client has to repair himself. All I do is offer some external energy (my own energy) in order for the repair to start. It is very difficult for me to imagine working as a therapist without doing my best, so it is frustrating when my friend tells me that many of my best techniques will only bring trouble. What does the Bible say regarding this matter?

    I believe my intuition comes from knowledge within the client's biomechanism - not from demons. Past life experiences (which none of my clients have had thus far, I might add) can be explained with the fact that fragments of one's ancestors are in the DNA. How can it be bad to try doing good? I don't get it.

    I've highlighted the words and phrases that are likely to cause JWs to become very suspicious of your techniques. Just don't use those words and phrases when you are treating JWs. Lots of JWs I know have had craniosacral therapy, releasing techniques and kineisology but on the other hand lots have refused such treatments because of fear of the demons

  • BrentR
    BrentR

    It's not just JW's that avoid healing energy type therapy. A very large chunk of my massage therapy clients come to me because I do not employ any energy type modalities. I stick to the bio-mechanical sciences and the techniques that have been researched and peer reviewed. It is easier to explain the science of massage therapy then to try to convince someone of a belief system, especially when it conflicts with one of thier own.

    I would lose at least half of my clients if I started any new age type treatments.

  • cstherapist
    cstherapist

    I am aware that many people are skeptical of therapists who mix religion into their therapeutic practise. It seems a bit freaky to me as well. I am not trying to summon divine power or anything like that. My work is based purely on physics, or at least that's how I see it. But I can understand that it sounds new age to someone who hasn't read the scientific theory behind energy work. (I am here referring to Oschman's book, which I can heartily recommend to any therapist. A heavy read though!) It is not quite correct to say that massage therapy isn't an energy type modality - a big part of the effects of massage can be attributed to the piezoelectric effect which results from compressing tissue. Massage, acupuncture and directing energy all create piezoelectricity, resulting in myofascial release amongst other things. Massage therapists, and especially Rolfers (who focus a lot on fascia as well as muscle) are also reported to have visions/hunches when doing bodywork. It is not the modality that makes a treatment "energetic", it's the therapist's ability to listen. I usually keep silent about the energetic aspects of my work and give a purely mechanical explanation of what I do, which avoids collision of belief systems. Is this wrong? I have no qualms about it because of my own beliefs - and it's so much easier than to start talking about quantum biophysics - but I guess that from a JW perspective it would be quite provocative.

  • BrentR
    BrentR

    Alot of my patients usually ask me how does accupuncture, reflexology, shiatzu etc work. When I try to explain the theory to them I get the "deer in the headlights look" often times. I have no doubt that we have intelligent energy/particle activity going on within and around us but it just has not been proven via the scientific methods yet. But it looks like it will be discovered or proven within our lifetimes. Most scientists know it's there but can't really prove it for now.

    So for the moment it gets relegated to a belief/religion. But we know how many times that has changed throughout history.

    The JW's still think magic is supernatural or demonism. If they bothered to read a little outside of thier cult programing literature they would find out it's physchology, mis-direction, slight of hand and some physics artfully bundled together with some talent.

    IMHO ignorance is one of the most powerful crippling forces on this planet.

  • cstherapist
    cstherapist

    I'm a bit surprised that no replies have come from JW's. I thought this was their forum?

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