• A mind/body/spirit approach based on the osteopathic philosophy that utilizes advanced manual therapies and techniques including craniosacral therapy, myofascial release, kinesiology, neuromuscular techniques, and therapeutic massage to meet the individual needs of each client.

  • Several patients can have pain and symptoms in the same location yet have different causes.   Pain/symptoms may be a result of structural, environmental, mental and/or emotional stressors.

  • Treatment addresses the whole person including the structural (soft tissue) restrictions and energetic imbalances that accompany chronic stress, health issues, musculoskeletal problems, pain patterns, or other physical/emotional symptoms.


BODY
  • Whole body assessment is an important part of effective and comprehensive treatment.  It is necessary to use a whole body approach, because we are comprised of complex interrelated systems. Essentially, everything is connected, and life is motion. Restrictions or tightness in any part of the body may potentially affect other parts.  For example, chronic neck pain can be caused by restrictions/tightness in the thorax (chest), pelvis or diaphragm. An old knee injury can cause hip problems.  Restrictions in the sacrum or occiput can result in headaches. Visceral fascial restrictions can cause low back pain.  Scar tissue from an old surgery can cause adhesions resulting in imbalances throughout the rest of the body. The body’s ability to self-correct is diminished when it is overwhelmed by excessive tensions.


MIND
  • Although we are working on the physical body, the mind and body are inextricably linked. Essentially there is no separation. Just as physical pain can affect how we think and feel, the effects of mental and emotional stress (conscious or subconscious) may cause pain patterns or other physical and emotional symptoms.  Stress is often insidious, causing the body to tighten up outside our awareness putting pressure on pain sensitive structures. It is important to note that we don't always feel the stress that is affecting our bodies before it is too late and symptoms emerge.  The body remembers all experiences, even if they are outside of our current awareness. You may be surprised where the symptoms are coming from. The goal is to create structural and energetic balance so the body can correct itself.   Life is motion. Our bodies tighten up as we resist the flow of life. This impedes the healing process and perpetuates the problem. It is necessary to "listen to the body" and treat the cause not the symptoms. Connecting the physical to the emotional, for some patients, is an effective way to get to the cause of a problem. (Releasing stress helps relax the mind/body but is not a replacement for psychotherapy from a licensed mental health professional).

SPIRIT
  • When the body /mind are in alignment, a person’s true self and spiritual well-being can be expressed. Often this process offers a person new meaning about symptoms allowing pain to be transformed by consciousness.


Stress and The Mind/Body Connection

  • Many doctors believe that as much as 80% of all illnesses are stress related.  Stress can come from any change that the body has to adjust to. The deleterious effects of stress on the body have been well documented.  When an individual is highly stressed for long periods of time, the neurochemistry is altered, affecting the brain negatively.  Evidence shows that chronic stress actually shrinks the brain and causes physical damage to the body.  Long-term overproduction of stress related chemicals could lead to hardening of the arteries, diabetes, digestive disturbances, osteoporosis, migraines, and many other diseases.  It is important to be aware of developing stress patterns.  Often times, the effects of stress are insidious.   We live in a stressful world but how we interpret or manage the stress is up to us.  Bodywork and mind/body practices are powerful tools to help keep the destructive effects of stress under control. 

  • In the last few decades, Western science has been proving that the mind and body are inextricably linked.  In fact, researchers and scientists have discovered that our emotions are processed in our bodies and minds simultaneously (Pert, 1986).   It has been said that the body is the subconscious mind and that the body does not lie (Pert, 1986). The body has innate wisdom.   Even slight thoughts cause a physical response.  Your body attempts to carry out the physical equivalent of your thoughts by activating your nervous system, adjusting your muscle tension, and altering hormonal output.  


  • Physical injuries or trauma leave an indelible imprint in our bodies. This is sometimes referred to as cellular memory.  Unconscious thought patterns are stored in our bodies and are largely based on past conditioning, unresolved emotions, or trauma.  These limiting patterns impact our movement, behavior, health, and overall well-being. The power of words, imagination, and touch all produce physical, emotional, and mental changes.   Therefore, it is necessary to use a holistic mind/body approach to allow the healing process to take place.  

  • Through bodywork and mind/body practices we can improve  awareness, thus enabling us to get in touch with blocked energy, postural/structural imbalances, repressed emotions, and subconscious bracing patterns that are holding us back or impeding good health. 


Wellness and Prevention

  • Treatment can also be preventative with many health benefits, as well as an effective approach for improved posture, relaxation, performance enhancement, body/mind integration, and an overall sense of well-being. It is important to recognize strain patterns before they become pain patterns. Even subtle imbalances and repetitive stress can predispose a person to more serious injury such as herniated disks, strains and sprains, repetitive stress injuries, or stress related illness, therefore, awareness and prevention are important.


  • Treatment sessions are "client centered"  and tailored according to individual client needs. Everyone is unique.  I treat the person, not the diagnosis. Sessions take place in a quiet supportive environment.

  • I can work according to your comfort level. Sessions can be performed fully clothed or on the skin depending on the modality or technique employed. Craniosacral Therapy sessions are usually performed with the client completed clothed unless integrated into an MFR session. Kinesiology sessions are performed fully clothed and can be done sitting, standing, or lying down.


 


     Walter Blick
        Hands-On Therapies
  CranioSacral Therapy and Myofascial Release                                                          15 East 10th Street
     New York, NY 10003
       Suite 1c

               646-957-3155








  
An Integrative MIND/BODY/SPIRIT Approach