It has been all go recently, and last Sunday I slowed down a little (although in a way which involved a lot of concentration) in order to attend a course with Sue Turner and five others from the Sutherland Cranial College.
It was an introduction to BLT (not the one with bacon) for the lower extremity, starting at the SIJ, then working through the hip, knee, tib-fib, ankle and foot. It was a whirlwind of emotions! The first couple of techniques I really felt I understood, and could feel what was going on, and the effect before and after, and a difference between them.
Once we hit the tib-fib and knee, things were less promising, but after lunch, (and as we moved further down) I felt like I got it again, and was eventually gaily suspending my partners toes.
Lunch was interesting as well, as it gave me a chance to talk directly to Sue Turner who discussed the Goethean methods of science and how in Dr. Sutherland's (and her opinion) it was a necessary paradigm to understand osteopathy. I have to confess that I am not terribly familiar with Goethe, so he is yet another one on the reading list for the future!
What did I think about BLT? In some ways, I barely changed my opinions from the first talk at Manus, where I wrote "like functional technique but with the patient moving". However, I was quite favourably influenced by the differential technique for the SIJ. It just felt so obvious, and when using it with my partner we both felt the ease and bind at the same times, which made it even more convincing.
Therefore, straightaway on Tuesday (the first day of clinic that week) I used it on my first patient with medium expectation. I was disappointed to find... nothing. The patient couldn't feel the release, or indeed the ease and bind that had made it so compelling on the course, and neither I nor they could feel a change afterwards. They were very good about it, and asked me to apply the techniques to their hitherto undisclosed "bad knee" too, so I suppose I will have to see how they are when they come back.
Nevertheless, it was an interesting insight, and I am not too downhearted that I didn't "get it" immediately. Lots of practice to come!
It was an introduction to BLT (not the one with bacon) for the lower extremity, starting at the SIJ, then working through the hip, knee, tib-fib, ankle and foot. It was a whirlwind of emotions! The first couple of techniques I really felt I understood, and could feel what was going on, and the effect before and after, and a difference between them.
Once we hit the tib-fib and knee, things were less promising, but after lunch, (and as we moved further down) I felt like I got it again, and was eventually gaily suspending my partners toes.
Lunch was interesting as well, as it gave me a chance to talk directly to Sue Turner who discussed the Goethean methods of science and how in Dr. Sutherland's (and her opinion) it was a necessary paradigm to understand osteopathy. I have to confess that I am not terribly familiar with Goethe, so he is yet another one on the reading list for the future!
What did I think about BLT? In some ways, I barely changed my opinions from the first talk at Manus, where I wrote "like functional technique but with the patient moving". However, I was quite favourably influenced by the differential technique for the SIJ. It just felt so obvious, and when using it with my partner we both felt the ease and bind at the same times, which made it even more convincing.
Therefore, straightaway on Tuesday (the first day of clinic that week) I used it on my first patient with medium expectation. I was disappointed to find... nothing. The patient couldn't feel the release, or indeed the ease and bind that had made it so compelling on the course, and neither I nor they could feel a change afterwards. They were very good about it, and asked me to apply the techniques to their hitherto undisclosed "bad knee" too, so I suppose I will have to see how they are when they come back.
Nevertheless, it was an interesting insight, and I am not too downhearted that I didn't "get it" immediately. Lots of practice to come!