“I
approach my work from a place of neutral. I don’t
lay hands on a person with the intention of putting energy
in or taking it out. I simply pay profound attention.”
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Mending the Body and Minding the Soul
CranioSacral Therapy and Flower Essence Therapy
are powerful allies in the realm of mind-body healing work. The
two therapies
can work effectively in tandem to reveal emotional and mental
patterns that manifest in the body. Nancy Kern is a practitioner
based in Houston, Texas, who attests to their synergistic benefits
with her clients. She works with pediatric clients
whose parents are seeking alternatives. They have not received
answers from the traditional medical community and have endured
many traumatic and painful experiences. Below are some case highlights
from her impressive healing program.
Oregon Grape: Establishing Trust with Young Children
Many babies and small children have a history of birth trauma,
and simply do not want to be touched. Nancy initiates therapy
with
Oregon Grape
flower essence to support these young clients
through their initial fear of the healing relationship. These
feelings are usually based upon a prior experience of a medical
intervention that was extremely frightening and painful, even
if done out of medical necessity. Oregon Grape works with many
issues of misperceived hostility or paranoia and Nancy regards
it as the perfect essence to help young clients overcome feelings
of external threat and distrust. She works in the first session
to establish herself as a safe person to be around; helping the
child to release their anger or fear, a strategy that benefits
the parents as well.
Topical Applications of Madia or Fuchsia During Client Sessions
Madia
or
Fuchsia
flower essences are ideal
essences when a child is agitated, and cannot make contact
in the therapy session.
A case example involves Sherry, an autistic child who was “all
over the studio, knocking into walls.” Nancy was “duck-walking,” exhaustedly
following her and attempting to make contact. She applied Madia
essence to the top of Sherry’s head followed by Fuchsia.
Nancy observed a remarkable wave of calm pass through the child.
Sherry became still and sat for twenty minutes while Nancy worked.
Her mother was astonished and had never seen her daughter respond
in such a striking manner.
Resolving a Toddler’s Ear Infections
with Arnica
Nancy
has learned that
Arnica
is often
the best essence for trauma-induced conditions, and is a more
effective choice than
essences such as Shooting Star or Angelica. She relates the case
of two-year old Anna, who was connected to an internal fetal
monitor during the birthing process. The child had a history
of repeated ear infections, had been treated frequently with
antibiotics, and showed weak lung function. By the time Anna
was six months old, she needed ear tubes. Anna absolutely would
not let Nancy touch her head; she kept pushing her hands away
and attempted to avoid Nancy by climbing onto her mother’s
chest. Nancy gave the mother a stock bottle of Arnica, and advised
her to use it in Anna’s bath, in her shampoo, and any other
way that would bring the remedy in contact with the child’s
head, even putting it into Anna’s juice.
Upon returning for their appointment two weeks later, the difference
was remarkable. Anna sat still, the chaotic energy surrounding
her head was gone, and outer layers of stress were dispelled,
resulting in a noticeable energetic shift.
Anna continues to use Arnica and no longer
has ear infections, nor does she need ear tubes. Anna’s mother has treated
her with vitamins and supplements as well. With enough improvement
in the acute condition, they are now getting into structural
realignments and root causes. On one occasion, Nancy and Anna’s
mother supported her gently while she cried deep tears, an emotional
release of the separation and trauma she experienced at birth.
Following that release of grief,
she was given Calendula to increase her receptivity. Anna has indeed
become more and more receptive to Nancy’s work and will
soon be on “maintenance” visits. Anna is calm and
allows Nancy to work for about 30-40 minutes. In working with
young clients, Nancy strikes a balance between doing the work
and allowing the child to relax and play; she often sits behind
them on the table, while their mothers’ read to them, sing,
or play with them. Or, as Nancy explains, it’s common for
someone doing CranioSacral therapy with children to follow their
movements. Some children actually re-enact their birth process—even
more than once—pushing, turning, or perhaps going off the
table and mimicking the birth process. Nancy encourages these
expressions and may work with both the mother and baby on various
bonding or emotional issues.
Head Trauma Addressed with Arnica and CranioSacral Therapy
Nancy described the powerful effects of
Arnica
in another case involving a woman with traumatic
head injuries from a car accident.
The woman had had plastic surgery to remove the glass from her
skull, but her surgeon had told her that at some point, she might
find still more tiny bits of glass. Nancy worked with her client
to release fears and traumatic emotion caused by the accident.
She applied a topical dose of Arnica on the region of the forehead
and did “tissue unwinding,” a cranial technique utilizing
light touch. In this technique, the therapist is working with
the micro movements residing in the injured tissues and the fingers
move and work in the
reverse
direction
along the pathway
of an injury. Nancy believes that both Arnica and subtle bodywork
are much more powerful when used in tandem. In particular, Arnica
facilitates the process of reclaiming and healing traumatic memories.
After using this technique with the client, more glass fragments
were actually released from her scar tissue!
Progressive Healing for a Child Suffering from Seizures
Many young clients have complex and challenging
issues requiring careful work through various layers of emotional
experience.
Nancy relates a case spanning two years with Lisa, who was suffering
from infantile seizures and a brain virus when she first began
treatment at 18 months old. Lisa was born by caesarian section,
along with a twin who has no medical problems. The labor and
delivery were challenging for Lisa’s mother who contracted
an infection and was hospitalized for three days.
In her first sessions with Nancy, Lisa
would often scream, kick or fight. Nancy first saw results
with Lisa by using
Oregon Grape
.
The angry behavior dissipated, and her mother reports it occurs
only infrequently when Lisa is exposed to many people in a new
environment. During one of these instances, Lisa’s mother
brought her to see Nancy on their way home from the airport;
she was frantic and restless. After an hour, Lisa was placid
and lucid again. If her daughter goes too long without treatment,
Lisa’s mother feels she loses contact with her, but after
a session with Nancy, their rapport is re-established.
Nancy describes Lisa as “a child trapped between seizures,
digestive upsets, and not being able to communicate verbally—a
feeling of being so frustrated, with a fear of the painful seizures.” A
key remedy to help transform Lisa’s anger and open her
feelings of connection with others was
Holly
, applied topically
to the front, back, and crown of her head. Lisa also receives
other therapeutic intervention and
Blackberry
has been an important
essence to stimulate her will to master the challenges of these
healing programs.
As Lisa released various forms of energy
trapped in her body,
Snapdragon
was used for her tendency to
bite. This flower essence
was applied topically to her jaw, and also administered internally,
resulting in a marked change in her biting behavior. (Nancy notes
that Snapdragon is quite helpful for her adult clients with intense
issues regarding job stress, TMJ, or teeth-clenching. She recommends
that it be used in baths, externally on the jaw area or even
on one’s toothbrush.)
Lisa has reached a place of stability
and vitality and Nancy is able to work in increasing levels
of depth with her. As the
emotional layers are peeled away, Lisa has gone through a healing
transformation and has become increasingly receptive to deep
structural work; she remains calm and sometimes even falls
asleep.
Rosemary Provides Immediate Transformation for
an Infant
A mother consulted with Nancy because
she felt that her four-month old baby boy, Christopher, was
not “present.” He
appeared dissociated, was pale, had cold hands and feet, and
bowel movements just twice a week. Nancy used
Rosemary
topically
and could see Christopher pink up immediately. The transformation
was quite dramatic and amazing—a vitality appeared that
wasn’t there before. He also had a bowel movement! Nancy
observed, “that’s what is so beautiful working with
babies—how little it takes for them to shift and experience
being in their bodies.”
NANCY KERN
is a CranioSacral Therapist and a certified practitioner
with the
Flower Essence Society
. After graduating in pre-law
studies from Rice University in 1975, she pursued her passion
for art and healing. Nancy began to use Bach flower essences
in 1977, when she was working as an apprentice lay midwife. Following
the home birth of her first child in 1978, she became a massage
therapist specializing in polarity energy work. In 1984 she took
a 9-year hiatus from her practice in bodywork to earn a graduate
degree in painting, become the mother of two more children and
embarked on a demanding inner journey of deep recovery using
energy work and shamanism.
Nancy has completed Advanced CranioSacral Therapy, The Brain
Speaks, Pediatric CranioSacral Therapy, Somato-Emotional Release
I and II, and CranioSacral Therapy I and II with the Upledger
Institute, where she works as a teaching assistant. She is a
certified Infant Massage Instructor, with a background in women’s
self-help and midwifery. She is also a painter, poet and drummer,
and shares sweat lodges and dances with the Buffalo Moon Lodge
Community. She has taken levels I, II and III in Akashic Record
reading. She lives and works in Houston, Texas.
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