Infant Digestive Disorder Testimonial

Our son E, at the age of 1 month started having mucus in his stools, and sometimes also blood.  We took him for all the tests the doctors requested – including blood tests, ultrasounds,diet change, medications, etc but there was no change. We went to specialists in the children’s’ hospital, but they too didn’t know what was causing his symptoms. This went on for 5 months, when I took him to Stuart/Shmuel Berger . After two treatments of Cranio Balance, the mucus and blood completely disappeared after having been constant for 5 months!  We thank Stuart for his dedicated, gentle and exact treatment!

LK

Testimonial-Neck and Shoulder Pain

Tetimonial -Neck and  Shoulder pain

I just received an email from a patient of mine with severe neck and shoulder pain with muscular weakness:

I scheduled an appointment  with Stuart for an extremely painful sensation in my neck.  The  pain was both frightening and debilitating.  Stuart very gently and  thoroughly examined me, then treated me for about one hour.  The treatment  itself was relaxing and positive, but I had trouble believing that one hour of  what felt like some kind of massage would have a significant impact.  It  did.  Within 24 hours I was much better, with the pain diminished to a very  manageable level.  Several days later, strength came back to my shoulder and  neck area.  The improvement was dramatic and much faster than I would have  thought possible.  I am keeping Stuart’s phone number close by.  I  hope I won’t need it, but as I continue to age (better than the alternative), at  least I know someone who can ease my body through this process.  Thank you  Stuart for a professional and effective treatment.

S.R.

Jerusalem

The Power of a Blessing

I wrote the following article a few years ago, as the opening for my previous weblog.  I’m choosing to republish it now because I feel in this period of stress, discord and disconnection we’re living in, the power of unconditional support and compassion has the ability to transform lives. Over the past few years I’ve been witness to many instances of compassion and caring that has changed the lives even in the most difficult situations.  I encourage you all to be open to giving it a try!

The Havdalah service had just ended and the men were making their way out the door  from the Synagogue to be with their families for the Saturday night Melave Malka (escorting the Sabbath Bride) meal. “Shmuel, hurry, do you see the elderly man with the cane, run up to him and kiss his hand!!”, my dear friend Eli exclaimed. After years of knowing Eli, I have begun to trust his intuitions and occasional strange requests he makes . I walked quickly past the congregants and approached this elderly man and bent down to kiss his hand. Truth to be told, I had noticed something  interesting about this man when he walked into the synagogue for the evening prayers. He had this strong aura about him and appeared to create a warm calmness to all those that came into contact with him. Strangely enough, as I bent down to kiss his hand , he quickly withdrew it  and continued on his way to the door.

A bit perplexed by the whole scene, I walked back to Eli to tell him what had transpired. “Don’t give up, this may be your last and only chance to get a blessing from him. Seize the moment. Don’t you realize that he withdrew his hand because once you kiss the hand of a Tzaddik, he is forced to give you a blessing. That blessing must be specific and appropriate for you and requires   great spiritual insight and energies. In his modesty, he obviously felt he couldn’t be that vessel for your blessing. Go to him again and demand a blessing from him.”

Although I am not one to force myself on people, I mustered up the chutzpah to stand in front of this timeless, ageless saint and managed to kiss his hand. Without asking, he placed his hand upon my head and started to bless me with the words of our ancient texts. Suddenly, I  was transported to worlds of light and love. I felt my heart pounding and my face becoming flushed.I recalled a similar feeling with Dr. John Upledger when he placed his hands on my head performing a still point.  (Gee, Dr. John, I thought to myself, you’ve just been giving  blessings  to thousands of people all these years with your CranioSacral Therapy). I don’t recall all that was  said, perhaps  something about health, wealth and wisdom, but I left his presence  feeling as if my whole body was vibrating with energy.

“Who was that saint?”, I asked Eli. “I told you to seize the moment, the divine moment,  for that was the famed Medical Kabbalist that Neurosurgeons all over the world seek out his advice, and from the looks of you, it appears he opened up your mind a bit!”

Just a day has gone by since that divine moment, and I am just beginning to feel the effects. For one,  after years of telling myself to sit down and start writing, today’s the day that I have just begun.

One doesn’t need to be a Kabbalist to give a blessing. Several years ago, I was privileged to  meet one of the most sensitive ,brilliant souls in America, Thom Hartmann during an International Conference on ADD/ADHD where I was a lecturer and he was the keynote speaker. Thom mentioned that he would often hold open his hand and anonymously bless people as they walked by. Without knowing why, people around him became more patient, caring, loving, and calmer. I tried it, and believe it or not, it really works. A blessing could be just good wishes, loving thoughts, or some other positive energy. Why don’t we try it on a daily basis-it doesn’t cost anything and I guarantee that you’ll be feeling alot better at the end of the day.

Written by Stuart (Shmuel) Berger, PT, founder of  Cranio Balance

Fascia and CranioBalance Therapy

The ability to touch and work with fascia is the key to truly understanding the connection between the body mind and spirit. Approximately 35 years ago, Dr Upledger (developer of CranioSacral Therapy) was presenting his concepts of tissue memory and trauma held in the body as “energy cysts” at a conference of skeptical doctors and professors. At some point in this charged lecture, Neil Mohan, a Phd of physics working for the US Navy stated that ” if a video tape made up of plastic polymers can hold information to play music or movies, it certainly seems plausible that fascia which is infinitely more complex in its biochemical structure could certainly store memories of past events and trauma within it.”  With that simple yet elegant explanation, he succeeded to win over the skeptics in the audience.

Who could have imagined that in less than a generation, information memory storage has evolved from the cd and later on to the disk on key which can hold thousands of songs in the size of half your pinky? Similarly, the developing understanding of the fascial system has given rise to healing potentials never before dreamed of. Concepts such of “Tissue Memory”, Energy Cysts (Bio disturbance), Electromagnetism, Holism, mind/body/spirit, bioenergy, Intention, Quantum Healing,  are all integral and necessary in the process of healing the individual, the society , and also the world at large as we enter into a evolutionary shift in consciousness and awareness. These concepts can only fully be applied within the context of the fascial system.

Although I do not claim to be a scientist nor do I have much interest in research, my experience with my clients and application of fascial work/manipulation over the past 25 years has lead me to several paradigm shifting conclusions about the nature of the mind/body/spirit and health. Intuitively I know they are true, as my clinical practice and thousands of satisfied patients and students bear out. I leave the scientific “proofs” to the open and curious scientists and academics of the world.

Fascia is Primary

Every 3 months, we have a completely new liver made up of newly formed liver cells. Yet the form, structure and function remain exactly the same. How is that possible? I believe the information for the cells and systems of the body are stored in the fascia. We can think of this program as the software of the system and the cells receive the information which is fed into its DNA to allow proper function.

Fascia receives electromagnetic Energy (or Life Force) from the universe and moves it through the body from the bones, organs , cells , molecules and atoms 

Fascia has the unique ability to take in from the universe electromagnetic energy and transfer it through the body. Some may call this energy the life force or the soul of the person.

The Fascial System’s properties are Quantum in Nature

Fascia responds to thought and intention. The therapist can communicate with the fascia and effect change through touch with focused awareness and intention. The fascia can actually respond physically with its fibers elongating and realigning through positive intention.

In the holographic world of fascia, the body is a microcosm of the universe, each cell is a microcosm of the body and there only exists the present time. The memory which is stored in the fascia can be recalled to the Now. In the fascia, past, present, and future all coexist in a harmonious balance. I remember a quote in my Advanced CranioSacral class that made a profound impact on me, “We are helping to heal generations past, present and future.”

The Fascia has Intelligence and will lead us to the core problem or issue  

If we as therapists truly internalize this concept, we can stop figuring out, analyzing, diagnosing, and fixing and then can start truly listening to and following the inner wisdom of the Fascia.  If we learn to engage and connect with the fascia intelligence through touch and intention and follow its lead without imposing, then we will be led to the core issues and traumas of the person. In a way I see the fascia taking us by the hand and saying in a quiet voice of the subconscious, “here is what’s keeping me from moving forward in life, here’s what’s really hurting me, but I need to go to that place in the fascia with someone I can trust and who really listens.”  Our goal in incorporating fasical work in CranioBalance is to communicate and blend with the energy and information within it and be a facilitator to help the client evolve and move forward in his life.

Getting in touch with your fascia can allow your creative and intuitive side to open up.

Written by Stuart (Shmuel) Berger, PT, founder of Cranio Balance

CranioBalance Therapy and a Herniated Disk

When Baruch came into my office I could see he was in bad shape. He sort of limped in, holding his lower back, as though to keep it attached to his body. He’s a single accountant, around 65, a new immigrant from Australia, and had been suffering for about a year from severe, sciatic low back pain radiating down his left leg. A CT scan confirmed a severely herniated disk. He described it as being the worst, most acute and chronically painful condition he had ever experienced. Eventually, the problem started to involve the left side of his neck, as well. Pain killers and physical therapy only provided partial, temporary relief and anxiety. He was referred to Rambam Hospital for microsurgery to reduce the herniated disk, but after viewing the procedure on YouTube, rejected the idea.
Three intense but extremely gentle treatments over two months plus stretching exercises every day at home to relax the muscles were enough to restore balance and peace. Baruch wrote to me “… I am delighted to tell you that the pain has been, in a word, ELIMINATED. I won’t say I’m permanently cured because in times of stress there is the occasional but minor recurrence, but I now know that if and when the pain returns, relief is readily available”.

So, how was I treating Baruch? A system of healing we call Cranio-Balance Therapy (CranioSacral therapy with Zero Balancing and Visceral manipulation added in – a gentle, non-invasive manual therapy.

Just like we have a pulse in the heart – sending blood around the body – there is another, subtler, deeper, more profound pulse within the central nervous system influencing the brain, the nerves and the hormonal system – and through them to all organs and tissues of the body.

This is the pulsation of the soul.

And, just as we can sense the pulse of the blood with our fingers, so we can sense the pulse of the soul with our fingers.

CranioBalance has been shown to be effective in a wide range of medical ailments related to pain, dysfunction of all types and stress. Patients find that their lives are brought back into balance, and their sense of well being is enhanced.

Written by William Livingstone, BSc, Naturopath, CranioBalance Therapist and developer

What is Health?

We are all on a journey of life. In order to fully succeed in this journey we must have a sense of health and well-being. However, do we really understand what is health and well-being? Does it mean the absence of disease, or perhaps there are other intangibles such as vitality, energy, focus, strength that define it.  And if we are not clear on the meaning of health, how can we possibility  travel to an unknown and ill-defined goal and destination?

Conception as a Model of Health

I have often said that we all have a terminal illness – it is called being born. From the moment of conception until we breathe our last breath, we undergo a continuous, miraculous process of transformation, growth, expansion, development, and eventually decline and death.  There seems to be a pre-determined program or genetic code that drives and forms us that allows a lifespan of approximately 120 years. However, while there are many factors which can enhance, nourish and maximize the development of the organism, there are other destructive factors that retard and injure it and may bring it to an early demise. Before we take a look these factors, let’s observe how health can be understood and represented through the process of conception.

Optimally, the healthiest sperm cell reaches and penetrates the ovum to join together in the formation of life. What are the characteristics which enabled this sperm to prevail over all others? First, this sperm cell has the energy to move its tadpole like tail faster than its billions of competitors. Secondly, its structure is such that allows efficient and streamlined movement. Thirdly, it is able to adapt to its new surroundings and accommodate itself in the vaginal canal. Fourthly, it has a specific purpose and destiny. Upon reaching its destination, it has the strength and releases the proper chemicals to penetrate into the ovum. it has within it the genetic makeup/structure in which to be able to reproduce and form properly and efficiently.

The healthy ovum provides half of the genetic makeup and also provides the optimal environment to nourish and sustain the growing fetus. Without an environment that provides for food, oxygen, and protection, the fetus will not develop maximally.

As the sperm and the ovum are united, they both become transformed to create a new, greater entity than the individual parts. The process of replication, differentiation, and repair then commences and continues throughout life.

Thus, we can use the miracle of conception as a working metaphor of Health. The characteristics which allowed for human life to come into being are those same qualities that define health for us. Let’s look at those qualities and attributes and see how they indicate our sense of well-being. Take a moment and answer the following questions regarding the various aspects of your state of health.

Efficient and Free Movement

1)      How do you move your body?

2)      When you walk, does the pelvis feel free and open?

3)      Are you able to move your arms/legs in all directions without pain and discomfort?  

4)      Bending over, leaning

Ability to oxygenate and expand

1)      Are you able to breathe deeply and effortlessly

2)     When you exert yourself, do you get shortness of breath or do your heart and lungs adapt to the stress  

3)      Do you feel there are areas of your body which don’t get proper oxygenation?

Focused Purpose

1)      Do you have a direction in your life?

2)      Have you set short, medium, and long term goals and do you have a plan to achieve them?

3)      If so, are you going in that direction?

Ability to Adapt to Various conditions and environments

1)      How do feel about new and/or stressful situations?

2)      How does your body (and emotion, mind) respond when faced with these situations?

Ability to break down nutrients for energy

1)      How is your appetite? Are there foods that you crave?

2)      How is your digestion? Do you feel bloated, heavy, or uncomfortable after meals?

3)      Do you have regular bowel movements?

Ability to form and release chemicals

1)      For Women – Do you have regular menstrual cycles?

Ability to replicate and repair

1)      How quickly does your body respond if you are injured? If you catch a cold?

Ability to Transform

1)      How open are you to change in your life?

2)       How open are you to new perspectives/world views/paradigms?

3)      Do you move and transform freely through major life transitions? Puberty? Marriage? Children? Menopause? Retirement?

Ability to blend and form a Bonding relationship

1) Are you able to form intimate relationships?

2) Are you able to express your feelings, emotions, and desires in that relationship?

3) Are you comfortable in your sexuality /sensuality?

4) Are you able to connect with your feminine side (if you are a man) and masculine side (if you are a woman)?

A proper genetic code

1)      Do you feel energized, grounded, and connected to your roots, family, history, and culture?

       I posed these questions to you because the first place to start to understand health is within you! As you begin to become more aware and conscious of the state of your mind/body/spirit, only then, if you choose, can you begin to guide others towards a path of wellness. And it follows that the deeper you go into the infinite depths and layers of the body/mind/spirit and discover untold wellsprings of vitality and energy within the body, and then you will find your abilities to help others will increase exponentially.

 

Written by Stuart (Shmuel) Berger, PT, founder of CranioBalance

Health and Vitality through Bone Energy

The life force  of the body resides in the bone. Health and longevity are in the  bone’s ability  to produce  red blood cells in the  long bones of the body  and white  blood cells  in the flat bones.  Age, frailty,  decline, osteoporosis, and weakness set  in when bone marrow turns into fat cells and loses its reproductive capacities. In my experience as a health care practitioner, I have found that the best ways to push off the aging process, and to maintain a healthy, energetic lifestyle are through regular CranioBalance Therapy treatments (integration of CranioSacral Therapy and Zero Balancing) and to practice a simple yet profound type of energetic exercise called bone marrow cleansing. The reason these techniques are so powerful and effective is because they all stimulate and vitalize the bone, bone marrow, blood and cerebral spinal fluid in the body.

In my next article , I will explain some basic exercises to get you started on the road to health, vitality, and energy.  Stay tuned…

Written by Stuart (Shmuel) Berger, PT, Founder of CranioBalance

Holism and Healing – A CVA Case Study

Several years ago, a gentleman in his late 70′s came to me for treatment following a stroke. The CVA left him with weakness in the right side of his body, loss of balance, but he was cognitively intact. During one of our sessions, he recalled with great fondness the treatments he had for many years with his long time Chiropractor. “Whenever I would get a severe headache, I would just make an appointment with the Doc and he would adjust me and my headaches would miraculously disappear.”

I wondered out loud, “when did you get those severe headaches?” He answered without a pause, “Always at work.” “What kind of work did you do?” I asked. ” I was an accountant, and I hated every minute of it. I always wanted to do something in the arts or music, I was a talented musician but due to family and financial pressures, I settled for a job that would be secure, so I chose accounting. But boy, was I miserable all those years.”

How sad, I thought. For years, he was denying the voice of his inner wisdom that came out as headaches that was telling him something was out of balance in his life. “I am angry, I am frustrated, I am doing something I don’t want to be doing. I am forced to lead my life in a way I would not ideally choose.”

 Like the warning lights coming on when the oil is low in a car and needs to be added before the engine burns out, the body sends a warning light in the way of pain, discomfort, or dis-ease. (The word disease says it all-when the body /mind/spirit is not at ease, there is tension, restriction, tightness which leads to the disease.) Now who in their right mind would just cut the wires and turn off the warning lights in his car allowing the engine to burn out? However, this is precisely what we do when we take a pill, get an adjustment, go for surgery, etc and try to take away the dis-ease instead of looking at the root cause of the illness. The western Medical model is based on suppression of symptoms and taking away pain rather than identifying root causes whether they be physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual.

In the Holistic CranioBalance Model, the Therapist helps the Client find the root cause of the problem by helping him get in touch with the Inner Physician, or Inner Wisdom that every one of us possesses. In the words of Dr John Upledger, “surgery is often a way of silencing the voice of the Inner Wisdom of the body.” My health advice for you is to take a few minutes  time out from your day to day routine , and listen to your heart and start to REALLY DO WHAT YOU LOVE- TODAY.

You will not regret it.

Written by Stuart (Shmuel) Berger, PT Developer of CranioBalance

A Holistic Approach to Knee Pain- A Case Study

Several weeks ago, a colleague of mine asked me to check out her knees. Without any specific trauma, she told me that she  began to experience severe pain upon walking distances and going up steps. She is young, athletic, and in very good condition and couldn’t understand why  all of a sudden she felt  limited in her daily life.

Interestingly enough, all her physical tests, x-rays, etc revealed no pathology and all seemed normal. From a Western Medical perspective, she was perfectly healthy and the doctor gave her some pain medication and told her it should pass within a week or two. However, with the passage of time, the pain did not subside , but rather intensified when she finally approached me.

However, from a CranioBalance (upgrade of Cranio Sacral Therapy) Holistic perspective , I noticed a restriction of her fascial system from her pelvis through her dural tube affecting the Lumbar region and the nerves connecting to the muscles in her thighs and also her kidneys. She also seemed a bit stressed and her breathing patterns were shallow and restricted. This caused a lowering of her CranioSacral rhythm at the area of her diaphragm and also in her neck region. With all this information  given to me through her body, I sensed the Inner Wisdom was speaking to us as pain and restriction of the CranioSacral system and that there was something out of balance in her life.

From a mind/body understanding, I know that pain  in the knees could be a symptom of a fear of not being able to move forward in one’s life. While checking her CranioSacral Rhythm, I asked her if she has been undergoing any stresses in her life, or any major life decisions that have come up and have not yet been resolved. She looked at me with both wonderment and relief and said that yes, she has been overwhelmed with her three major life decisions about where to live, where to work and whom to marry. The emotional stresses simply had been somatized in her body in her tissues and caused a physical manifestation as pain in her knees.

As I helped her clear the body restrictions,  she understood  her life situations and she was better able to make decisions and move forward with her life.

How is she doing now? No knee pains, she decided to leave her job, go back to the states for a visit and confident that one day her soulmate will be there .

This my friends, is an example of the power of  Holistic CranioBalance Therapy.

Written by Stuart (Shmuel) Berger, PT, Founder of CranioBalance

Migraines and CranioBalance

I have treated migraines quite successfully over the years in my practice. Before I go into my treatment method with CranioBalance (upgrade of Cranio Sacral Therapy), I would like to share with you my own personal account with that awful, unbearable, experience known as the MIGRAINE.

Recently, I had my first Migraine attack. In the past, I would get an occasional headache if I was dehydrated, overworked, sitting in front of the computer too long, or some other daily life stressor. A good brisk walk outside in the fresh air, breathing and stretching exercises, a cup of herbal tea or coffee, a heart to heart chat with a close friend, a hand and foot massage , and a few self-induced still points and I was as good as new.

 However, this attack was no mere headache and left me totally incapacitated.  The shearing, unbearable pain behind my eye was nauseating. I couldn’t focus on moving let alone working or having a coherent conversation. I was irritable, short tempered, and completely out of sorts with myself. The one good thought that came out was “now I can fully empathize with my long suffering migraine patients”. Lying down and resting only made matters worse by putting all my thoughts literally on my head.

Not being in my right mind, I wasn’t sure what to do to get out of this condition, but I knew what wouldn’t be helpful. First, I didn’t need anybody psychoanalyzing me. “Maybe you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself” or “you’re working too many hours ” or “you  really need to work out your relationship with your mother, father, ex, children, neighbors, students, teachers, cleric, pet dog, cat, etc., ad nauseum” was not only counterproductive but left me with a BIGGER pain. Secondly, I didn’t need medical advice.  ”Well, a good shot of demerol worked for me”, or “Meditate, Breathe deeply and imagine a beautiful pasture with a flowing stream” were 2 opposites of the same coin- finding a way to avoid the pain.

So how did I get out of it? One word- Prayer. No, I am not talking about going to some church, synagogue, temple, mosque, guru, rabbi, nor am I saying you need to be religious, observant, or even believe in God. Prayer for me is simply the expression of the heart’s deepest longings, desires, and emotions. When I was able to intend with all my heart, “God, I am in so much pain, I can’t bear it any longer, I don’t know what to do, please help me”, I felt the tears pouring down my cheeks and for the first time felt a lightening of the pain. (For a more complete discourse on prayer and healing, I highly recommend Healing Words: The power of prayer and the practice of medicine by Larry Dossey, MD)

                   

The next step was to arrange a CranioBalance session as quickly as possible to help facilitate my healing process that had begun. Why CranioBalance:

1)      Supportive: I felt I needed to be supported and held physically, and emotionally. Physically, I needed the support of hands that would take the weight and pressure off my head. Emotionally, I needed the support of a therapist to whom I could express my feelings.

2)      Non Judgmental: The CranioBalance Therapist offers unconditional compassion felt through the hands. I certainly didn’t want to feel judged as if my migraine was due to my inadequacies.

3)      Listening: The CranioBalance Therapist is trained to listen to the body and the major energetic flows through the bones, internal organs, and the fluids. When the CranioBalance Therapist was in tune with my body and moving in synch with me, I felt a deep sense of relaxation

4)      Accuracy and Precision: I felt the CranioBalance Therapist zeroed in on the source of pain in my body by reading the tensions of the fascial matrix throughout my body, and listening to the variations of the craniosacral rhythm which pinpointed and amplified the core problem. In my case, we discovered that my right sacral iliac joint put a stress on the dural tube causing the sphenoid bone (a major component of the eye orbit) to be compressed into the occiput and rotated to the right. In addition, the therapist found tightness in the upper chest region causing a pull of the cervical nerve roots, as well as a decrease in the motility (energetic movement) of the liver.

5)      Empowered: After feeling pain free, relaxed, and energized, CranioBalance helped me focus on the best maintenance and preventative treatment for me. I look back on that Migraine experience and see that with the help of CranioBalance, I transformed the suffering into a greater awareness of my self and body.

 Written by Stuart (Shmuel) Berger, PT, founder of CranioBalance