Article on Inversion Therapy
The more vulnerable you allow yourself to be,
the safer you are.
This article first appeared in Kindred Spirit magazine, issue 45, December 1998.
Inversion Therapy has been recognised as a quantum leap in body-work and is at the cutting edge of holistic therapies.
Kindergarten Gymnastics!
Do you remember what it felt like to hang upside-down as a child? Many of us used to do it in the playground, hanging by the back of the knees from a climbing frame or branch of a tree. Even earlier our parents might have played aeroplanes with us as babies and toddlers, holding us up in the air on their feet. What a feeling of freedom, exhilaration and safety! Then at about the age of seven or eight as the ratio of weight to size changes to a point where it becomes painful at the back of the knees, we stop. After that, unless you are practising yoga or acrobatics the benefits of inversion are gone. I learned the headstand and handstand at the age of six and often finished the day with a few minutes of headstand. It was like an addiction. Not until learning yoga did I discover why I was so hooked. It makes you happy!
Letting go is giving birth to yourself.
It is not often that something truly new is discovered in the field of holistic bodywork. In the case of Inversion Therapy the unique feature is the permission to return to the womb and re-experience the feeling of wholeness, safety, trust and nurturing. I T is about letting go and falling effortlessly into a place of surrender, to exorcise the past and receive initiation into the future. “I felt like I was giving birth to myself” is occasionally heard after a session of I[T as well as “I feel reborn” or “I feel more me”.. The trust that occurs between giver and receiver is intense as the experience of total physical support is undeniable and this reflects through all levels of the energy body
Facing the fear.
IT began it’s development in the second half of 1993 and since then over 10,000 people have experienced a session. Nearly all of them have watched before deciding to experience I T themselves. What is it that attracts people from all ages and states of health and mobility to give up their physical body to be balanced in the air on the hands and feet of a total stranger? For many the image of another person hanging upside-down taps into foetal memories or awakens unresolved patterns of trauma or damaged trust. Despite the fear that is elicited there is also a deep attraction like the thrill of the roller coaster or bungee jumping. The mutual co-operation, beauty and serenity of the technique produce this apparent paradox, ‘the more vulnerable you allow yourself to be, the safer you are.’
What is I T?
Sessions vary but regularly begin with the client standing with their back to the practitioner who lies on the ground with the legs raised and the feet on the buttocks of the client. It is usual for clients to be apprehensive at this stage! Within thirty seconds of leaving the ground the body’s intelligence signals the brain that it feels safe, helped by the fact that the body is in the position of surrender with the arms and legs stretched out, the chest and heart open and the pale, protected skin of the inside of the arms and legs (the yin meridians) turned outwards. The eyes close, the breath slows down and can be heard gently releasing, helping gravity to weigh down the legs, arms and head in surrender. It is easier to let go than to hold on. This first position allows the most supported, gentle and complete spinal twist and is one of the many unique features of this technique. As the practitioner prepares to move on, the tacitly agreed contract between them and the client is put to the test. The contract is, ‘The client agrees to follow the instructions. The practitioner agrees to support the client at their centre on every level’. Well the next instruction sounds and feels like an invitation to throw yourself on your head from a height! But the result is establishment in the inverted position that soon feels more natural than being upright. Because the weight of the body is supported by the practitioner’s feet across the femoral artery the amount and velocity of blood draining to the upper body is greatly reduced to the extent that several people have refused to believe they were inverted until they had seen another session. Gravity takes over and with every out-breath the vertebrae decompress, the head drops down the breath gets slower, the face softens. This, the second position of Inversion Therapy is another of the unique features. Because of the physiological, structural and psychic dynamics of this position the blood pressure and pulse, slow down and the brain waves drop from Beta to Alpha to Theta, their first letters curiously spelling the name of the totem animal of inversion, the bat. In this second position it is not only possible to release every muscle in the body but gravity and the breath encourage it. As the body becomes transparent to consciousness the focus becomes the mental and emotional bodies. The inner journey will be entirely individual but allowing the general experience of releasing mental and emotional blockages. Often after a period of shallow breaths a deep inhalation and exhalation will bring the head dropping down an inch or more as a thought or feeling is released. Catharsis at this, or any other stage is rare as the experience is one of observing mind or emotion from the calm centre and letting go rather than re-experiencing the trauma. This is not always the case and past traumas can surface with all the concomitant panic only to be resolved into clarity as they find no support for that pattern but support for their calm centre. As the spine aligns itself the energy of the subtle, or psychic body which has been stimulated specifically in the sacrum and lumbar region descends into the upper body awakening the energy centres and harmonising the flow. Often released energy will flow off the crown of the head and can be clearly seen by people with the ability or by machines such as the PIP( poly interface photography) camera of Harry Oldfield.
Tumbling slowly in space.
The session may continue in a variety of ways, perhaps with massage of the arms and hands in the third position. Quite often in the first session or when the client has gone deep into themselves it is unnecessary and even disturbing to move the body too much and we would move on to the fourth position. Here the client lies on the chest of the practitioner curled up in the foetal position feeling their heartbeat between the shoulder blades. In this position the legs and feet can be massaged. The last position is being raised by the shoulders and balanced on only the arms of the practitioner often giving the feeling of unlimited physical freedom like flying through space. From here the client is gently lowered to the ground into the pose of the child with the forehead resting on the ground and left to process the experience and to begin to bring their awareness back to everyday reality. The changes to the posture, face and particularly eyes indicate an alteration of the state of consciousness. Most clients require between ten minutes and two hours to process the experience sufficiently to continue normal activity. The average would be about 15-30 minutes. Almost everyone will feel calm and centred, full of energy and cheerful.
Contra-indications.
These are:- Glaucoma, detached retina, (addendum hiatus hernia), high blood pressure when associated with high stress, over-weight, over forty, high cholesterol, smoking or a family history of stroke. There are otherwise no limitations as to who can be inverted and my clients include people over twenty stones, amputees, those confined to a wheelchair, those who have been diagnosed as ME, MS and Parkinson’s disease and those immobilised with sciatic pain.
In age they range from babies to an eighty three year old.
The essence of I T.
The essence of the technique is to create a space of complete trust in which you are able to release and let go the body, mind and emotions and dive into the subconscious to experience initiation into rebirth and transformation to become the person you truly are. This leads to identification with the spirit, centre or authentic self where balance, harmony and empowerment are the natural attributes. Gently confusing the mind through removing the usual, external, physical points of reference the mind searches for another and is led to go within to find it. The mind first focuses on the body, and then as comfort and a feeling of safety are achieved it is free to explore the emotional body. At this stage the mind is slowing down rapidly and mental and emotional stress or imbalance begin to release and rebalance. As with shamanic and Chi Kung postures the energy body will align with the body posture. Here the body is hanging in perfect balance with virtually no muscle tension The result can be that the body, mind and emotions become objects for observation from the viewpoint of pure consciousness and the client becomes established in their true identity. The experience leaves an imprint, which may or may not be conscious, of having returned to the source of one’s being. The experience of hanging suspended upside-down, feeling supported, nurtured and loved, having given up control and responsibility for body, mind and emotion is to return to the womb. In this space we can remind ourselves of what it feels like to be untouched by life’s traumas and allows us to transform our self image, through release, to that of our original state.
A unique combination of healing principles.
I T brings together seven healing principles:
1. trust/letting go
2. balance/alignment
3. trance/inner journeying
4. rebirth/transformation
5. inversion/initiation
6. vulnerability/empowerment
7. centring/connection.
The combination represents a new development in bodywork and healing because it takes the client and practitioner into an altered state of consciousness, creates a bond of mutual trust and a field of healing resonance, all very rapidly.
EFFECTS
1. Physical.
Decompression of the spine.
Stretching and releasing the joints and muscles.
Increased oxygenation of the blood.
Reduced blood pressure and pulse rate.
Adjusts the functioning of the abdominal organs.
Stimulation of the pituitary gland.
Stimulation of the Thyroid gland.
2. Emotional.
An opportunity to detach from, observe and release emotional trauma or suppressed emotions.
3. Mental.
Balances the activity of left and right brain.
Slows down brain activity.
Increased blood and oxygen supply to the brain.
4. Soul.
Identification with inversion in the womb.
Inner Journeying.
Identification with inversion as a preparation for birth.
5. Spirit.
Identification with centre.
BENEFITS
1. Physical.
Relief in many cases of spinal discomfort from trauma, herniated or perforated disc, sciatica, whiplash, scoliosis etc..
Easing of frozen or traumatised joints, increased movement, energy and relief from pain especially in cases of arthritis, ME and MS.
Speeding up healing processes, detoxification and increased energy.
Reduced stress.
Relief from constipation, piles, IBS and improved elimination.
Balances the Endochrine System.
Improves balance of circulatory, digestive, reproductive and nervous systems.
2. Emotional.
Relief and cure of depression, neuroses and phobias. Cheerfulness.
Calming and harmonising.
3. Mental.
Aids learning, memory and meditation. Reduces stress.
Aids in cases of brain injury, depression and neurosis.
Feeling of cheerfulness.
4. Soul.
Feeling whole, nourished, supported and loved. Repair of damaged trust. Realignment with the experience of allowing total vulnerability.
Repair of the aura, increased self confidence and assimilation of personal power. Cleansing and absolution.
Transformation through rites of passage. Exorcising the past and receiving initiation into the future. Rebirth.
5. Spirit.
Connection with Higher Self. Realisation of soul purpose.
Awakening the inner healer.
The function of the practitioner is to support the clients in their process of becoming aware of areas of stress or imbalance and releasing them. Through listening, and following the movement of the client’s energy, the client and practitioner go into a spiral of relaxation where the practitioner aims to empower the client in their process by becoming invisible. The practitioner may point out an impediment to the smooth flow of energy, by bringing attention to a particular place but it is for the client to remove it. Inversion Therapy is essentially non-manipulative and non-invasive. The sole purpose is to create an environment where the client may identify and work with their inner healer and allow the energy body to find its natural state of balance and harmony. The fact of the necessity for good communication, trust and co-operation in order for the technique to function and the high level of involvement in the process by the client adds to the efficacy of the treatment. Clients are encouraged to release the out-breath naturally and to link this release to parts of the body in tension and then to extend this release to other parts of the energy body. When the connection between breath release and letting go of tension becomes conscious the process accelerates like a line of dominoes falling against one another. Clients are encouraged to diagnose and treat themselves.
Altered states.
Have you ever wondered how stage magicians are able to control the doves and rabbits that mysteriously appear from hats and out of the air? It is done in the same way as a farmer will take thirty chickens to market by bicycle in the East. They are kept hanging upside down which induces a calming mechanism or trance. The animals cease to struggle. The same is true with humans. It is a very light self induced trance in response to inversion. Babies can often be soothed by partial or complete inversion. This like other forms of light trance can be used by the subject to access shadow or hidden material of the subconscious or supra-conscious. This state is one of the reasons for the speed of acquiescence by the clients and the rapid loss of awareness of outside stimuli. Trance states are often regarded as delusive and many of them may be so but it is also true that our normal everyday consciousness of beta wave brain activity and reliance on our five senses and our logical minds or emotions for true information about reality are equally a trance state. By deflecting consciousness from the limited window afforded by mind, emotions and five senses we can access our inner worlds.
Inner journeying.
Inversion Therapy sessions are supportive and gentle allowing the client to release what and when they feel ready to. When a pattern is accessed or active at the end of a treatment session the client may choose to continue the session on the ground. The pattern may be a dream, a feeling, a physical symptom or a behaviour pattern. The light trance induced by I T and the trust developed during the session allow immediate access to shamanic journeying, regression or dream-work without the necessity for drumming or other trance inducing stimuli.
The Hanged Man.
In many parts of the world, inversion, often combined with elements of danger is used in initiation ceremonies such as bungee jumping in the west, the hanged warrior ceremony of the Native Americans and the diving bat ceremony of I T. In the latter, inversion is used as a symbol of turning conventional wisdom on its head and diving into the waters of the subconscious, like the Hanged Man in the Tarot. The image reflected in the water is shattered as he breaks the surface and descends. There, with the light of faith as a guide, the seeker transforms their image of self and emerges back into the light , established in their true identity, and is reborn. Leaps of faith in these ceremonies or in a treatment of I T are ways of extending the limits we place on ourselves. Inversion is a poignant symbol of this time of rapid change when we are often confronted with challenges to our beliefs and attitudes and are asked to adapt to changing circumstances. The inverse of conventional morality is the wisdom of the New Age.
THE END
the safer you are.
This article first appeared in Kindred Spirit magazine, issue 45, December 1998.
Inversion Therapy has been recognised as a quantum leap in body-work and is at the cutting edge of holistic therapies.
Kindergarten Gymnastics!
Do you remember what it felt like to hang upside-down as a child? Many of us used to do it in the playground, hanging by the back of the knees from a climbing frame or branch of a tree. Even earlier our parents might have played aeroplanes with us as babies and toddlers, holding us up in the air on their feet. What a feeling of freedom, exhilaration and safety! Then at about the age of seven or eight as the ratio of weight to size changes to a point where it becomes painful at the back of the knees, we stop. After that, unless you are practising yoga or acrobatics the benefits of inversion are gone. I learned the headstand and handstand at the age of six and often finished the day with a few minutes of headstand. It was like an addiction. Not until learning yoga did I discover why I was so hooked. It makes you happy!
Letting go is giving birth to yourself.
It is not often that something truly new is discovered in the field of holistic bodywork. In the case of Inversion Therapy the unique feature is the permission to return to the womb and re-experience the feeling of wholeness, safety, trust and nurturing. I T is about letting go and falling effortlessly into a place of surrender, to exorcise the past and receive initiation into the future. “I felt like I was giving birth to myself” is occasionally heard after a session of I[T as well as “I feel reborn” or “I feel more me”.. The trust that occurs between giver and receiver is intense as the experience of total physical support is undeniable and this reflects through all levels of the energy body
Facing the fear.
IT began it’s development in the second half of 1993 and since then over 10,000 people have experienced a session. Nearly all of them have watched before deciding to experience I T themselves. What is it that attracts people from all ages and states of health and mobility to give up their physical body to be balanced in the air on the hands and feet of a total stranger? For many the image of another person hanging upside-down taps into foetal memories or awakens unresolved patterns of trauma or damaged trust. Despite the fear that is elicited there is also a deep attraction like the thrill of the roller coaster or bungee jumping. The mutual co-operation, beauty and serenity of the technique produce this apparent paradox, ‘the more vulnerable you allow yourself to be, the safer you are.’
What is I T?
Sessions vary but regularly begin with the client standing with their back to the practitioner who lies on the ground with the legs raised and the feet on the buttocks of the client. It is usual for clients to be apprehensive at this stage! Within thirty seconds of leaving the ground the body’s intelligence signals the brain that it feels safe, helped by the fact that the body is in the position of surrender with the arms and legs stretched out, the chest and heart open and the pale, protected skin of the inside of the arms and legs (the yin meridians) turned outwards. The eyes close, the breath slows down and can be heard gently releasing, helping gravity to weigh down the legs, arms and head in surrender. It is easier to let go than to hold on. This first position allows the most supported, gentle and complete spinal twist and is one of the many unique features of this technique. As the practitioner prepares to move on, the tacitly agreed contract between them and the client is put to the test. The contract is, ‘The client agrees to follow the instructions. The practitioner agrees to support the client at their centre on every level’. Well the next instruction sounds and feels like an invitation to throw yourself on your head from a height! But the result is establishment in the inverted position that soon feels more natural than being upright. Because the weight of the body is supported by the practitioner’s feet across the femoral artery the amount and velocity of blood draining to the upper body is greatly reduced to the extent that several people have refused to believe they were inverted until they had seen another session. Gravity takes over and with every out-breath the vertebrae decompress, the head drops down the breath gets slower, the face softens. This, the second position of Inversion Therapy is another of the unique features. Because of the physiological, structural and psychic dynamics of this position the blood pressure and pulse, slow down and the brain waves drop from Beta to Alpha to Theta, their first letters curiously spelling the name of the totem animal of inversion, the bat. In this second position it is not only possible to release every muscle in the body but gravity and the breath encourage it. As the body becomes transparent to consciousness the focus becomes the mental and emotional bodies. The inner journey will be entirely individual but allowing the general experience of releasing mental and emotional blockages. Often after a period of shallow breaths a deep inhalation and exhalation will bring the head dropping down an inch or more as a thought or feeling is released. Catharsis at this, or any other stage is rare as the experience is one of observing mind or emotion from the calm centre and letting go rather than re-experiencing the trauma. This is not always the case and past traumas can surface with all the concomitant panic only to be resolved into clarity as they find no support for that pattern but support for their calm centre. As the spine aligns itself the energy of the subtle, or psychic body which has been stimulated specifically in the sacrum and lumbar region descends into the upper body awakening the energy centres and harmonising the flow. Often released energy will flow off the crown of the head and can be clearly seen by people with the ability or by machines such as the PIP( poly interface photography) camera of Harry Oldfield.
Tumbling slowly in space.
The session may continue in a variety of ways, perhaps with massage of the arms and hands in the third position. Quite often in the first session or when the client has gone deep into themselves it is unnecessary and even disturbing to move the body too much and we would move on to the fourth position. Here the client lies on the chest of the practitioner curled up in the foetal position feeling their heartbeat between the shoulder blades. In this position the legs and feet can be massaged. The last position is being raised by the shoulders and balanced on only the arms of the practitioner often giving the feeling of unlimited physical freedom like flying through space. From here the client is gently lowered to the ground into the pose of the child with the forehead resting on the ground and left to process the experience and to begin to bring their awareness back to everyday reality. The changes to the posture, face and particularly eyes indicate an alteration of the state of consciousness. Most clients require between ten minutes and two hours to process the experience sufficiently to continue normal activity. The average would be about 15-30 minutes. Almost everyone will feel calm and centred, full of energy and cheerful.
Contra-indications.
These are:- Glaucoma, detached retina, (addendum hiatus hernia), high blood pressure when associated with high stress, over-weight, over forty, high cholesterol, smoking or a family history of stroke. There are otherwise no limitations as to who can be inverted and my clients include people over twenty stones, amputees, those confined to a wheelchair, those who have been diagnosed as ME, MS and Parkinson’s disease and those immobilised with sciatic pain.
In age they range from babies to an eighty three year old.
The essence of I T.
The essence of the technique is to create a space of complete trust in which you are able to release and let go the body, mind and emotions and dive into the subconscious to experience initiation into rebirth and transformation to become the person you truly are. This leads to identification with the spirit, centre or authentic self where balance, harmony and empowerment are the natural attributes. Gently confusing the mind through removing the usual, external, physical points of reference the mind searches for another and is led to go within to find it. The mind first focuses on the body, and then as comfort and a feeling of safety are achieved it is free to explore the emotional body. At this stage the mind is slowing down rapidly and mental and emotional stress or imbalance begin to release and rebalance. As with shamanic and Chi Kung postures the energy body will align with the body posture. Here the body is hanging in perfect balance with virtually no muscle tension The result can be that the body, mind and emotions become objects for observation from the viewpoint of pure consciousness and the client becomes established in their true identity. The experience leaves an imprint, which may or may not be conscious, of having returned to the source of one’s being. The experience of hanging suspended upside-down, feeling supported, nurtured and loved, having given up control and responsibility for body, mind and emotion is to return to the womb. In this space we can remind ourselves of what it feels like to be untouched by life’s traumas and allows us to transform our self image, through release, to that of our original state.
A unique combination of healing principles.
I T brings together seven healing principles:
1. trust/letting go
2. balance/alignment
3. trance/inner journeying
4. rebirth/transformation
5. inversion/initiation
6. vulnerability/empowerment
7. centring/connection.
The combination represents a new development in bodywork and healing because it takes the client and practitioner into an altered state of consciousness, creates a bond of mutual trust and a field of healing resonance, all very rapidly.
EFFECTS
1. Physical.
Decompression of the spine.
Stretching and releasing the joints and muscles.
Increased oxygenation of the blood.
Reduced blood pressure and pulse rate.
Adjusts the functioning of the abdominal organs.
Stimulation of the pituitary gland.
Stimulation of the Thyroid gland.
2. Emotional.
An opportunity to detach from, observe and release emotional trauma or suppressed emotions.
3. Mental.
Balances the activity of left and right brain.
Slows down brain activity.
Increased blood and oxygen supply to the brain.
4. Soul.
Identification with inversion in the womb.
Inner Journeying.
Identification with inversion as a preparation for birth.
5. Spirit.
Identification with centre.
BENEFITS
1. Physical.
Relief in many cases of spinal discomfort from trauma, herniated or perforated disc, sciatica, whiplash, scoliosis etc..
Easing of frozen or traumatised joints, increased movement, energy and relief from pain especially in cases of arthritis, ME and MS.
Speeding up healing processes, detoxification and increased energy.
Reduced stress.
Relief from constipation, piles, IBS and improved elimination.
Balances the Endochrine System.
Improves balance of circulatory, digestive, reproductive and nervous systems.
2. Emotional.
Relief and cure of depression, neuroses and phobias. Cheerfulness.
Calming and harmonising.
3. Mental.
Aids learning, memory and meditation. Reduces stress.
Aids in cases of brain injury, depression and neurosis.
Feeling of cheerfulness.
4. Soul.
Feeling whole, nourished, supported and loved. Repair of damaged trust. Realignment with the experience of allowing total vulnerability.
Repair of the aura, increased self confidence and assimilation of personal power. Cleansing and absolution.
Transformation through rites of passage. Exorcising the past and receiving initiation into the future. Rebirth.
5. Spirit.
Connection with Higher Self. Realisation of soul purpose.
Awakening the inner healer.
The function of the practitioner is to support the clients in their process of becoming aware of areas of stress or imbalance and releasing them. Through listening, and following the movement of the client’s energy, the client and practitioner go into a spiral of relaxation where the practitioner aims to empower the client in their process by becoming invisible. The practitioner may point out an impediment to the smooth flow of energy, by bringing attention to a particular place but it is for the client to remove it. Inversion Therapy is essentially non-manipulative and non-invasive. The sole purpose is to create an environment where the client may identify and work with their inner healer and allow the energy body to find its natural state of balance and harmony. The fact of the necessity for good communication, trust and co-operation in order for the technique to function and the high level of involvement in the process by the client adds to the efficacy of the treatment. Clients are encouraged to release the out-breath naturally and to link this release to parts of the body in tension and then to extend this release to other parts of the energy body. When the connection between breath release and letting go of tension becomes conscious the process accelerates like a line of dominoes falling against one another. Clients are encouraged to diagnose and treat themselves.
Altered states.
Have you ever wondered how stage magicians are able to control the doves and rabbits that mysteriously appear from hats and out of the air? It is done in the same way as a farmer will take thirty chickens to market by bicycle in the East. They are kept hanging upside down which induces a calming mechanism or trance. The animals cease to struggle. The same is true with humans. It is a very light self induced trance in response to inversion. Babies can often be soothed by partial or complete inversion. This like other forms of light trance can be used by the subject to access shadow or hidden material of the subconscious or supra-conscious. This state is one of the reasons for the speed of acquiescence by the clients and the rapid loss of awareness of outside stimuli. Trance states are often regarded as delusive and many of them may be so but it is also true that our normal everyday consciousness of beta wave brain activity and reliance on our five senses and our logical minds or emotions for true information about reality are equally a trance state. By deflecting consciousness from the limited window afforded by mind, emotions and five senses we can access our inner worlds.
Inner journeying.
Inversion Therapy sessions are supportive and gentle allowing the client to release what and when they feel ready to. When a pattern is accessed or active at the end of a treatment session the client may choose to continue the session on the ground. The pattern may be a dream, a feeling, a physical symptom or a behaviour pattern. The light trance induced by I T and the trust developed during the session allow immediate access to shamanic journeying, regression or dream-work without the necessity for drumming or other trance inducing stimuli.
The Hanged Man.
In many parts of the world, inversion, often combined with elements of danger is used in initiation ceremonies such as bungee jumping in the west, the hanged warrior ceremony of the Native Americans and the diving bat ceremony of I T. In the latter, inversion is used as a symbol of turning conventional wisdom on its head and diving into the waters of the subconscious, like the Hanged Man in the Tarot. The image reflected in the water is shattered as he breaks the surface and descends. There, with the light of faith as a guide, the seeker transforms their image of self and emerges back into the light , established in their true identity, and is reborn. Leaps of faith in these ceremonies or in a treatment of I T are ways of extending the limits we place on ourselves. Inversion is a poignant symbol of this time of rapid change when we are often confronted with challenges to our beliefs and attitudes and are asked to adapt to changing circumstances. The inverse of conventional morality is the wisdom of the New Age.
THE END