Ortho-Bionomy® and the Body’s Self-Corrective Capacity
By Bruce Stark
The body has an incredible capacity to self regulate and self organise.
More than just a machine, it is comprised of a complex, interconnected network
of systems, each informing the other and each allowing the body to assess, adapt, reassess and rebalance. We have “hardwired”
within us many different mechanisms (structural, neurological, functional and
emotional) which interact to enable us to respond to our environment as well as
to respond to the stresses of injury, overuse, structural misalignment, and
other strains on the body.
Ortho-Bionomy, a gentle, non-invasive bodywork modality developed by British
osteopath Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, is a simple yet highly effective method for
working with this self-corrective capacity. The primary philosophy in
Ortho-Bionomy work is that we best help our clients when we serve a
facilitative role. We do not work “on” the client. Rather, we work
“with” them, that is, we work to find the self correcting patterns in their
bodies and actively support them through specific techniques involving
movement, positioning of the body, postural balancing and re-education, and
releasing the fascia and fluid movements of the tissues.
“Structure governs function” is a fundamental edict of osteopathic philosophy
and it is important in Ortho-Bionomy as well. When the underlying
structure is in balance, all of the systems can function more optimally.
The individual responds to the various stresses that are place on him or her
with the goal being the greatest functional efficiency. If something
happens to the structure (like, for example, we stub our toe) we immediately
adapt our systems to continue to function with the structural change (we start
to limp so that we can continue the function of walking). Our bodies will
always try to structurally support whatever functions we ask our bodies to do,
and to attempt to function as comfortably as possible.
But where there is injury, habituated structural and/or emotional stress, or
physical or emotional trauma there can be a short circuiting of our
self-regulatory capacity. We no longer have the ability to adapt the
structure to support us or the functional capacity of the structure (e.g.,
joint, bone or muscle) is restricted thereby limiting the possibilities for
change. This is where we can use the messages from the body itself.
Interestingly it is often the positions or movements of comfort which lead to
the release of the structural imbalances. In Ortho-Bionomy we look for
the movements and positions which are comfortable for the client, since these
usually are the patterns that the body has identified as the patterns which
will lead to the resolution of the pain or trauma that the client is experiencing.
By creating an environment of comfort, the body is able to sort out what it
needs to do to unwind the stress patterns and re-establish the more efficiently
functioning patterns.
One of the systems that Ortho-Bionomy techniques utilize is the activity of the
proprioceptive nervous system. This is the aspect of the nervous system,
which gives the brain the feedback about what is happening in the tissues
(where there is stretch, relaxation, movement and non-movement) and where and
how our bodies and limbs are positioned. By actively interfacing with
this aspect of the nervous system we can help the body “see” what it is doing
more clearly by slightly exaggerating the positions of comfort. When we
give the body an experience of comfort the nervous system identifies that
experience as desirable and will do what it can to create more of it. In
fact, there is a type of reflexive response that when we experience ease and
comfort, our systems automatically try to hold onto and maintain that sense of
ease and comfort. In this way we are able to release pain patterns
without causing pain.
The techniques of Ortho-Bionomy are designed to allow the client’s body to make
the changes itself. We follow the unwinding and balancing patterns of the
body, trusting that it knows what it needs to do to self correct. And
because the client has made the changes him or herself, they tend to be deeply
effective and long lasting. By following the body’s natural ability to
find balance we are truly supporting “the wisdom of the body”.
Bruce
Stark is a Senior Practitioner and Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy and teaches
regularly throughout the