Case studies of NST sessions

About the Author

History and development
In the late 1950's an Australian osteopath Tom Bowen, discovered unusual relationships existed between certain health complaints and particular patterns of muscular dysfunction his patients presented with. The observation led to many years of intense clinical research, which ultimately resulted in the development of a unique system of myofascial stimulation, which brought about long term corrections to the unusual patterns of muscular dysfunction and the corresponding health complaints in his patients as well.

I personally worked with various people to develop the Neurostructural Integration Technique. The advantage of NST is that it is quicker and smoother in its application than earlier forms, and also consistently achieves results in more difficult cases. It is now practiced in many countries around the world including Britain, Italy, Spain, the United States, and Australia.

Philosophy
The real secret to why NST works is because of its underpinning philosophy. It was this which enabled Bowen to devise a system to suit the philosophy to consistently work through the system. Put simply, the philosophy is that the body is a self regulating bioenergetic and biomechanical phenomena which will continue to regulate itself for as long as it has the reserve energy necessary to sustain life, by the ongoing process of biological adaptation. Bowen realized that the body would regulate itself and return to balance if the appropriate neurological and neuromuscular context was created so that it could. There was never the question of if it could, this was implicit - the fact that the person had life was evidence enough that it could!

He discovered that there is a particular cycle in the body which must be free to operate unimpeded, if the individual is to enjoy good health and balance. Whilst he perceived that this cycle was perceptible at an energetic level, he was equally aware of its physical components namely the sacrum, coccyx, cranium and Temporomandibular Joint complex and the dural membrane which connects them to make them a functional unit. Over and above the importance of recognizing the need for this system to remain unimpeded, was his emphasis and insistence on releasing the neuromuscular imbalances throughout the body, which have such a direct impact on the proper functioning of the cycle and consequently the health of the whole body. He postulated that if all the muscular imbalances could be released that the body would regulate itself, and in the process pain and symptoms would vanish and energy levels would increase. His real brilliance however lies in the actual system he devised to enable this automatic systematic reintegration to take place. Bowen recognized that when the body was stimulated in a very particular fashion that the intelligence of the body would be alerted (as he put it) and the process of unraveling neuromuscular compensations would begin. Developed on the extent of compensation in the body, this unraveling process could take to 7 days at which time the body would go into a holding pattern. A reassessment would be required to evaluate the client again, then another session carried out to restart the unraveling process once again if necessary.

In clinical practice on average it is common to receive reports from clients that they can feel the body going through the unraveling process for approximately 2-4 days. There is often a very similar pattern experienced with body aches which move from one location to another (e.g. shoulder to knee), some sweating, emotional releases with some clients, but above all a very deep sense of relaxation and change taking place. In addition many clients report noticing their symptoms leaving their bodies in the reverse order to which they arrived.

Application
The actual application of the technique is interesting, as it is distinctly different from any other technique attempting to achieve the same goal. In the first instance, a three part integrated body balance is applied which is partly performed with the client in a prone position and then finished with the client in the supine position. The work generally commences in a prone position, around the lumbar area and then quickly moves the thoracic area before returning to the legs and sacrum. There are a few resting periods between the various sequences of 'moves', which are carried out before moving the client into a supine position.

The prone work, including resting periods, usually takes about 15 minutes to perform. Once the client is in the supine position, additional releases are applied to the diaphragm, neck and knee-this also takes another 10-15 minutes to complete. Other optional procedures for the shoulders, elbows and wrists, pelvis, ankles, coccyx, and TMJ complex.

The integrated balance which is applied to the body via the specialized moves, is directed to areas where proprioceptors (spindle cells and golgi tendon organs) abound. However, it is not just single stimulation of these points which elicits such a comprehensive and powerful response in each individual - rather it is the configuration in which the moves are carried out.

Consequently the integrated balance once applied synthesizes an orchestrated response involving alpha and gamma motor neurons, various spinal reflex arcs, the motor cortex of the cerebellum, the basal ganglia and the cerebellum.

It is reasonable to state that the Neurostructural Integration Technique once applied creates a powerful context for change to take place in the musculoskeletal and visceral systems via what can only be described as a specific decoding of the nervous system and a comprehensive resetting of the body.

Once the session is over the client is given aftercare recommendations which basically reminds them that their body will go through a process of reorganization for a few days and to take it easy during this time by doing nothing too physically strenuous. The client is also advised to keep up daily walking and sufficient intake of water to help flush the lymphatic system and assist the musculature t return quickly to stable balance.

Although to the client the session seems simple, noninvasive and gentle, the results are nevertheless very surprising and often miraculous. While this is the case for the client, the practitioner comes to expect these wonderful results, as dependability is one of the key characteristics of the NST technique.

Typically clients will require only 2-3 sessions for their health problems to be resolved. Additional sessions may be required for those with chronic health problems or who require ongoing psychological and/or nutritional support.

The following list of symptoms frequently disappears in response to an NST session; acute and chronic pain including back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, leg pain, facial pain, headaches including migraines, sinusitis, digestive problems, menstrual problems, infertility, prostate problems, visual problems, learning disorders, and emotional depression.

While the above conditions are the most classical there are many other disorders which generally respond favorably to treatment as well; Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, glandular fever, and chronic fatigue disorder to name a few.

In Conclusion
The Neurostructural Integration Technique is a very powerful and effective advanced Bowen Therapy which can be used to resolve a plethora of health problems, both acute and chronic, in a gentle, timely and safe manner. Results are consistently long lasting for even the most severe and chronic cases. Its place in the field of bodywork is well established, as evidenced by the many hundreds of practitioners around the world. The Neurostructural Integration Technique is held in high esteem for its remarkable clinical effectiveness and high level of dependability.

Orginally published in Positive Health, Issue 43,
©August 1999, by Michael J. Nixon-Livy