Calibrating the Compass

“The mind's first step to self-awareness must be through the body." Dr. George Sheehan

"Remember this," the osteopathic physician, Michael Kern said, early on in our craniosacral therapy training, "...in any treatment situation, there are three opinions in the room - there's the client and what they know to be true - where it hurts, what happened, and what they've tried so far.

Then there's your opinion, which comes from your training, your experience, your observations and palpation. Both opinions are important and valid, but there is a third opinion in the room, and that is the one who knows. It is the body's opinion that we are here to learn from - it is the one who can show us the way."

One small comment changed my trajectory, forever. I had been working On the body, not With the body. Now I know better - I listen to the body and follow its lead. The body feels heard and shows me more.

It’s as if I’ve asked the quiet one in the room to show me what they think, and by so doing, a whole new point of view emerges. I give them a microphone, and they give me a map. The client then takes them all home and gets clear on where they really want to go.

The “One Who Knows” has been given a voice. Now inconvenient feelings, tight bodies, and tense backs can be considered Allies… Advisors… Consultants. Our Wise Bodies are giving us a Message, and if we continue to de-code their clues, we will be shown whether we’re on the right track or not.

That message, my friends, is the fulcrum that changes everything. There's a microphone in the room that we can turn on any time that we're ready. The body might need some time to accept the invitation, or we might need some time to understand how it's answering. Either way, something essential will have started - the journey we don't want to miss, will have begun.