Shallow Dive: Essays on the Craft of Manual Care was self-published in 1997 and features popular and challenging essays examining both common and uncommon issues in manual care and physical therapy. Barrett Dorko relays his experiences, both clinical and non-clinical, in this important work. Through careful introspection and contemplation, he translates these experiences into thought-provoking concepts regarding health care, therapy, and life itself. The book is divided into sections dealing with theory, assessment, treatment, and the changes possible in the life of a clinician. Shallow Dive emphasizes the human aspects of a work that is easily reduced to pathology, anatomy, and biomechanics. Barrett Dorko’s diverse essays point the way toward specific techniques in manual therapy, but are more likely to wonder aloud about some of the traditional ways in which therapy is practiced and the many ways therapists may be changed by what they do.
Used and new copies are available through online booksellers. (Amazon, Abebooks)
Reviews
“Great reading and great reflection.”
Stanley Paris, Ph.D., P.T.
“Finally, a book that speaks to the heart and spirit of the therapist.”
Rebecca Stephenson, P.T.
“Should be on the required reading list for students and experienced practitioners alike. His footnotes and references are priceless.”
Joseph Kahn, Ph.D., P.T.
“If you deliver manual care, this book will be a favorite in your library.”
Diane Lee, P.T.
“Dorko writes as a thinking man in a thinking body. Shallow Dive courts the soul.” [Full Review]
Lisa Friedlander
“He realises that “care is inseparable from understanding” and that real care comes not from externally imposed mechanical forces but from a gentle touch which “respects a patient’s ability to change.” [Full Review]
Susan Hollenbery, GradDipPhys MCSP
“…this book gives you a sense of the poetry of this practice …There is great wisdom in the somatic realm.” [Full Review]
Somatics, Spring/Summer 1996
“Barrett reminds us that those of us who have chosen to enter a kind of work that not only requires that we touch others, but touch them in a way that they cannot ignore, are doing something that requires courage.” [Full Review]
Pamela K. Hansford, PT