Heathbuilding for Body, Mind and Soul

Carolyn Dewey, MS, RPP, RCST©
P. O. Box 4044 Whitefish, MT 59937
Offices in Columbia Falls and Whitefish, MT
SpiritWorks@valley.net
(406) 260-7098

If these pages have found their way into your hands, I thank you for taking the time to read them. By way of introduction, I will simply say that they were written because many people ask me about what I do.

I welcome your questions, and your referral to those who are looking for greater health and well-being.

Sincerely,

Lindy

Available for Appointments in local hospitals, your home, or in my office at Imagine Health in Columbia Falls, MT

“I felt all tension melt away. But more than that, I felt that we were addressing my soul, listening to it, hearing and responding to it at a subconscious level … I simply existed in greater harmony.”

J.C. Hanover, NH

The connection of mind, emotions and body in physical well-being have long been recognized by some forms of medical practice, and are rapidly being embraced by our own. It is becoming more and more common to appreciate that the causes for bodily complaints are not merely physical. Likewise, the remedies for these complaints cannot be merely material medicine, food and drink.

I have a life-long passion for facilitating health … deep, lasting health … both in myself and in others. This passion has led me to extensive training in energetic medicine. I have experienced and seen in my clients the transformational results that this approach produces. Nothing can equal the freed force of a human being whose body is in harmony with its energy.

As a result of my extensive studies in various forms of energetic medicine, I offer a combination of gentle, hands-on therapies* which may provide the following benefits to people of all ages and physical conditions:

• • relaxation and a deep sense of well-being
  • clarity of thinking and ability to focus attention
  • heightened creativity
  • invigorated vitality
  • relief from physical and emotional discomfort, personal and professional stress (e.g. challenges of parenting)
  • clarified sense of meaning and purpose
  • increased self-awareness and ability to manage one’s energy
  • strengthened immune system
  • accelerated recovery from injury or illness

* I have developed my conscious listening touch and presence from training in Polarity Therapy, Healing Touch, Reiki, Reflexology, Ayurvedic Aromatherapy, Craniosacral, Myofascial Release, Breathing techniques, Visceral and Myofascial Integration, and Chinese Internal Organ Massage. My application of all of these modalities fall within the scope of what is being called Energetic Medicine.

People like to think they can attain such benefits as those listed, but they wonder how. Here are some questions I am frequently asked about what I do.

How is what you do different from massage and other forms of body work?

While massage and other forms of body work involve hands-on therapy, the major differences with what I do is in the use of an expanded focus and in the transformation resulting from profound mind-body integration. The work I do has an emphasis on the patterns of energy flow in, around, and through your body. We explore a conscious understanding of the relationship between your physical experiences and your psyche.

For example, when working with shoulder tension, I look on a physical level to see if it is connected to other parts of your body, such as your hips. I may provide massage, myofascial release and/or craniosacral technique to address the symptoms on a physical level. Then I explore with you what thoughts, beliefs, and emotions may be contributing to holding energy in your shoulders. In this manner, energetic body work is an educational process of self-awareness that connects the physical with the greater wholeness in one’s being, first in the body and then in the related mind patterns. As a result, a conscious and lasting shift can occur. Thus, I am a facilitator or helper with my emphasis on awareness, listening, and sensing rather than on mechanical correction. Change comes from within you as you bring consciousness to your body’s energy.

What do you mean by energy systems?

Energy exists everywhere in nature – in elements such as thunder and

lightening, in plant life, animals, and in humans. That which animates and moves is what we call energy. It is easy to see the results of energy, but not the force itself. We watch things grow, move, explode, recede – but we may not see the actual force that is causing it. For that reason, discussions about energy in the human body can be confusing. What is elusive to our senses is hard to describe.

To help make this concept clearer, here is a simple example. On a tree I have at home, a branch has been partially cut; it droops; its foliage is reduced in color, deteriorating, even falling off. The flow of vital sap to this appendage has been vitally reduced. Much the same thing happens in humans. If blood is restricted in its flow, the tissues affected react; poor health or toxic conditions are the result.

Energy, however, while it is in sap and blood is much more than these physical substances. We cannot see it and that which restricts it’s flow is not only physical, but can be the result of mental, emotional or environmental influences as well. Actually, this concept is not new. Many ancient health care systems such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Indian Ayurveda have as their central concept an understanding of energy fields in the body and their connection to the whole person and his/her external world. In addition to forming a pattern, this life energy vitalizes all the various physiological and psychological functions within the body. Modern scientific research has provided new understanding of the evidence for the powerful effects and health benefits made possible by energy-based therapies.

The core therapies of my practice are based on the theory that there are patterns of energy in the human body which form a matrix or blueprint that the body uses when healing itself. With an understanding of this matrix, a trained practitioner can make connections to help re-establish the free flow of energy for optimum health.

How would I know if something was wrong with my energy system?

Trauma, overwhelming situations, fear, negative thoughts, anxiety, stress, poor diet can be held in the body, distorting and stopping the flow of life-force energy. If unresolved, these blockages stay in the connective tissue, create sickness and cause physical problems. My clients often come in complaining of muscle stiffness, back pain, digestive upsets or abdominal discomfort, shortness of breath, lack of physical stamina, mental dullness and lack of clarity, emotional imbalance, strained relationships, or unwanted addictive habits.

How does your therapy work?

I do not directly treat disease or illness. Rather I support the life

energy which flows through all the body organs, tissues, emotions and thought patterns. This life energy forms a link between the mind and body and aids in resolving emotional disturbances as well as physical imbalances.

The basic premise of the therapies I use is that conscious touch affects the human energy field. By knowing major flow patterns and key intersections (resonances) within the human energy field, I use appropriate hand placements which can relax you, allowing your life currents to be brought into balance. This relaxation creates a sense of deep calm out of which emerges clarity, new insight and empowerment. As this happens, the mental and emotional obstacles shift and physical strain and tension are eased.

I listen and respond to your body through gentle rocking, stretching, and conscious, pressure-sensitive touch. Your consciousness expands and you become more and more aware of what you are experiencing. You learn to cultivate the free flow of life supporting thought patterns which result in greater health, happiness and harmony. When the life-force energy flows freely within the body, chronic blocks of tension that reside in the muscles, bones and internal organs disappear. The end result is not just physical fitness, but rather the soul finding a free expression through the mind and body of the individual, restoring optimal health.

What is a session with you like?

In answer to this question, I share the words of one of my clients.

I signed up for Carolyn’s 10-session package last May. I have had chronic tension in my neck and shoulders as long as I can remember. I knew I needed more than massage. While it felt wonderful, the relaxation simply did not stay with me; I found myself tightening up again sometimes in a matter of hours. I had the notion that how I bore my body was related to my internal relationship to life. I just did not know how to get at and to change what was making me uncomfortable and tight.

My first appointment came. I was excited and did not know what to expect. It was a lovely early morning (Carolyn is accommodating!). I discovered a sign on the porch that instructed me to leave my shoes there. I entered a small waiting room and was welcomed by an invitation to enjoy a lovely warm foot bath, a cup of tea and any of the books and materials there. Soon Carolyn came to get me and we ascended to her “bird’s nest” room overlooking the Connecticut River. It is a spectacular, peaceful, lovely setting – private and very welcoming. Carolyn began by asking me what I was seeking. I explained my recurrent neck and shoulder tension. We spent a few minutes talking about what I was holding up there and then moved to her treatment table. She led me through a beautiful centering meditation which really touched me. Carolyn was so focused on me and my needs. I felt the meeting with her was sacred and blessed. She was supporting my highest spiritual needs in this effort to release my body’s tensions. Then she began the gentle placement of hands. I had never experienced anything like this. I could not help but relax. Mentally I slipped completely away from cognitive to a drifting serene place. I know my body responded to the support she gave it, the gentle stretching and rocking. I felt all tension melt away. But more than that, I felt that we were addressing my soul, listening to it, hearing and responding to it at a subconscious level. This went on for two hours! When it was over, I felt peaceful and
invigorated. Again, I did not work at any cognitive explanation or
resolution. I simply existed in greater harmony.

This pattern repeated itself for nine more sessions. My conscious intention was to loosen, allow, accept and flow in my body and in all aspects of my life. I did not have any one startling revelation; the sky did not part and voices did not thunder directions. But slowly and decidedly, I felt – and continued to feel – freer. This freedom is not only in my body but in my psyche as well. It permeates everything – how I am at work, at home, in my inner self and in my relationships. It is not a shrieking change, but a slow and gentle one. I have shifted and am letting go in very healthy ways. My neck and shoulder tension does come back from time to time. Carolyn showed me how to breathe into it to let it go. Sometimes that works. Sometimes that does not. But I am totally confident that the underlying tightness is working its way to the surface. It feels very very good to me.

I have to say one more thing. I have experienced Carolyn’s incredible integrity, generosity and skill. I am totally blown away by the sacredness and deep caring she brings to her work. I feel beautifully nurtured by her. I trust her completely. I am very grateful for her.

J.C. Hanover, NH

Symptoms of Inner Peace

Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:

• A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
• An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
• A loss of interest in judging other people.
• A loss of interest in judging self.
• A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
• A loss of interest in conflict.
• A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom)
• Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
• Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
• Frequent attacks of smiling.
• An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than to make them happen.
• An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

** WARNING ** WARNING ** WARNING **

If you have some or all of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition of inner peace may be so far advanced as to not be curable. If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of these symptoms, remain exposed only at your own risk.