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Case Study Issue 118: Benefits of Shiatsu and Positive Thinking

by Geraldine McMahon(more info)

listed in shiatsu, originally published in issue 118 - December 2005

When I see a new client, my main objective is to get them to imagine what it will be like when they are healed. It can be difficult for someone who has only known ill health to visualize this, but it is vital that they do if healing is to take place. I also need to have a clear intention to facilitate healing, and if we are both clear in our shared intention, then healing can and will occur. When you look back at the illuminated seers and healers of our time (Buddha, Jesus, Lao Tzu, Moses, etc.) the most important thing to them was faith, which is accessing the powerful subconscious.

This was demonstrated to me by one of my clients, Alexander, a 67 year-old retired gentleman who was referred to me with a list of symptoms including IBS, insomnia, headaches and a painful, stiff neck, back and hip. He was predisposed to being negative about himself, his health and life.

During the course of his treatment our main focus was getting him to visualize himself as healed. This was a challenge for him, as he wasn't sleeping more than two hours a night and was constantly focusing on his pain and ill health. During his first treatment, I treated his Bladder channel while he lay on his front. This is a lovely treatment, especially for a new client as they feel completely secure whilst having their back stretched and manipulated to correct imbalances. It also gives me direct access to every channel and organ; they are all represented on the Bladder channel which runs either side of the spine, so I get a very clear diagnosis and insight into what needs balancing. It was clear that my client's Stomach and Spleen channels were out of balance; in Chinese medicine these channels are related to over-thinking and worrying and resulted in IBS symptoms.

Overview of Treatments

Rather than go through all seven treatments, I will give an overview of the treatments, how he responded and what I recommended during the course of the treatment

After the first treatment it was apparent that his Gall Bladder channel was out of balance (the Gall Bladder is related to decision making and deciding which way to turn in life). He was suffering from headaches and neck, back and hip pain along the channel pathway, so I spent three treatments freeing this channel. During each treatment I worked Heart and Heart Protector points to balance his Heart channel which was lacking in energy, resulting in insomnia. During the fifth treatment I treated his Stomach channel as he was still suffering from IBS when stressed. I got him to work with his breath to release any stress, tension and worries he was holding. After the fifth treatment he reported that the stiffness in his neck and back had cleared up and he felt calmer and more rested. He had been sleeping deeply for five hours – he couldn't remember ever having slept for so long and so deeply.

The transformation came during the final two treatments and I started seeing a real transformation – we joked about the negative thoughts and worries that would creep up on him as a matter of habit. As he told me how he had been since the last treatment, I got him to play the 'Replace A Negative With A Positive Thought' game! Humour completely relaxed him and for the first time, he really opened up and let the Shiatsu treatment and his belief in the healing take effect. I worked on his Heart channel to calm the mind and help his sleeping pattern regulate itself, while he opened up energetically and lay in a blissful state between waking and sleeping. After this treatment he was calm, happy and positive about the future, and said he had dreamt that he had been in a waterfall, completely happy and healthy. This dreamy state usually accessed during a treatment fascinates me; Einstein came up with his great ideas in this half asleep/half awake state, and many of our great scientists have received answers to perplexing problems while they were dreaming. Since then, Alexander has been sleeping deeply and restfully for an average six to seven hours, his IBS has cleared up and his entire attitude to his health and his life has changed. He's successfully turning things around and his new positive outlook is an exciting new challenge with incredible rewards.

During the course of his treatment, along with focusing on positive thinking, I recommended Chi Kung, eating in a relaxed environment (no reading/TV/ negative thoughts) and swapping newspapers with relaxing music or self-help books at bedtime.

In hindsight, this was a challenging course of treatment, not because of the list of ailments, but because my client had to change his pattern of negative thinking. It is also proof that it is possible for anyone, and that Shiatsu, together with a positive mind frame, heals on a deep emotional, physical and spiritual level.

So remember to give thanks daily for all the wonderful things which you have in your life – this is the most powerful form of affirmation.

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About Geraldine McMahon

Geraldine McMahon combines the principles of Shiatsu and positive thinking with a clear focus to raise awareness in clients, empowering and inspiring them to create a life of health, happiness and fulfilment. She has been inspired by over 20 years of Transcendental Meditation and more recently Chi Kung, NLP and Shamanic Healing. She has practices in North, West and South London, provides Magenta Healing Office Massage and organizes retreats in a magical ecological location in Portugal. Geraldine is offering Positive Health readers a 10% discount on treatments booked before February 2006. She can be contacted on Tel: 07767 496 809; geraldine@magentahealing.com; www.magentahealing.com

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