American Massage Therapy Association^®

LESSONS FROM THE SESSIONS: REFLECTIONS OF JOURNEYS IN CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY (web exclusive)
By Don Ash

The first lesson from CranioSacralSM sessions revealed in this collection of essays by Upledger Institute instructor Don Ash, PT, is “the body will lead the way.” In “Healing Crisis,” Ash describes how his own body led him from an overly committed career to a quieter path by means of a life-threatening illness. He left a hectic management position at a clinic for an expansive private practice in a converted New Hampshire farmhouse. He also teaches CranioSacral seminars, both the beginning course and advanced gross anatomy.

In “Clinical Applications of the Dissection Experience,” he discusses how the unpreserved cadavers used in Upledger gross anatomy courses lead students to profound insights regarding the inner workings of the body. In “Best Friend,” Ash reframes symptoms into signals from the body that can lead a client to a healing place. The lesson in the essay entitled “Guidance” is that the body will often lead a client by means of the inner physician or guide. One of the final lessons in the collection, in “The Amazing Grace of Farewell,” is that “grace is all around,” a lesson Ash learned from witnessing and working with people who were in the dying process.

As an overview of CranioSacral Therapy, including a description of its evolution along with engaging case studies, Lessons from the Sessions will be inspiring for those who are experienced and illuminating for those who are new to the field.

A MINIATURE UNIVERSE: MATTER, MIND AND MOTION (DVD)
By Bruno Chikly

For this fascinating DVD, Bruno Chikly, MD, utilized the power of the newly developed real-time microscope (RTM3, Richardson Technologies) to show the life of plants and animals at the cellular level. Contrasting shriveled, preserved cells with robust, lively cells, Alaya Chikly’s narration points out the aspects of activity, essential to deeper understanding, that are lost to the observer of dead cells.

The menu selection, appropriately entitled the “Secret of Life,” plays the entire DVD. Individual chapters include the tiny, squiggly vinegar eel, the pulsating stoma and cell structure of plants, the vibrant neurons and muscle cells of animals, and the vital human fibroblast. It is compelling to see real-time motility.

The DVD includes a chapter on pathology, including asbestos overtaking lung cells and the detrimental activity of an antiviral drug in kidney cells. A chapter on the development of the real-time microscope shows the technique of using full-color dyes on various layers of cells along with pictures of cell samples that are free of dyes. A Miniature Universe offers deeper insight into the mysteries of the bodies under our hands, of ourselves and of the world around us. A must-have for the massage therapist’s library!

HEAD, NECK AND SHOULDER MASSAGE (DVD)
By Sherry Galloway

Head, Neck and Shoulder Massage is taught by Sherry Galloway, a long-time member of the Esalen Institute’s innovative massage crew in Big Sur, California. The DVD is part of At Peace Media’s new “Massage Master Class Series.” A registered nurse for more than 20 years, Galloway brings extensive experience working with survivors of medical, physical and psychological trauma to her massage teaching.

Here she explains that even though she is demonstrating a therapy for the head, neck and shoulders, it is necessary to address the whole body in order to have a complete session. But at no time does she lose sight of the soft tissue specificity required for effective trigger point or muscle lengthening techniques. She shows alternative ways to work on the scapulae rather than rotating the arm and holding it behind the back, a move that can trigger unpleasant memories of childhood bullying. She recommends waiting for the client to take a deep breath—a signal of deepening release into the technique—rather than trying to rush that process with the request to breathe. She reminds us to “get present” with the client. Using a combination of contemporary massage techniques, Galloway presents an excellent orientation to clinical work with a holistic perspective. This DVD will be particularly useful to new therapists, but will also serve as a revitalizing tutorial for the more experienced.

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
Edited by David P. Rakel and Nancy Faass

Complementary Medicine in Clinical Practice is a collection of essays written by a variety of practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine. It is designed to help the reader better understand the nature of these therapies in order to collaborate more effectively on client care. With deeper knowledge of these integrative therapies, you can provide useful consultation to your clients regarding the direction of their therapy and self-care.

You can also make strategic referrals. Recommended questions to ask about referrals include the following: Will the therapy lead to symptom resolution or suppression? Will the practitioner support the client’s empowerment to be more active in self-care? The continuum of care addressed in the book presents overviews of the disciplines of nutrition, herbal therapy, therapeutic exercise, clinical massage, acupuncture, chiropractic and self-care. Research on mechanisms, safety and effectiveness is addressed. Also discussed are issues regarding the business of practice management, clinical strategies and implementing new services and programs. This book promises to be helpful in building a network of allied health care providers.

ERIK DALTON’S ADVANCED MYOSKELETAL TECHNIQUES
By Erik Dalton

After many years of teaching, writing and producing technique videos, Rolfer Erik Dalton brings his own brand of history-taking, assessment and treatment for chronic pain conditions to this textbook. Using the term myoskeletal, Dalton guides the practitioner into the realm of the interdependent functions of the myofascial, skeletal and nervous systems. Emphasizing that the body is the primary healer, his discussion of sympathetic innervation and the myofascial system is clear and easy to understand.

He offers thought-provoking perspectives on various conditions, including crossed-syndromes, fibromyalgia, depression and body pain, scoliosis, and pinched nerves. Unambiguous photographs illustrate techniques and tests, such as the Brugger test to determine if head/neck pain is emanating from pelvic imbalance.

Definitions of terms can be found throughout the text, and a specific glossary for testing and treating sensory integrative disorders is included. However, one weakness of the text is that there isn’t an index, which makes some topics difficult to find. Dalton has made a valuable contribution to our profession’s literature with this comprehensive text exploring the pathophysiology and treatment of chronic pain. The book has plenty to offer to students, but will be a particularly rewarding reference for experienced clinical practitioners with advanced palpation skills.

You can order this book directly through AMTA's online shopping mall for $87.95.