At the Still Point of the Turning World. the Art and Philosophy of Osteopathy

Description

The healing arts involve a complex range of skills which each practitioner draws together in a unique way. These skills, attitudes and perspectives complement the scientific basis underpinning each discipline to create the wisdom and artistry of any therapeutic approach.

The practice of osteopathy is no exception. It involves a growing field of scientific knowledge in physics and biology that couples with an extraordinary range of human qualities to give the work depth, as well as relevance, and which can be tailored to the individual patient holistically and with compassion.

At the Still Point of the Turning World examines and explores both the art and the science of osteopathy through the eyes and approach of a devoted teacher and practitioner. The true value of holism, vitalism and osteopathic principles are discussed as part of the approach that each practitioner brings to the patient/practitioner relationship.

Contents

Principles
1 Osteopathy: an overview
2 The Vital quality of Motion
3 Holism and the osteopathic ‘lens’
4 Reciprocity, Relationship, Spaces
5 From Mainstream to ‘Cranial’: continuum or quantum leap?

The Art of It
6 Subjectivity and ‘the dance’
7 The Intelligent Fulcrum: palpation and thought on the move
8 The Healing….’if it comes at all, it comes from within’
9 Beyond Technique: meeting the lesion
10 Placebo and Ritual
11 R and D, Safety and the ‘Evidence’ myth

Philosophy and the Practitioner
12 The Human Spirit: adaptability, self-correction and survival
13 Divine Chaos: direction, meaning, mystery and the healing state
14 The exquisite nature of Paradox
15 Epilogue: tying it together: Spirit, humanity and the art of practice