As a practitioner of Watsu-type aquatic bodywork becomes more adept with their techniques and more sensitive in their awareness of the receiver, they inevitably witness some profound and mysterious effects of this work. These are subtle effects that arise out of the ways in which touch and movement are translated through water, a medium with sensitivities that are rarely acknowledged.
On the other hand, those who practice in a more methodical and results-orientated way are unlikely to create a setting that allows for this deeper experience. To a certain extent this can act as a kind of safeguard. This is because such work needs a well-developed sense of safety in guiding a person who will often be experiencing something akin to an altered state that is difficult to articulate.
There are great differences between this type of approach to aquatic bodywork which is highly intuitive and not easily quantified, the kind of practice appropriate to the spa leisure industry which is intended for relaxation and pleasure, and the carefully regulated ways of working in the disease/disorder-defined clinical practice.
In the relatively unexplored and, by definition, fluid area of what I have come to call intuitive aquatic bodywork, it is especially important to record and research its effects. It is also important that we value and respect the skills required to practice in this way, and that we begin to define benefits and applications.
Such work can be an effective adjunct to psychotherapy and to the care of those facing life transitions that have a non-medical aspect to them - such as pregnancy, bereavement, old age, and terminal illness. The expanded awareness and enhanced well-being engendered by aquatic healing, also has the potential to promote creativity and an attitude of optimism in the receiver as well as the giver.
Over several years in both spa settings and private aquatic bodywork practice, I have documented my experiences of a non-clinical but nevertheless therapeutic approach. In this blog I am presenting some of the insights gained from this and encouraging input from other aquatic bodywork practitioners (and receivers) regards their own experiences.
Intuitive Aquatic Bodywork: intention, insights, and integration is a two-part workshop based on the ideas put forward here that I will be offering at the November 2009 National Aquatic Healthcare Conferences in Chicago (Aquatic Therapy & Rehab. Institute)
Evidence-based research is increasingly being sought for clinical aquatic therapies and the new medical spas. For the areas of potential in aquatic bodywork that interest me, and about which I have been writing on this blog, this presents challenges This post will hopefully lead to some stimulating discussions and ideas for furthering such investigations.
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) aims to apply evidence gained from the scientific method to certain parts of medical practice. It seeks to assess the quality of evidence relevant to the risks and benefits of treatments (including lack of treatment). According to the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, "Evidence-based medicine is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients." EBM
recognizes that many aspects of medical care depend on individual
factors such as quality and value-of-life judgments, which are only
partially subject to scientific methods. EBM, however, seeks to clarify
those parts of medical practice that are in principle subject to
scientific methods and to apply these methods to ensure the best
prediction of outcomes in medical treatment, even as debate about which
outcomes are desirable continues. From Wikipedia
It's also going to be helpful ...
- to start communicating about findings, and
- to gather anecdotal information ...
that will support the need for or value of future studies. Please join in by adding a comment below or Email me here.
What is needed
If we want to conduct aquatic bodywork studies along these lines, I suggest we would need to be able to:
- identify some of the altered states (positive to negative) experienced by receivers and practitioners
- correlate these states with specific sequences of movement, stillness, breathing patterns, etc.
- find appropriate measures of these states that can be applied in a water environment
- demonstrate reproducible and lasting effects, defining what is beneficial (also neutral or potentially harmful)
- evaluate the significance of the consciousness/ other qualities of the receivers and practitioners
- investigate the contribution of the water medium and it's variables to the effects observed
Set and Setting
Research on altered states of consciousness induced by psychedelic drugs in the 1960s led to the set-and-setting context. Set refers to the expectations, intention, attitude and personality of the seeker, while setting is the physical and social context and the presence and attitudes of the guide/practitioner. Though many such drugs are viewed with some suspicion now, investigation has been ongoing.
Here are some notes taken from the book I have frequently referenced in the series of posts below: 'Kundalini Energy' by M.S.S. Gurucharan Singh, Singh Khalsa and Sadhu Singh Khalsa in Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment (ed. John White, Anchor Press, 1979) pp. 254-290. This article (and book) and the current research program at the Kundalini Research Institute are valuable resource
Measurement
Even if we could define state of consciousness in terms of psychological measures (such as space/time perception, identity, exteroception, memory, kinesthetic sensation), it is difficult and maybe impossible to measure these parameters without disturbing the state of consciousness.
Although physiological changes are known to accompany altered states of conciousness, research has suggested that very different states may have the same physiological parameters. Other relations reflected in more subtle ways and not measurable by standard instruments may be involved.
Reproducibility
Is it possible to induce the same kind of altered state in a group of test subjects? In kundalini yoga, the techniques used to induce particular states of consciousness are called kriyas. A kriya, according to Yogi Bhajan's followers, is a very specific sequence of physical and mental actions that affect body, mind, and spirit concurrently. In other schools of yoga, kriyas are considered more spontaneous and variable.
Conceptual frameworks
Quantum physics is laying a conceptual framework that parallels the idea of interconnectedness taken for granted by yogis when explaining the nature of energy and consciousness.
There is a need for 'state-specific sciences' that take into account the consciousness of the investigator as well as the data derived from the subject of the experiment.
Experimental controls
In the context of psychosomatic therapy, Adolf Guggenbuhl-Craig (Ch. 23. Quacks, Charlatans, and False Prophets, in Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature, ed. C. Zweig and J. Abrams, Tarchner, 1991) draws attention to many difficulties in such studies, including the problem of experimental controls in psychosomatic illnesses. He asks:
- What constitutes remission?
- What constitutes deterioration?
- What are proper criteria?
ability to hold a job
subjective sense of wellbeing
progress towards individuation
The role of water
Regarding the influence of water itself, here is a teaser quote:
Studies designed to advance our understanding of water's role as a bridge between the worlds of energy and matter will provide a crucial link between the realms of science and spiritual phenomena, bear profound implications- for the betterment of human and environmental health, and may well help lay the foundations for a newly emerging scientific paradigm. IHM Research Center
Subtle energy studies
The International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM) is an non-profit interdisciplinary organization dedicated to exploring and applying subtle energies as they relate to the experience of consciousness, healing, and human potential. It aims to foster appreciation of the energetic component within many disciplines including quantum physics, therapeutic modalities, healing, psychology, consciousness, psi and the understanding of our multidimensional existence.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) offers some research guidelines for energy medicine but begins by noting this: Biofield therapies are intended to affect energy fields that purportedly surround and penetrate the human body. The existence of such fields has not yet been scientifically proven. The website pages for both Energy Medicine and Manipulative and body-based practices include these topics: introduction; scope of the research; references.
Conventional medicine
The Aquatic Resources Network (ARN) offers a resource for conventional scientific research in the aquatics field. It offers a Tip sheet (301) on Performing aquatic therapy research. This pdf document (for members) distinguishes Experimental (randomized controlled trials) and Non-experimental studies (correlational studies, descriptive studies, historical/retrospective studies, quasi experimental studies, single-case experimental design).
Any thoughts from aquatic colleagues about applying these ideas and others to our own field?
See a very helpful commentary on the above from Joe Landwehr in my next post 'Water bridges a therapeutic gap'.
Links to a recent series of five posts exploring altered states and aquatic bodywork:
1. A return to the water
2. A path to aquatic ecstasy
3. Diving deeper: shamanic, yogic, scientific and poetic paths
4. Pristine waters; murky depths
5. How to investigate aquatic altered states of consciousness
