Article by Greg Morling
Polarity Therapy has been gaining in popularity since its inception by Randolph Stone nearly five decades ago. In Australia, training courses in Polarity have been very well attended and this article provides an overview of this very interesting energy – based healing practice.
The basis of Polarity Therapy is energy and the assertion that the flow and balance of this energy in the human body is the foundation of good health. If the energy flows smoothly without significant blockage of fixation then one can expect to have good health but if is unbalanced, blocked or fixed due to stress or other factors, pain and disease may arise. The UK journalist, Anne Woodham, co-author of The Encyclopaedia of Natural Healing writes;
Polarity therapy is a natural health care system based on the human energy field. The undisturbed flow and balance of the electromagnetic energy in and around the body is the basis for health and wellbeing on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. Blocked currents and disharmony in the energy field result in manifestations of tension, pain, disease, or illness. With Polarity the blockages and restrictions are cleared. The client’s energy field is restored to its natural state of balance. The result manifests as a release of holding patterns in body, mind, and soul.
Woodham goes on to explain that Polarity Therapy is not a replacement for medical care but a very useful interface to many other healing disciplines, including massage therapy.
I have written on energy work in a past Mostly Massage Magazine issue, however the interrelatedness of Polarity to other energetic vibrational dynamics sets it apart; the Chakra system of yogic beliefs is an important underpinning aspect of this balancing process. This ancient Indian Vedic philosophy called the Five Tattvas is based on the five elements; fire, ether, air, water and earth.
Each Element may find relationship to parts of our being; Two thirds of our body consists of water, another percentage is bones, organs, nails, teeth, hair and soft tissue which could be considered earth. We also breathe air and have a respiratory system. You could say that to some extent we are made of air. The warmth that our body generates is what gives us good candidacy for fire. Ether is space, the most subtle element that gives rise and integrates the other four elements. Too much ether present in a person can make them ungrounded. Many different combinations of elements and elemental imbalances are possible. When energy and by association, these Elements are unbalanced, blocked or fixed due to stress or other factors, pain and disease arise. The Elements all have certain characteristics that can be identified by a trained Polarity practitioner but are not the only factors assessed in Polarity; specific bodywork protocols, nutritional guidelines and exercise may also be part of the complete Polarity treatment.
History of Polarity Therapy
Polarity therapy is a comprehensive health system that was founded in the mid-20th century by Dr Randolph Stone, an Austrian-born naturopath, osteopath and chiropractor who practiced in the USA. Stone’s research into Eastern and Western concepts of health convinced him that the human energy field is affected by touch, nutrition, movement, sound, attitudes, relationships, life experience, trauma and environmental factors. He also pioneered many of the techniques of craniosacral therapy that were later developed by osteopathic physician and clinical researcher, John Upledger. It is interesting to also note that Randolph Stone had become increasingly disillusioned with the bodywork approaches which he felt to be rather mechanistic rather than holistic. It is possible that one of the reasons for the resurgence in the popularity of Polarity here in Australia could be due to the very same reasons.
Where it May be Useful
Polarity therapy has proven useful with conditions such as allergies, arthritis, asthma, burn out, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, circulatory problems, depression, digestive disorders, mental and emotional disturbances, fibromyalgia, headache, health maintenance, hormonal imbalances, infertility, inflammation, injury, insomnia, major life changes, menopausal symptoms, menstrual disorders, neuralgia, PMS, pre and post surgery, pregnancy and post partum, sciatica, skin disorders, spiritual growth, stress management, and stress related symptoms. Furthermore, with Polarity unresolved past and past life trauma can be accessed and healed.
What to Expect in a Polarity Session
A session usually lasts 60-90 minutes and begins with questions about your medical history and lifestyle. You are then asked to lie clothed on a couch for a polarity assessment.
The practitioner moves his or her hands around your head, down towards your feet, up the body over the five energy centres and finishes back at the head. Touch may be light (neutral) to restore body awareness and balance; medium (positive) to stimulate energy by stroking, moulding and rocking the body; and firm (negative), which uses deep-tissue manipulation to release ‘blocked’ energy.
The results of polarity therapy sessions can vary from profound relaxation to emotional outbursts of anger or grief as areas of stagnation are cleared.
You may be given stretching exercises to perform at home and a health-building, cleansing diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. If the practitioner feels that negative thought patterns are a factor, counseling techniques may increase self-awareness and the emergence of your own inherent ‘knowing’ can help you realise your potential.
While Polarity Therapists should be knowledgeable in the four major therapeutic strands of Polarity; touch, exercise, diet, and mental-emotional process, most practitioners tend to favor one area over others, so the work may vary considerably from one practitioner to another.
Conclusion
While there have been several well written books on the subject of Polarity by respected practitioners such as James Oschman, Frank Sills and of course, Randolph Stone himself, valid scientific research evidence on this technique does not exist. This, of course is not surprising as many very successful holistic and energy based practices are not evidence based medicines. We may need to rely a lot more on transference and counter transference or the power of the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and client/patient for an explanation as to why practices like Polarity are therapeutically successful.
There are certainly similarities between Polarity and other holistic, energy-based healing practices that would all contend that our physical, psychological and spiritual well-being depends on the free and uninterrupted flow of ‘life energy’ around the body. This is most certainly true for Acupuncture and there is no reason to think that Polarity Therapy would be any less effective in rebalancing the body’s energy.
General References
Millenson, J. Mind Matters, Psychological Medicine in Holistic Practice, Eastland Press 1995
Oschman, J. Energy Medicine, The Scientific Basis (Churchill Livingstone, 2000).
Sills, F. The Polarity Process. North Atlantic, 2002.
Stone, R.: “Polarity Therapy Vol. I & 2 CRCS, 1986
http://www.earthlit.com/polarity-therapy.html accessed 20.7.07