Smells and Bells

When I was a little kid I was terrified of dogs. I was scared of all animals, really, but being debilitating afraid of a pet found in many houses and any park became a real challenge. My parents took me to some kind of doctor who told me to take medicine that came out of a blue tube as white little balls, I was to take two or three of these under my tongue every morning. To my great seven-year-old surprise, the “medicine” was sweet! It tasted like little sugar pills. At the time, I was delighted. Taking medicine was usually a chore, but these pills were almost a treat. As a gold older and learned about things like placebos and “sugar pills,” I thought for sure my parents were trying to trick me. I thought by the nature of their sweetness they couldn’t have any healing properties, they must have just been to make me think I was getting over my fears. Credit: https://www.amazon.com/Boiron-Symphytum-Officinale-Homeopathic-Medicine/dp/B00014FG0O In more recent years I’ve run into t...

Anyone who has met my dad would be surprised to know that some of his closest friends are women who practice all kinds of movement and touch therapy. His friend Celine is a massage therapist in addition to being certified in reiki. I grew up with her making house calls and giving my family different soaps and products for healing and wellness. His other friend Traca is a yoga instructor and energy healer who works with both of us to strengthen our bodies and spirits. She told me about Kripalu, a yoga and wellness center in Western Massachusetts, and encouraged me to go. And so when Elizabeth Robinson came into class, saying I was excited was an understatement- this was material that I was very familiar with and excited by. I have always been a big supporter of the healing power of massage and reiki, and have hoped to incorporate these more natural remedies into my own practice after college. Kripalu in the summer Elizabeth Robinson's passion for JourneyDance surprised me b...

In Deepest Sense: A History of Touch by Constance Classen the book explains the historical use of touch as a means of healing in the middle ages. Religion and spiritual ideals were closely related to health practices during that time. For example, monasteries often functioned as medical centers. The book described many healing practices some of which were later disclaimed. However among these practices were methods that still carry relevance today."Surgeons were advised to have 'light hands', expeditious in operating, lest you cause the patient pain." While "Physicians, the 'medical masters' might prescribe tactile treatments ranging from cupping to massage to hot baths" (49). Classen also spoke of different practices that relied on superstition or trickery. For example she referenced the German physician Franz Anton Mesmer "who postulated the existence of a universal magnetic fluid that can be felt not seen" and he worked to channel and...