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Articles



Information About Healing Modalities & Principals As Well As Adapting To Our Changing Environment




The following articles covering various wellness topics are not intended to be definitive but rather spark your interest and get you started on your own exploration and investigation.

These articles are provided for informational purposes only. Not all wellness activities are right for every individual. Consult your health care practitioner before attempting any wellness or lifestyle changes.



Information about Ortho-Bionomy®





Ortho-Bionomy® - A Philosophical Perspective



When explaining to people what exactly the bodywork therapy Ortho-Bionomy is I find myself repeating statements over time to the same people. This is likely a failing of my own. My short, concise, description is rather dry and does little to really unravel its depths: ​

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Why Is Ortho-Bionomy So Relaxing?



Most people that come to my office for Ortho-Bionomy do so because of pain issues. Ortho-Bionomy is an excellent tool for releasing tension and pain in a gentle, pain free way. Staying within the individuals comfort level, awareness is brought to the body allowing it to seek balance naturally rather than through force.


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Ortho-Bionomy - Beyond Bodywork



When I was first introduced to Ortho-Bionomy it was in a classroom setting. I learned body therapy techniques to use with my clients to help them release tension and pain and restore balance. What I was to learn later was that the techniques were not what was most important. Rather the techniques were taught so we could learn the principals. Ortho-Bionomy is based on principals rather than specific techniques:


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The Power of Presence



When discussing or describing Ortho-Bionomy I often talk about the importance of presence. Rather than imposing something on the client, the practitioner gently shows the body what it is doing to hold tension. Then the practitioner just hangs out, providing their presence, allowing the clients body to change if it is ready to let go of its tension. The practitioner shares the client's process, being a silent witness. ​


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Fear Of Pain And It's Effect On The Body



When people are in my office for an appointment to work with some pain or tension pattern I often get questions like "how did I get this way anyway?" I explain how tension is the body's way of protecting us. For example if you trip and twist your ankle the likely result is that the muscles around the ankle tighten up. The body perceived a threat of injury in the tripping and twisting motions. Constricting the ankle is the body's way to immobilize the joint to avoid further injury or pain.


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Ortho-Bionomy® - What Is It?



What's in a name?
The origin of the name Ortho-Bionomy comes from the Greek "ortho" which means correct or straight, "bio" which means life, and "nomy" which means the laws or study of. Put together it means "the correct application of the laws of life."


Ortho-Bionomy - What is it?

Most descriptions of Ortho-Bionomy start by describing it's central technique: Gentle positioning and holding with subtle compression, putting the focus on where the client is comfortable, helping them move past, and releasing, stuck patterns of tension. Often the work involves the practitioner following the body's patterns...


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Information about Massage





Boost Your Immune System With Massage



When explaining to people what exactly the bodywork therapy Ortho-Bionomy is I find myself repeating statements over time to the same people. This is likely a failing of my own. My short, concise, description is rather dry and does little to really unravel its depths: ​

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Be All Ears - The Benefits Of Ear Massage



Massage at The Healing Connection usually includes massage of the ears. This welcome technique is often very stimulating. What most people don't think about is how easy it is to massage our own ears just about anytime or anywhere. OK maybe not during a business meeting, definitely not while driving. But there are so many situations where it is easy to reach the ears and give them two or three minutes of attention.


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Pain Management





Neck Pain & Ortho-Bionomy



I frequently do presentations of Ortho-Bionomy for groups. I include a demonstration of the work on audience members, addressing whatever issues they are noticing at the time. Most of the time I get the same issue, neck and upper back pain and tension.


Why do our necks cause us problems so frequently?


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Low Back Pain & Ortho-Bionomy



Down in the Back?

When I was a child my parents would sometimes announce, after a period of physical work, that they were "Down in the Back". By their reaction to it my young mind had the impression that this was one of the worst states to be in.


Pattern of Imbalance

Whatever we call it today who hasn't experienced the debilitation of low back pain? Simple activities can bring us to our knees so to speak. Often times the pain comes ...


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Returning To Ourselves -
The Desk Dwellers Stretch



Most people that have had an appointment at my office or heard me speak at a class or presentation have heard about the Desk Dwellers Stretch. I prescribe this simple exercise for people who frequently fall into uncomfortable postures due to lack of focus on their body and it's alignment.


In our busy "doing" world we often focus intensely on the tasks we wish to accomplish which results in tuning out other things including our bodies. The Desk Dwellers Stretch gives us a short break from our ...


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Healing Principals and Practices





Fight Or Flight - Natures Way Of Preparing Us For Danger



What happens during injury or stress? Our body does a great job of protecting us and making us ready to face stressful or dangerous situations. When our body perceives danger, or the threat of injury, this information is sent to the brain. The brain sends messages back to the body to make adjustments to protect us. For example, if you trip and twist your ankle this is perceived as a threat to the body. The muscles around the ankle tighten to immobilize the ankle and protect it from a broken bone.


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Curiosity - Living In Right Relationship



Curiosity gets a bad rap sometimes. The term "morbid curiosity" sounds ominous. And you know what they say about curiosity and the cat. There is increasing thought that curiosity, although innate, is not an instinct but rather a basic emotion. One reason for this is that curiosity can express itself in numerous ways while instinct is usually fixed.


Curiosity of what's around us naturally brings our awareness to how we relate to these things and how we feel about them. When we explore, in ...


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Catching Your Breath - Self Healing, Simple & Profound



Breathing is something most of us take for granted. It's our first act upon entering this world and we do it without having to think about it there after. We have to feed ourselves and find water but we seldom have to go looking for air (unless, perhaps, we happen to be under water). We can go for weeks without food and days without water but we can't survive more than a few short minutes without air. Breath provides us our source of oxygen, which is required by our cells and is used to produce energy for the body to use.


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Smiling For Health & Well-Being



Most articles I have found related to smiling have to do with the social or external benefits gained. For example smiling makes you look younger. It also helps you appear confident and draws people to you.


We've heard for years that laughter is the best medicine and humor is beneficial to our health. Many people are aware of laughing clubs springing up around the country. Laughter has been shown to reduce stress, boost immunity, and improve overall health.


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Movement Therapy - Going With The Flow



According to Socrates "The universe is motion and nothing else." Modern physics tells us everything is in a constant state of motion. A dictionary listing for the word movement shows references to science, transportation, the arts, biology, social studies, politics, and more.


In the world of healing movement has been used since perhaps the beginning of time. Today there exists many forms of therapy that involve movement in some way. The list is too long to even present here let alone describe each. Instead let’s look at some aspects of how movement can impact your well- being and to present a few simple techniques you can use.


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Our Friend Mr. Sun



The past ten years have brought increased awareness of a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder also know as SAD or Winter Depression. Its symptoms are similar to depression. The main difference being that SAD occurs mainly during the winter. For many who suffer depression year round their symptoms get worse during the winter. Although much is still unknown it is generally believed that people who suffer from SAD are sensitive to the decline of light during the darker season.

Our exposure to light effects our hormone levels.

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Relaxation and Meditation - The Ultimate Lifestyle Change



In today's stress filled world most of us are aware of the benefits of learning to relax for improved health and well-being. We also have heard of the benefits of meditating to help us achieve relaxation, awareness, and insight. Although relaxation and meditation both have more than one meaning, for the purpose of this article we will use these definitions found on Wikipedia:


Relaxation - "A human condition of flowing vital energy bringing about a state of improved health and well being."

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One Size Does Not Fit All



Since my work involves helping people find comfort I often get asked questions. Some of the most common questions involve the choice of beds and pillows. I always point out that I have no expertise in this area and am not qualified to advise them, however I do share my own personal experience as well as anecdotal information I pick up along the way. One key philosophy I've picked up along the way is that where comfort is concerned life is not like a baseball cap. "One Size Does Not Fit All". We are all shaped different, we all have different needs, and our needs can change over time. What worked once won't necessarily work later.


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5 Seconds Here, 5 Seconds There



I wrote the title above on a piece of paper as a note to remind me of an idea I had for a newsletter article. I had given the topic some thought and had the details all worked out in my mind. I just needed to write it all down. This was going to be a great article! The problem was that when I retrieved the note later and read it I had no idea what it was supposed to mean. In this case the note was not enough of a memory jogger. If only I had written down at least the main ideas of the article.


Not one to abandon a good idea I look at it now and see two main possibilities:.

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Awareness - The Ultimate Healing Tool



"I didn't realize how sore I was until I got on the table".

I lost count, years ago, of how many times I have heard that statement during sessions with clients in my office. Why do I hear it so often? We live in a busy "doing" world. We have tasks we need to accomplish and we set our focus on those and often tune out other things, including our bodies. When we finally give ourselves a moment to let go of our external responsibilities and bring attention back into ourselves we are surprised to find out what we have been tuning out in the way of physical aches and pain, unhealthy posture, and more.


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Healing, Wholeness, and Balance Through Nature





A Part Of The Whole - Nature Observation & Wellness



Of all the articles I've written for newsletters and the website, many have included some aspect of nature observation or season change. Since my practice deals with wellness and helping others restore comfort and balance to their lives why all the emphasis on nature? When we notice our surroundings we are more connected with them and we see ourselves as part of a bigger picture.

When we can see ourselves as part of our surroundings it increases our inner awareness which moves us closer to a state of comfort and balance. See the article Awareness - The Ultimate Healing Tool on this website for more on this.


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Know Nature - A Path To Knowing Yourself



"To know yourself is to know the Universe". This often used quote usually registers with a ring of truth even if we don't contemplate it's depth. Knowing ourselves becomes a journey we feel we should be taking, even when life's day-to-day activities make us too busy to start. What about turning it the other way around? "To know the Universe is to know yourself". Or since the Universe is such an all inclusive, mysterious process, why not just say "Know Nature, Know Yourself" ?...


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Sandhill Cranes -
Bird Watching Spectacle In Nebraska



Central Nebraska is host of one of the greatest bird watching spectacles in the world, the annual spring migration of Sandhill Cranes. I have made this trek countless times but each time I am in awe of what I see and hear.


Each year after wintering in Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico the cranes make the Platte River valley of central Nebraska a stopover in their journey to breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. They start arriving sometime in February, staying about one month to feed on invertebrates and waste corn in the fields along the Platte River. The arrival and departure is staggered with the last cranes leaving by mid April. This stop in Nebraska allows the cranes to add body fat that will sustain them for the rest of their trip and for the initial nest building in the tundra areas in the north.


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Self Care





Self-Care - A Gentle Approach



Most of us already know many ways to improve our wellness and sense of well-being. Exercise, diet changes, drinking more water and less coffee, meditation and relaxation. The list can go on and on. Often the difficulty is sticking with it. The problem often begins with the expectations we place on ourselves for the results we want or how diligently we think we should stick with a routine. I’ve heard from many people, and have experienced myself, starting some kind of wellness routine and feeling an increase in my state of well-being only to have the new wear off and start letting things slide. This often results in us placing more pressure on ourselves. We know a particular routine works because we’ve felt the results, we tell ourselves. The problem is ...


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Where Does Your Body Want To Go?



When a new client comes in for an appointment at the end I always say "Your homework assignment is to just notice your body throughout the day. Focus on different parts of your body and how each part feels, by itself and in relation to other parts. You don't have to do anything, just notice. Just a few seconds from time to time".


This simple practice can increase our bodies awareness and keep us from disconnecting from our bodies and falling into patterns of discomfort.


Often times I add to this. "If you want to take this further pick a part of the body and ask it where it wants to go. Move that part in different directions and ...


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30 Second Vacation



  • I break contact with what I am focusing on, the computer screen, my agenda, or the thing I am worrying about.
  • I bring my focus to my body.
  • I take a slow deep breath in and let it out just as slowly.
  • I stand and raise my arms over my head giving my body a gentle stretch and notice what that feels like.
  • I scan my body noticing what each part feels like. Not trying to change anything, just noticing...


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Changing Seasons





Summer - A Season Of Abundance



The summer season starts, officially, on or near June 21. Days become longer, the air warmer and damper. If spring is a time of germination, growth, renewal, and an opening of the spirit, summer is a time of abundance, maturity, creativity, and joy of spirit. It's a time for outwardness, increased activity levels, and strengthening of relationships.


During summer a tree absorbs water and ...

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What can you do to make the most of summer and maintain balance during this season of abundance?


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Fall - A Time To Gather In



The Fall season will soon be upon us, the transitional season where temperatures fluctuate between hot and cool and finally to cold. The days become shorter, the air cooler and dryer, and wind picks up. Summer is a time of abundance, maturity, creativity, and joy of spirit a time for outwardness and increased activity levels. Fall is a time of harvest, a time for gathering up a time of rest and inward reflection, of storage and re- strengthening. Everything around us begins to change.
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For people Fall is a time of change as well, a time to slow down, to let go, to move inward, conserve our vital energy, and to reflect on...
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Winter - The Season When Things Hide



Winter will soon be upon us. Officially winter starts, if you live north of the equator, on or about December 21, when the Winter Solstice occurs. This is the point in time of the shortest day and the longest night of the year, when the northern Hemisphere is farthest from the sun. For many of us winter seems to start long before this official point in time when we start to experience "winter" like weather.

Just thinking of winter our thoughts turn first to cold weather...

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Winter is a time for rest and preserving what we have. A time for...


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Spring—A Time of Renewal



When March arrives our thoughts naturally turn to spring. The actual start of spring occurs during the vernal equinox, on or about March 20th. It is at this moment that the Sun passes over the equator and day and night are of equal length.


Perhaps more than any season spring is a time when we cast our gaze on nature. Thinking about spring our thoughts turn:

  • From the bitter cold to the warming temperatures.
  • From short days to increased daylight.
  • From dormant plant life to buds that swell and then burst forth in flowers and leaves.
  • From hibernation to building homes and giving birth.


Spring is a time of increased activity. It is a transition from...

:

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Can You Find The Pattern In This Picture



Hint: It relates to healing.



Click on the picture for the answear



The Healing Connection -- Ric Chamberlin, LMT

900 S 74th Plaza, Suite 116 - Omaha, NE 68114

402 850 0752 -- info@omahahealingconnection.com