Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™
By Sue Ricks
Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ is a subtle yet powerful technique of Reflexology. It is an incredibly effective and delightful technique which allows the practitioner to work gently, although deeply with the client in all levels of life, i.e. emotionally, physically and energetically.
Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ (GTR) is specifically a massage of the feet (or hands) which allows the unique lightness of touch to penetrate the reflex points that are located in the feet. The feet and hands have reflex points located within, that reflect all areas of the body. Additionally the feet can indicate how the client is feeling and dealing with life. Most people initially under-estimate the power of the subject, and it is not until the students are actually underway with their training that they realise the potential of the therapy.
What is Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™?
Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ is a method of aiding and assisting an individual to access their own healing potential via a specific massage of the feet (or hands). It acts as a facilitator for their own healing ability and supports their own healing powers. This is an important aspect to Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ as I believe that the power of the therapy is in the ability of the practitioner to use the natural energy flow to empower the client. The reflex points for every area of the body are located in the feet or hands and are accessed via the various subtle energy pathways in the body.
There are many different techniques used in Reflexology. There is evidence that Reflexology has been used for centuries, including the most notable example of Reflexology being used in the physician’s tomb in Saqqara Egypt
Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ is specifically a light and gentle touch which allows the client to relax in a supportive reclining chair and receive a delightful massage of the feet that does not hurt or cause discomfort.
Traditionally Reflexology has used a firm pressure on the feet, whereas Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ is an advanced method of accessing the feet and energy field of the client while using the most minimal of touch.
Over the centuries practitioners of Reflexology have used a variety of pressures on the feet, from extremely hard or painful, to touch of a lighter nature This is in direct relationship to the way in which we lived and worked. In years gone by our lives demanded that our feet had to cope with hard surfaces, stone floors, cloth footwear and walking for miles. In the modern era our feet are extremely cosseted areas of our body. We wear shoes with effective and protective soles, in our homes we have smooth floors and carpets and people rarely spend much time bare foot. Most people do not need to expose their feet to the kind of labours that caused their feet to develop deep protective layers of skin. In view of the modern trend of living, and new vibrations of life in the 21st century, it is now becoming more appropriate to use a more subtle energy and touch which blends with the client’s needs. GTR is such a soft, light and gentle touch that all areas of the mind, emotions, body and energy can be aided and assisted.
The development of Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™
My own experiences of Reflexology have led me to develop Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ as a specified and recognised therapy. I am passionate about the powers and abilities of Reflexology in general, having been introduced to Reflexology by a practitioner who used a more pressurised technique. My first impressions were that Reflexology had huge potential and I realized that it was a powerful and effective force. I also knew however, that there was something missing for me. I experienced the pressurised techniques for some time and felt I was searching for the missing link, and was fortunately introduced to a more soft and subtle method by my mother. This more subtle approach had a profound impact on me and I knew that I had found the first piece in my missing link. I met Patricia Morrell who first introduced me to the softer and more subtle methods of using a light touch. In continuing my intuitive development of a variety of different and subtle energy techniques I have been led to develop Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™. It has been said that the lighter the touch the more profound the benefit. The techniques used in Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ are specific to the supportive way of using the subtle energies of the client and practitioner to achieve an amazing degree of success.
CASE HISTORY. 1 SHOULDER PAIN
Valerie came to Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ following a recommendation, and went on to train in the therapy
following an unexpected level of success in treatment. She had been working at
and
developed intense pain in her shoulders following a stressful period in her life. She was extremely thorough in her
initial questioning of what Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ was, and how it worked, as she came from the medical
profession and needed evidence. She now freely admits that she was the original true sceptic but desperate for
relief from the shoulder pain. Following the first two treatments she felt noticeably better in herself, and
significantly better physically. Within three weeks she had no pain in her shoulder at all, and was able to resume
using a small hand bag which she had previously been unable to carry. The difference that Gentle Touch of
Reflexology ™ had made to her physically was matched emotionally and energetically to an extent that she felt the
need to train in Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ in order to share what she had experienced with others.
CASE HISTORY. 2 MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Anne has multiple sclerosis and had been in a wheelchair for several months following a steady decline in her condition. Anne is a young woman who had heard of Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ and wondered if it could help her. She is a very independent lady and found life in a wheelchair intolerable. She arrived determined to stand, but was actually carried by her husband who held her under her armpits whilst she tottered on sticks for the few yards from her wheelchair to the Reflexology reclining chair. Anne had her first treatment of Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ and amazed everyone by getting up at the end of the session and walking! She literally stood up and walked. She proceeded to walk out of the clinic unaided to rejoin her husband, and was back at work full time within 5 weeks of the initial treatment.
CASE HISTORY 3 NECK INJURY
A client came with great discomfort in his neck following a skiing accident over 18 years previously that had left him with restricted movement. During a period of four treatments he experienced brief initial discomfort followed a total recovery of full movement and rotation of the neck. It is common for some people to experience and brief set back or flare up of their condition before healing is felt and the condition improves.
What can Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ do?
This is a powerful therapy which utilises the practitioner’s understanding of how people, feet and energy systems work. The practitioner can support the client on a deep level by “reading the feet” and getting a broad overall picture of the client’s needs. Every client is asked to provide full medical case history details via a short questionnaire that the practitioner will discuss and talk through. This will be the first way in which the practitioner will assess how they can best support and assist the client. Practitioners are also taught how to read and interpret many additional indicators, i.e. footwear analysis, initial impression of the client, health factors and specifically the information that can be read from the zones of the feet.
It is important to make a visual diagnosis in order to assess, prior to any touch, the primary areas for the client. The better the practitioner can create a picture of what the client’s requirements are, the better they can build up a sense of how to support and work with that clients’ own individual needs.
People will benefit from Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ for an enormous number of conditions and areas of life. The list is so wide ranging that it would be impossible to detail them all, although the following are a few indications of the types of conditions that can be assisted by the therapy:-
· skeletal problems i.e. back & neck injuries
· headaches and migraines
· digestive disruptions including irritable bowel syndrome and colic in babies
· depression and sleep related issued
· infertility and hormonal irregularities
THE POTENTIAL OF Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™
From my many years of experience in Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ I have seen some amazing results and believe that most people possibly underestimate the potential for the therapy. It must be pointed out that although the potential is enormous there is no guarantee of the outcome. We are working so sensitively with the client and their whole system that we work on all levels, emotional, energetic and physical, and therefore the benefit can be experienced in any one of these areas. It is often the case that a client will come for Reflexology for one need, and experience a different benefit.
CASE HISTORY 4 EYE SIGHT AND SKIN CONDITION.
One lady came for treatment for a skin condition, and the first thing she noticed was a change in her eyesight. She travelled back to her home town to see her optician who has seen her since childhood and was amazed to be told that she had gained the sight of her left eye in which she had previously been blind. I personally believe that this is a demonstration of the power of Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™. In this case the potential for her eye to work was there, but it had never been “switched on”. It was after her eyes had benefited that her skin also responded to treatment In all cases it is the ability to stimulate the client’s own healing powers that is the key to success.
HOW DOES Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ DIFFER FROM OTHER FORMS OF REFLEXOLOGY
The unique lightness of touch and method of treatment is what contributes to this therapy being regarded as so special to those who practice it. The advanced skills integrate many different factors including light massaging strokes, the use of an oil to aid the flow of the treatment and many subtle energy harmonising techniques.
Once a treatment has begun there is continuous contact with the feet throughout the treatment. The practitioner will “flow” from one foot to the other whilst working through all of the systems and areas of the body. This allows the client to feel supported and balances the energies of the whole person. Additionally the integration of the visual diagnostic techniques enhance the overall effectiveness of assessment of client needs. The use of an oil, the lightness and subtlety of touch, and flow between both feet during the treatment are the main differences in Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ to some other methods of treatment.
It became necessary to use the specific name of Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ in order to assist people to identify the specific techniques that we use. Some clients have booked themselves treatments whilst on holiday or working away, and reported back that they wished there had been a way to identify clearly the type of Reflexology that they were used to. It has been found that the clients and graduates of the therapy enjoy locating others in the same field to share their experiences.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
I believe that the power of Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ lies in the fact that it is a “gentle touch”. It is a normal reaction to recoil if there is anticipated pain. The aim of this therapy is to allow the client to lie in a comfortable supportive reclining chair, have their feet wrapped in soft warm towels, and receive something that feels like a soothing and pleasant foot massage. A treatment of Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ should feel light, soft and soothing, and no more invasive than that. The appearance of the technique is very deceptive and many people have watched a treatment, and found it very relaxing and wondered if something so soothing can be as powerful as it claims. It is this subtle approach that is the key to its success, as the client is more receptive to the healing energies when feeling safe, supported and protected. The client will sense from the first touch that this treatment will be comforting and beneficial. They do not anticipate pain or discomfort and therefore no “barriers” are put up. People will instinctively protect themselves and pull back if they feel exposed or vulnerable in any way.
The training goes into much detail, even about the importance of how the towels are placed around the client’s feet as this also has an important role to play in how the client feels. There are also many other important features of the treatment which make this so special to those who are intuitively drawn to practice and receive the treatment.
The training is very thorough and in depth, and covers a wide variety of subjects that interlink with Reflexology. Students have come from all over to learn how to use this therapy which includes a whole variety of essential features including linking the energy of certain reflex points in order to balance and achieve homeostasis. The vibrational work on certain reflex points, chakra and energy points are profound.
It is essential for the practitioner to understand how they are working with the energy field of the client and their own energy. The tuition that the students receive is in a vital area of understanding concerning how to protect their own energy in order to be safe and effective for their clients. The energetic interplay has to be understood in order to work safely with the client. It is this understanding that dramatically accelerates the potential results of the treatment.
THE BENEFITS TO THE PRACTITIONER
Many reflexologists are now finding that they are unable to sustain the pressure in their thumbs that impacts on their wrists, elbows, shoulders and neck. Many students and graduates of the training have been drawn to Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ as a method of working with clients in a way that also supports themselves. In my experience it is essential that both client and practitioner feel totally comfortable in order for true healing to occur. There is no pressure used in this method of treatment so that both the client and the practitioner benefit. We are working energetically and via the chakras. We can read the feet and adapt the principles and practice to the specific client.
CASE HISTORY 5
Janice had been working as a reflexologist for 5 years and was starting to feel discomfort in her thumbs and elbows following a full day in clinic. She saw Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ demonstrated at a healing exhibition and came to try the treatment. She was so impressed by how it relieved her own medical condition, and how she experienced such a lovely glowing feeling of well being, that she decided to learn the therapy for herself and share it with others.
THE FUTURE OF Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™
In my years of experience in Reflexology and many other energy related fields, I have come to believe that the more subtle and gentle approach to life is the most powerful and potent. People respond well to gentleness, kindness, knowledge and professionalism. A simple test you can perform to demonstrate how Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ works it by pressing your thumb hard onto your arm and see what you feel. Then let your thumb recover. After a few moments gently place your thumb on the skin (do not press) in a slightly different location on your arm. Gradually increase the pressure on your arm and sense what you feel. You may find that you can sense and feel a great deal more when you touch more gently and sensitively. This is how Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ works, as the lightness of touch allows the practitioner to pick up more information if they touch the feet gently. They can use the information that is “read” by visual diagnosis, together with what they feel and sense, in order to aid and assist the client’s own healing potential.
ATTITUDE OF MIND
A positive and realistic approach is vital in this therapy. This is achieved by thorough understanding, and in depth knowledge and awareness of self and others. The client receives the benefit of all of these approaches. Most people who experience Gentle Touch of Reflexology ™ notice that they feel a subtle and yet profound sense of inner confidence and calm, as well as a feeling of well being and a more positive outlook to whatever life challenges they are experiencing. People feel better physically, emotionally and energetically with this therapy.
Gentle Touch™ Reflexology is the trade mark of Sue Ricks
About the Author
Sue Ricks (Cert Ed) is a lecturer in Reflexology at the University of Derby UK
For further information
For further information on training courses and Gentle Touch™ Reflexology, Email: suericks@suericks.com, website www.suericks.com
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