'Healing arts' practitioners talk therapy

On Monday evening the lush, colorful Francine's Gardens at 25 N. Pacific St. was transformed into a place to get some body work done. No bent fenders and crushed bumpers were to be seen; just some men and women living with the effects of stress and a bad diet coming in to find an alternative source of healing so their bodies can feel better. A dozen or more therapists gathered to offer samples of their work in what they called a "healing arts night."

Karen Brooks of Cape Girardeau was feeling some stiffness in her back and shoulders from working all day bent over a computer at Ford Entertainment and Production in Cape Girardeau. Sherry Boyd was practicing shiatsu, which means "finger pressure," on Brooks' back and arms, using her fingers, knuckles and sometimes her forearms to relax the tightness in Brooks' muscles.

A few steps away, Tina Abate of Sikeston was loosening soft, connective tissue, revving a patient's circulation, through myofascial release. Abate also practices craniosacral therapy, which uses the body's own natural healing mechanisms to dissipate stress on the central nervous system. Nearby, Sandy Horton of Marble Hill talked about Reiki, a method of using divine energy to facilitate healing.

"Whatever a person needs, spiritual energy flows and goes to where it is needed," Horton said, explaining Reiki's premise.

Increasingly, people interested in wellness are turning to spiritual connections to the human body in addition to scientific diagnoses and treatments. These natural, holistic healers are not competing with the medical profession -- Abate is also a licensed physical therapist for the past 15 years -- but they often work in conjunction with doctors and chiropractors. They stress that they do not diagnose, but report what they see.

"I have heard some doctors say if it works, do it," Horton said. "How you put your intentions toward something has a great deal to do with the outcome."

Avoiding surgery

According to a brochure distributed by therapist Paula Bridges, healing touch and energetic healing are non-invasive therapies that can be used to help people in their goal toward good health through self-healing. In some instances, several therapists said, some patients have used these alternative methods to avoid surgery.

Amy Stafford of Jackson, a home health nurse with the Visiting Nurses Association, was enjoying an application of a blend of essential oils called "valor" to help balance her energy and support her musculo-skeletal system, according to therapist Jacqui Close of Jackson.

Essential oils work in conjunction with the body's natural electrical energy during a massage that stimulates healing, Close said. The "valor" she was using on Stafford's arms and shoulders -- a fragrant concoction of frankincense, spruce, rosewood, blue tansy and almond oil -- is so potent, she said, it's often called "chiropractor in a bottle."

"Occasionally, and I have had this experience, it will cause the spine to correct itself without a manipulation," she said. "Several chiropractors in the area use it. It helps clients hold an adjustment for a longer period of time."

"I'm loving every bit of it," said Stafford. "It's really relaxing, soothing."

Therapists specializing in various forms of holistic therapy were demonstrating samples of their work to those who wanted a little pampering and to those who were interested in learning the various therapies for themselves.

Also offered were demonstrations of kundalini yoga, etheric touch, healing touch, reflexology and iridology -- a practice by which an iridologist looks into a patient's eyes and can tell by looking at the different color patterns of the iris what problems the patient has.

Another free night of healing in Cape Girardeau is scheduled for June. The therapists also plan to offer similar monthly healing experiences in other communities in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160