'For better client outcomes, just add water,' wrote John Upledger, grand master of craniosacral therapy in Massage Today April, 2006 (Vol. 06, Issue 04).
This powerful yet subtle method is designed to balance fluidic pulsations occuring along the brain-spine axis. It's usually done on land but it has great applications in the water. I became aware of this simply through floating hundreds of people in the water. During periods of apparent stillness, the body's own wave movements are most noticeable.
Below are some quotes from the above article that I can certainly corroborate:
Because the client is floating, the body can move in an uninhibited manner that expresses the changes in tissue mobility and tensions. Simply follow and support this movement with your hands. As the tissues release restrictions, they will lengthen or soften, or come into greater functional alignment. More movement of tissues, fluids and structures will then be available for the client to use in a more functional way, facilitating the body's own self-corrective mechanisms.
John Upledger, president of the Upledger Institute.
What the ocean water adds to light-touch, subtle-energy techniques is multifaceted. Water in itself is a healing medium that reduces gravity and friction, making three-dimensional movement almost effortless. As joint range of motion increases, the nervous system is able to move into a parasympathetic response (relaxed state). Muscles lengthen, tensions release, and internal natural healing processes begin to work more effectively.
David Dolan, Ocean Therapy Upledger Institute workshop.
Everything we do in the treatment room is multiplied when working in the water. For clients who have hit a plateau in their progress or have particular body issues hampered by the confines of the massage table, the water adds that extra element that can gently urge them to their next stage of healing.
Upledger Institute staff clinician Sheryl McGavin.
