Category: Writings

Omission

I have a quote in the notebook I always carry with me. It’s from Voltaire; I don’t have a sword, but I have a pen. A bit pretentious for me perhaps, but there’s certainly something very powerful about the written word. This brings me to my next subject; a new book by Richard Gerber entitled Vibrational Medicine for the 21st… Read more →

Lost

There is a poem by David Wagoner that I learned years ago and memorized, forgot, then memorized again. Something about it draws me back, and reminds me of various aspects of my life and my clinical work. I’ve used it in my teaching in the past, and I’ve recited it to any number of patients, but I’ve never used it… Read more →

Movement and Creation

I deal with the issue of movement in the midst of pain each and every day. In fact, I’m convinced that the essence of most therapy sessions can be reduced to the single question, “Which way do I have to move in order to feel better?” If some portion of the session does not address this, something important is missing.… Read more →

One Hand Clapping: Physical Therapy in the 21st Century

What is the sound of one hand clapping? Zen Koan I was recently listening to the poet David Whyte speak of this Zen question and what it has come to mean to him. He had previously been talking about how we become an individual by meeting the world, by reaching out toward it with attention and awareness. If you don’t… Read more →

Movement and Imagination

I’m certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart’s affection, and the truth of the imagination. Keats Our “imagination” is our ability to form an image out of something not yet fully formed around us. We must do this, we must move before we have all the facts. We put together a larger picture from small clues-we must have… Read more →

PRINCIPLES IN SIMPLE CONTACT: LETTING GO OF TECHNIQUE

I commonly emphasize the principles behind my application of Simple Contact. This is essential in reinforcing the idea that the predominant event within the course of the patient’s change is an enhanced awareness and understanding of their movement along the path of correction. Without this, relief will, in most cases, be absent or short-lived. If the patient requires something other… Read more →

Life On Mars

I’ve recently been reading a fascinating book about the search for extraterrestrial life. It’s called Captured By Aliens and was written by a columnist for the Washington Post, Joel Achenbach. (Simon and Schuster 1999). You might wonder what this might have to do with therapy, but bear with me for a moment. There is a section of the book devoted… Read more →

The Case for Neuropathic Pathogenesis

Mechanical Tension and its Consequences The following is a very brief and limited overview of some recent literature pertaining to the subject of nervous irritation and, at times, its clinical presentation. It is meant to clarify and support specifically my contention that in many cases of discomfort the appropriate essential diagnoses is that of adverse neural tension. Even mild, brief… Read more →

The Origins of Simple Contact

Charles Brooks’ Sensory Awareness: The Rediscovery of Experiencing (The Viking Press Inc. 1974) contains a chapter entitled “Simple Contact” that describes touching people (and other objects) in a fashion that, to me, was remarkably reminiscent of my own thoughts on the subject, though I read his book several years after forming them. For this reason, I chose Simple Contact for… Read more →

SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE

“Stress means you’re living someone else’s life.” Sam Keen Some of the services offered at a “wellness” clinic near my office include: Swedish massage, deep tissue work, polarity therapy, aromatherapy, Pilates exercises, trigger point therapy, guided imagery, craniosacral therapy, sports massage, herbal counseling, Trager, ortho bionomy, acupressure, Shiatsu . well, you get the idea. All of this is offered by… Read more →