[WhollyViber] Neurostructural Integration Technique

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Misty L. Trepke

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Neurostructural Integration Technique® (Advanced Bowen Therapy)

by Michael J Nixon-Livy

 

The Neurostructural Integration Technique® (NST) is an extremely

powerful multidimensional technique, which has been specifically

developed for the ongoing dynamic integration of the structure and

viscera via stimulation of the central, peripheral autonomic nervous

systems. The main objective is to remove pain and dysfunctional

physiological conditions by restoring the structural integrity of

the body.

 

In essence NST provides the body with an opportunity to

reintegrate on many levels, and thus return to and maintain normal

homeostatic limits on a daily basis.

 

History and Development

 

In the late 1950s an Australian osteopath Tom Bowen, discovered

unusual relationships existed between certain health complaints and

particular patterns of muscular dysfunction his patients presented

with.

 

This observation led to many years of intense clinical

research, which ultimately resulted in the development of a unique

system of myofascial stimulation, which brought about long term

corrections to the unusual patterns of muscular dysfunction and the

corresponding health complaints in his patients as well.

 

Tom Bowen referred to his work simply as soft tissue therapy.

He continued to develop and refine this work right up until his

death in 1982.

 

He started his career by working with junior football clubs in

Victoria, Australia, as a masseur and treated the general public at

home after hours. Bowen quickly discovered that he had what can only

be described as an extreme hypersensitivity of the fingers and

hands, which apparently enabled him to feel nerve transmission and

consequently find blockages in the nervous and muscular systems. In

fact often times during experiments when working on somebody, if he

performed a move, as he called them, which was wrong, then he would

receive a burning sensation in the fingers so hot that it would

necessitate him quickly leaving the room to cool his fingers under

cold running water. Add to this unique ability of touch, a

discerning eye for variation in surface tension on his client's

body, you have a man with a rare and powerful experimental

methodology for probing the body. It is indeed fortunate that these

unique abilities were further enhanced by Bowen's genuine compassion

and love for his fellow man and a strong drive to help whoever he

could and whenever he could, as this enabled him to create a system

which is now usable by many others.

 

Bowen became famous throughout his career for being able to

cure the incurable, and find solutions when none seemed possible. He

treated everybody the same, from street drunkards to the well known

and powerful. When investigated in 1975 by the Australian Government

for potentially practising osteopathy without a licence it was

revealed that he was treating approximately some 13,000 people per

year, with amazing success. Rather than closing his business down,

the investigation only served to make him and his methods more well

known and famous, a mantle ironically he tried to avoid.

 

His work did not just stop with humans however, as he also

achieved great notoriety for his wonderful success with animals. In

particular he was well known around the Melbourne racehorse industry

as his work so often helped a racehorse to victory.

 

Throughout his career there were only five people with whom he

spent significant amounts of time at his clinic, to show them his

technique and the secrets behind using it.

 

Interestingly the five individuals were shown the technique as

it existed at various times throughout his highly developmental

style career. Consequently after his death different interpretations

of his work have sprung up from these students, representing one

phase or another in his career.

 

I personally worked with various people to develop the

Neurostructural Integration Technique®. The advantage of NST is that

it is quicker and smoother in its application than the earlier forms

and also consistently achieves excellent results in more difficult

cases. It is now practised in many countries around the world

including Britain, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Italy,

Spain, USA and Australia.

 

Like so many artists and geniuses whose work continues to grow

and prosper well after their death, Bowen's work in all its forms is

becoming generally known around the world as Bowen Therapy and

continues to grow in popularity amongst a wide variety of therapist

groups. Massage therapists, sports medicine therapists,

physiotherapists, acupuncturists, osteopaths, doctors,

chiropractors, dentists, hypnotherapists, kinesiologists,

naturopaths, and psychologists, to name the most popular groups.

 

Philosophy and Application

 

The real secret to why NST works is because of its

underpinning philosophy. It was this which enabled Bowen to devise a

system to suit the philosophy and hence for the philosophy to

consistently work through the system.

 

Put simply, the philosophy is that the body is a self

regulating bioenergetic and biomechanical phenomena which will

continue to regulate itself for as long as it has the reserve energy

necessary to sustain life, by the ongoing process of biological

adaptation. Bowen realised that the body would regulate itself and

return to balance if the appropriate neurological and neuromuscular

context was created so that it could. There was never the question

of if it could, this was implicit – the fact that the person had

life was evidence enough that it could!

 

He discovered that there is a particular cycle in the body

which must be free to operate unimpeded, if the individual is to

enjoy good health and balance. Whilst he perceived that this cycle

was perceptible at an energetic level, he was equally aware of its

physical components namely the sacrum, coccyx, cranium and

Temporomandibular Joint complex and the dural membrane, which

connects them to make them a functional unit. Over and above the

importance of recognising the need for this system to remain

unimpeded, was his emphasis and insistence on releasing the

neuromuscular imbalances throughout the body, which have such a

direct impact on the proper functioning of the cycle and onsequently

the health of the whole body.

 

He postulated that if all muscular imbalances could be released

that the body would regulate itself, and in this process pain and

symptoms would vanish and energy levels would increase.

 

His real brilliance however lies in the actual system he

devised to enable this automatic systematic reintegration to take

place.

 

Bowen recognised that when the body was stimulated in a very

particular fashion that the intelligence of the body would be

alerted (as he put it) and the process of unravelling neuromuscular

compensations would begin. Depending on the extent of compensation

in the body, this unravelling process could take anywhere from 5

minutes to 7 days at which time the body would go into a holding

pattern. A reassessment would be required to evaluate the client

again, then another session carried out to restart the unravelling

process once again if necessary.

 

In clinical practice on average it is common to receive reports

from clients that they can feel the body going through the

unravelling process for approximately 2 – 4 days. There is often a

very similar pattern experienced with body aches which move from one

location to another (e.g. shoulder to knee), some sweating,

emotional releases with some clients, but above all a very deep

sense of relaxation and change taking place. In addition many

clients report noticing their symptoms leaving their bodies in the

reverse order to which they arrived.

 

The actual application of the technique is interesting in

itself, as it is distinctly different from any other technique

attempting to achieve the same goal.

 

In the first instance, a three part integrated body balance is

applied which is partly performed with the client in a prone

position and then finished with the client in the supine position.

The work generally commences in a prone position, around the lumbar

area and then quickly moves to the thoracic area before returning to

the legs and sacrum. There are a few resting periods between the

various sequences of 'moves', which are carried out before moving

the client into a supine position.

 

The prone work, including resting periods, usually takes about

15 minutes to perform. Once the client is in the supine position,

additional releases are applied to the diaphragm, neck and knees –

this also takes another 10 – 15 minutes to complete. Other optional

procedures may be blended into this integrated body balance to add

specificity or release when necessary. There are optional procedures

for the shoulders, elbows and wrists, pelvis, ankles, coccyx and TMJ

complex.

 

The integrated balance which is applied to the body via the

specialised moves, is directed to areas where proprioreceptors

(spindle cells and Golgi tendon organs) abound. However, it is not

just single stimulation of these points which elicits such a

comprehensive and powerful response in each individual – rather it

is the configuration in which the moves are carried out.

 

Consequently the integrated balance once applied synthesises an

orchestrated response involving alpha and gamma motor neurones,

various spinal reflex arcs, the motor cortex of the cerebrum, the

basal ganglia and the cerebellum.

 

It is reasonable to state that the Neurostructural Integration

Technique® once applied creates a powerful context for change to

take place in the musculoskeletal and visceral systems via what can

only be described as a specific decoding of the nervous system and a

comprehensive resetting of the body.

 

Once the session is over the client is given aftercare

recommendations which basically reminds them that their body will go

through a process of re-organisation for a few days and to take it

easy during this time by doing nothing too physically strenuous. The

client is also advised to keep up daily walking and sufficient

intake of water to help flush the lymphatic system and assist the

musculature to return quickly to stable balance.

 

Although to the client the session seems simple, noninvasive

and gentle, the results are nevertheless very surprising and often

miraculous. While this is the case for the client, the practitioner

comes to expect these wonderful results, as dependability is one of

the key characteristics of the NST technique.

 

Typically clients will require only 2 – 3 sessions for their

health problems to be resolved. Additional sessions may be required

for those with chronic health problems or who require ongoing

psychological and/or nutritional support

 

I am often asked " will NST cure this condition or that

condition " ? My response is always the same – NST will cure nothing!

It is simply a process that enables the body to regulate itself, and

throughout this process many symptoms will disappear. That is to say

that the symptoms in the first place were simply a product of the

complex blockage existing in the body. While this may appear to be

just semantics I stress that the distinction is very important to

keep in mind. NST is synonymous with contextual healing – a lost art

which is now having a resurgence and gaining both popularity with

practitioners and clients alike. Another well-known example of a

contextual healing approach is homoeopathy. Interestingly many

individuals have dubbed NST as tactile homeopathy!

 

The following list of symptoms frequently disappear in response

to an NST session; acute and chronic pain including back pain, neck

pain, shoulder pain, leg pain, facial pain, headaches including

migraines, sinusitis, digestive problems, colitis, constipation,

urinary disorders, menstrual problems, infertility, prostate

problems, visual problems, learning disorders and emotional

depression.

 

While the above conditions are the most classical there are

many other disorders which generally respond favourably to treatment

as well. Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Glandular Fever

and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to name a few.

 

The following case studies are typical of NST sessions

 

A An 8 year old girl, presented with impaired co-

ordination, scoliotic pelvis, perception disorder of the muscles,

and heavy binocular squint (especially when tired). The child had

previously received the best possible medical care available. After

the first application of NST the child said she " felt different " ;

after the second application of NST she was able to ride her scooter

and walk up and down the stairs, an activity she was previously

unable to do without the help of somebody else. For the first time

in her life she felt pain after muscular exertion. After the third

application of NST her physiotherapist asserted that the scoliotic

pelvis was now straight, as were relevant points on the scapulae as

well. At the same time the co-ordination and perception of the

muscles had improved so much that even a forward somersault was

possible. After the fourth application of NST – incredible but true –

the ophthalmologist asserted that the child squinted no longer. In

fact this test was carried out when the child was quite tired,

having come straight from school. She continues to improve. Dr.

Michaele Bückmann, Dusseldorf, Germany, 1998.

 

B David S a 30-year-old accountant presented complaining of

lower back pain due to a football injury that had persisted for 11

years. Although very skeptical during his first NST session he

admitted to feeling 80% better within the following days. " Okay I

feel heaps better, but how could such light moves on my body

possibly provide this much relief " ? His second visit convinced him,

as he now remains absolutely pain free. Pam Bolger, Melbourne,

Australia, 1998.

 

C A 61-year-old woman presented with a very long history of

chronic tension in the shoulders and severe weekly migraine attacks

and chronic insomnia. She had previously tried allopathic medicine,

osteopathy, massage, acupuncture, and according to her " everything

else possible. " She came with a somewhat skeptical attitude because

everything else she had tried provided only temporary relief. After

the first session she was sleeping better and the tension had gone

from her shoulders. She had also experienced a week without a

migraine attack. After the second session her energy levels where

very high, she was pain free and felt " wonderful " . To date she has

required no further sessions. Judith Smale, France, 1999.

 

In Conclusion

 

The Neurostructural Integration Technique® is a very powerful

and effective advanced Bowen Therapy which can be used to resolve a

plethora of health problems, both acute and chronic, in a gentle,

timely and safe manner. Results are consistently long lasting for

even the most severe and chronic cases.

 

Its place in the field of bodywork is well established, as

evidenced by the many hundreds of practitioners around the world.

 

The Neurostructural Integration Technique® is held in high

esteem for its remarkable clinical effectiveness and high level of

dependability.

 

Further Information

For further information on NST training in North America please

visit www.physicalogic.com/events