The
fractured self - the search for being
Ontology
- Part 1
Ontology is a philosophical model that studies 'being'.
Being is the antithesis of death - it is a
fully-functioning, autonomous, alive state.
Ontological
kinesiology is an art and
neurophysiological understanding of muscle function in
relation to body feedback. The use of hand modes
(similar to a
sign language) provides a language for us to
'read' your situation, the whys and wherefores,
and to know how to help you. Kinetic [muscle] feedback
provides information from both your conscious and
unconscious self. The result of a consultation is the
ability to name a root cause, understand why you
manifest your particular state or problem, and gain the
support you need to change the dynamics that actually
prevented change in the first place. Adaptation
is a term used in physiology to describe a process that
also exists in nature. It is a positive quality for it
ensures survival, but over time may become so particular or
encapsulates the organism in such a niche that the
adaptation itself becomes its death knell. Consider a fir
tree on the Oregon coast that is continually battered by
the Pacific wind. Over time the firs adapt to this
environment and takes on a particular look, their limbs and
trunk shaped by the continual winds that they encounter;
they lean away, their facing edges bare yet armored. This
is analogous to our postures or stance - the 'give away'
that indicates that we have adapted to something.
Humans adapt in
a similar manner, except that our adaptation is often
unseen until a specialist observes a scoliosis, a short
leg, a hidden and obscure allergic reaction, an eczema or
some other peculiarity that we have simply lived with. This
adaptive process often occurs with birth traumas, which are
subtly imprinted upon our body and head. As common as
these traumas are, it is usually only the cranial osteopath
or craniosacral therapist who will notice such structural
adaptations. Adaptation ceases to be functional when these
unseen elements take power, and our physiology becomes
altered; then we notice that we cannot adapt any
further. Ontological
kinesiology allows us to go beneath the adaptation to look
at the 'wind' that has affected us. Although it may take
several sessions to unravel the altered dynamics that
create an impasse for a client, we are nonetheless able to
name these problems along the way. Thus the human
self, armed with knowledge, can begin to make choices based
on this new understanding. The client’s story unfolds
chronologically, seeking the root cause of the dysfunction
while simultaneously widening the pathway so that a session
not only 'names' a problem but also elaborates and supports
all the systems that have adapted to it over
time.
Ontology part 2 - click
here
Articles
A
client's guide to a Kinesiological session.