States of Consciousness

Changes that Accompany Our Work

Many times since this journey of mine has begun, I have experienced changes in the consciousness of people on my table though our hands on work. I would say the most powerful aspect of our work is its impact not only on the physical ease of our clients’ bodies, but the changes in awareness that inevitably accompany the work.

We know that various forms of trauma, both physical and emotional, reduce the functionality or plasticity of the tissues. It’s unavoidable playing in the gravity fields! Our job is to sort that out through a series of sessions that restores plasticity to the connective tissues and creates a more economical and fluid organized structure. Hopefully, that gives folks a greater sense of ease of motion that is clearly recognizable because of our client’s relationship with our work. That is often the most obvious change that happens quite quickly. But, for those of us that have been on the “trail” for awhile, we are also very aware of the states of consciousness that accompanies those physical changes! Dr. Rolf’s beliefs revolved around the concept that the more fluidic and aligned a body was in space, the more the inner states were available to the client.

Dr. Rolf’s work began in the Human Potential movement in the 60’s. If anyone has been through a number of sessions in either cranial sacral or Rolfing, you know that there is very often an accompanying qualitative state of being that springs forth from those manual therapies, or any manual therapies for that matter. A heightened sense of well-being and sometimes something much more profound! Something that has transpired that is not within the realm of normal everyday experience unless one partakes of a meditative practice like chi gung, tai chi or yoga to name a few. There is often the very deep relaxation from just being touched which allows deeper access into their being.

If I have been able to assist in bringing balance back to some degree in my client, the question that I ask myself is, has there also been a direct change in their state of consciousness? Both Drs. Candace Pert and Ida Rolf believed that consciousness and its history was held in the molecules that make up the tissues. We who work with people are actually somatic practitioners. I believe our goal is to release limitations and restrictions in the tissue. The more important part of our jobs though, is to usher in their inner awareness so that whatever changes do occur, do so as a result of their own discovery. We are no more than a lighthouse to guide them on their way to self discovery and ultimately more ease in their lives. These deeper states are ancient. I think the reason so many practitioners are drawn to world travel to hang with those who are still practicing the ancient shamanistic practices all over the world, is to plant the seed and to change their frequencies, so they may assist their clients to a deeper place of healing.

So, here is the catapult to new states of inner knowledge, we have to attend to our own inner sensory states in order to be able to hold and reflect them for our clients. This inward focused development of sensory perception allows for our clients to access profoundly unique states of consciousness due to our impact on the field we are holding. The changes that ensue are do to the reflective nature of the work. When you have had training in cranial sacral work, you automatically perceive and hold the system differently. It is more of a holding of the entire fluidic body and not just one part that is suffering or been brought to your attention by your client. You
begin to access states of consciousness in different parts of the body, and magic unfolds, we begin to sense our selves differently in space. The inner motility of the fluids begins to change our psychic perceptions and again through reflection our clients begin to perceive themselves differently and discover a deeper connection to themselves. Fluidity in their movement is just one by product of that discovery. Fluidity and grace from a more highly tuned order. So by asking our clients after a session to perceive themselves from more of an inner sense of fluid movement and a whole being and not just parts, change proceeds more rapidly. From voluntary control to involuntary control. A reclamation of instinctual wisdom. It is the process of letting go of old ideas that no longer serve us and which often are tied up with some inhibited movement pattern. Awareness of ourselves creates powerful emotional and physical changes!