polarity therapy
'Unity or balance is the ultimate aim of all opposites.
They oppose each other on the surface and unite in the centre.'
- Dr. Randolph Stone, founder of Polarity Therapy
Polarity Therapy is a holistic method of treatment which uses gentle, hands-on bodywork to re-balance the body's energy and facilitate healing. A Polarity session also includes space for listening, allowing the client to talk through any issues as they wish. Guidance on nutrition may be offered, and Polarity exercises may be recommended as self-help techniques to practice between sessions and support the healing process.
Polarity Therapy's power lies in its ability to bring us beyond all polarities to a deeper connection with the authentic self.
Click here to watch a 6 minute youtube video of a Polarity Therapy general balancing session.
Click the links to learn more about Polarity Therapy:
Brief history of Polarity Therapy.
How does Polarity Therapy work?
What should I expect from a Polarity Therapy session?
What exactly happens during a session?
Brief history of Polarity Therapy
Polarity Therapy is the life work of Dr. Randolph Stone (1890-1981). Originally from Austria, Dr. Stone emigrated to the US as a child and spent most of his adult life in Chicago.
Dr. Stone initially trained as a Naturopath, Osteopath and Chiropractor.
He became increasingly disillusioned with the bodywork approaches he had learned, however, which he felt to be rather mechanistic.
He began to feel curious as to the root cause of people's health problems, and how he might address these for optimum benefit.
Driven by his curiosity and passion for healing, he travelled, studied, tested and synthesized many different healing systems, all of which came to influence Polarity Therapy.
Dr. Stone had a long standing interest in spiritual matters and Eastern philosophies, and made frequent visits to India. He would come to integrate principles from Ayurveda (the traditional system of Indian medicine) into Polarity Therapy. He also drew upon methods from Reflexology and Acupuncture. For Dr. Stone, his personal spiritual quest went hand in hand with his health research. He would often quote the Hermetic principle: 'As above, so below; as within, so without', to his students.
A pragmatic man, his approach and investigation into different healing systems was founded on the basic principle of "Whatever works, works!"
Dr. Stone concluded that the common denominator of all healing approaches was energy. He was fascinated by the emerging scientific awareness that all living things, including human beings, consist of energy. The name Polarity Therapy refers to the way energy travels in the human body, as in all living systems, from a positive to a negative pole, through a neutral state.
Dr. Stone taught that body, mind, emotions, and spirit are all interdependent, and that each person shares in the responsibility for their own health. Dr. Stone began to use Polarity Therapy and train others to do the same, practicing and teaching across the US and India. During his time in India, he offered a free public clinic, particularly seeking out people for whom all other forms of treatment had failed, this he considered to be a good test of Polarity Therapy.
In 1974, aged 84, he retired from teaching in the US and spent his final years in the ashram of his spiritual master in India.
Dr. Randolph Stone passed away peacefully in India in 1981, aged 91 years and 10 months.
back to topHow does Polarity Therapy work?
The aim of Polarity Therapy is to help the system to re-establish balance by freeing energy blockages. This facilitates the flow of energy along its natural patterns and pathways, thus restoring health and wellness. Polarity Therapy mobilises the individual's energy and therefore works on all levels, restoring balance to body, mind, and emotions.
All energy is governed by the three electromagnetic charges: positive, negative and neutral. Likewise, the entire body is viewed as an energy field with specific currents and patterns which vitalise the body.
A healthy body is dependent on its ability to maintain free-flowing energy circuits. Any imbalances or blockages result in pain, tension or even illness. Trauma, injury, stress or emotional upset often disturb the body's natural flow of energy.
‘All pain is blocked energy' - Dr. Randolph Stone
What should I expect from a Polarity Therapy Session?
Dr. Stone developed many specific techniques for unblocking and balancing energy flow dependent on the nature and location of the problems. Polarity Therapy uses four different approaches to balancing life energy:
• Bodywork – Hands-on, gentle and non-invasive, the bodywork mobilises the body's energy to clear blockages, restore balance and activate the body's own healing ability.
• Communication Facilitation– Polarity therapists are trained to support clients, helping them to develop a deeper awareness of areas of imbalance in their lives and the emotional and psychological patterns underlying them.
• Exercise – Specific Polarity yoga-style exercises are designed as self-help techniques. These focus on different areas of the body to calm or activate an individual's energy to promote relaxation, overall balance and wellness.
• Diet and Nutrition – The impact of diet on our health, the acid/alkaline balance of the blood and the elemental make-up of food may all be addressed during a Polarity session.
A typical session would consist of a bodywork treatment combined with one or more of the other three approaches where applicable.
The benefits of receiving a Polarity Therapy treatment are powerful and include:
Benefits of Polarity Therapy:
• Relief of physical pain - backaches, headaches, etc.
• Deep relaxation
• Release of emotional pain and trauma
• Increased vitality and sense of well-being
• Reduction in feelings of anxiety and tension
• Healthy sense of personal power
• Strengthened immune system
• Increased self-awareness
• Better circulation
• Deeper breathing
• Improved nutrition
• New and deeper insights into energetic patterns and their implications
• Increased ability to be mindful and present
• Restored functioning to vital organ systems for prevention of problems with circulation, respiration, digestion and elimination
• Improved clarity, creativity and confidence
• Enhanced sense of joy, calm and inner peace
What exactly happens during a Polarity Therapy Session?
Polarity Therapy does not claim to diagnose or treat disease specifically. The focus is on enabling and empowering you to become aware of the underlying causes for your discomfort, and restoring harmony and balance to the whole system.
In a Polarity session the practitioner and client work together in a healing relationship to address physical, mental and emotional energy issues.
• During the first Polarity session, the practitioner takes a detailed case history to establish fundamental energy imbalances. This is followed by a session of bodywork to enable you to get a “feel” of the treatment and for the practitioner to gain a clearer understanding of your general energy flow.
• Polarity bodywork is non-invasive. During the Polarity session, you lie down, fully clothed, on a bodywork table.
• The practitioner places their hands on the body generally using a light touch to connect specific reflex points or areas. In some cases, a more stimulating or deeper contact is used. Strong, forceful manipulations are not used in Polarity bodywork. The practitioner aims to “listen to and guide” the energy flow through the body to promote health and wellness.
• In addition to bodywork, the Polarity Therapy Practitioner may suggest yoga-style energy exercises, and nutritional and internal cleansing advice, where applicable. Time is also devoted to listening and communication to support your healing and growth.
Where your visit was prompted by a specific issue, it is generally advisable for you to receive 3-6 Polarity treatments to enable the body to return to full health. For general wellness and harmony, regular Polarity treatments are a wonderful way to enhance and maintain your body's natural sense of ease and balance.
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