People are rightly concerned about Artificial Intelligence, but consistently ignore BI, Body Intelligence. The brilliance sitting in our tissues can get us and keep us healthy and save us a ton of money and suffering.
Dr. John Upledger, the osteopathic physician who popularized CranioSacral Therapy, made a career of exploring its therapeutic value. Perhaps his most important discovery was that organs and tissues will tell us how they are and what they need.
Dr. Upledger's first BI conversation was with a patient's hypothalamus, an extremely busy brain component that regulates critical functions like metabolism and temperature. He learned that every central nervous system structure needs adequate space (room), blood, cerebrospinal fluid and energy. Subsequent investigations revealed previously unknown emotional and spiritual functions of the various CNS structures. For example, the fornix is associated with the ability to trust.
Dr. Upledger's dialoguing eventually led him to the thymus gland, access point and control center for our immune system. Not to be confused with the thyroid gland in the throat, thymus sits between the sternum and heart, a neighborhood where mechanical and emotional traumas collect. Once its basic needs are addressed, however, thymus will help us identify and eliminate pathogens and allergies; repair and replace damaged and missing tissues; and hoover up toxins and toxic emotions. Another cool thing? Thymus loves to work. Indeed, it kicks butt!
In their brain work, Dr. Upledger and his colleagues discovered a potentiality unknown to western medicine: Centrum. Centrum extends backward from the forehead to the spinal cord to the level of the heart. Centrum may not be a discrete structure we can dissect. However, it will work with us as if it were. Centrum can help us navigate swiftly and reliably through life's challenges.
Centrum is our direct, personal link to the Divine, whatever that word means for each person. Because Centrum knows our spiritual path, when a patient needs guidance, I turn them to their Centrum. Inevitably, Centrum offers advice that the patient can follow. After thanking Centrum, I remind my patients to consult their on-board GPS/counselor whenever necessary.
While it's helpful to have a working knowledge of physiology and a practitioner teaching us how, talking to our tissues is our birthright. Once learned, the process is about as complicated as coloring by numbers. For example, in the wee hours in Alaska recently, when I awoke and found myself in fight-or-flight once again, I was eventually able to calm that part of my CNS that has to do with safety and security and return to sleep. One of my patients informed that on three occasions recently talking to his tissues has resolved some burning issue and kept him from needing a doctor. Oh, happy, happy day!
Because of their potential contribution to human health and happiness, Dr. Upledger's discoveries deserve a Nobel Prize in Medicine. Of course, that's not happening, given our addiction to technology. While not rocket science, Dr. John's discoveries may help you avoid brain surgery. A perfect complement to medical care, they should be in every person's First Aid kit. Body Intelligence, you can take it to the bank!
As this is my last column, I'd like to thank you readers and the Source Weekly for your interest. Need help? www.iahp.com contains a directory of over 100,000 manual therapists from around the world.
—For 30+ years, Mike Macy, LMT, has specialized in CranioSacral Therapy and Visceral Manipulation. An avid skate skier, hiker, and birder, he can be reached at [email protected].
