Positive Health Online

Body Math is a Multidimensional Approach To Healing (MATH) for the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies, and is truly a universal language of healing. This work has evolved from 22 years of extensive training and practice in the alternative healing arts and has been strongly influenced by the works of Jean-Pierre Barral, French osteopath, and Dan Friesen, Canadian spiritual healer. Body Math is taught to both new healing arts practitioners and to those with many years of experience. Since it provides such a global perspective from which to understand, assess and treat a myriad of conditions both multidimensionally and holistically, it can well complement and expand the framework of many different specialities – be they in the realm of traditional or alternative medicine.

The author connecting to the patient's emotional subconscious region of the brain (with his therapeutic
assistant, 'Rufus', helping from his dimension (Level IX?))

The Body Math assessment is done by using one's hands to assess restrictions in the electromagnetic field of the aura in four dimensions. The health of the chakras are assessed on these same four levels (dimensions) of the aura and then correlated with the restrictions found. The chakras are the centres of expression and function for the body's vital life-force energy which are well documented in the eastern yogic tradition. These four levels are the physical, the emotional, the mental and the spiritual dimensions or "bodies" of the human aura and are addressed later in this article.

The information from this assessment is used to form a general picture of the health and restrictions of a given individual at that time, multidimensionally on all levels, as well as to determine what is the most significant restriction and to which chakra(s) it relates. This is then correlated with the current symptoms and history to provide an even greater understanding of what is going on from a global, holistic perspective. It is important to emphasise here that this full objective assessment is performed first, prior to taking a history or being apprised of diagnosis or current symptoms, so as not to bias the assessment. This thorough evaluation will then provide the necessary information for how to treat a given condition and may reveal important underlying issues to be addressed.

The Body Math treatment will vary greatly from one individual to another even if the person presents with the same symptoms or diagnosis, which often can arise from quite different causes. The reason simply is that all individuals vary and have different histories, tendencies, biochemistries, personal make-ups, etc. and thus varying responses to treatment. Therefore to most effectively treat an individual, one must first have a means to understand each person as a truly unique being on all levels – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. This approach is quite different from those where the practitioner treats from a preconceived idea or protocol for the given symptom or diagnosis, therefore never really engaging the patient/client as a whole person looking for underlying causes.

What is consistent with Body Math treatment is teaching each person how to connect with their own unique healing force from their fourth/spiritual level and to use this personal healing energy to heal the restrictions on all levels. Being able to so direct our own healing is an important self-empowering process that provides us with a deeper understanding of ourselves and how to work not only with our restrictions and limitations but with our own unique gifts, talents and abilities as well – thus providing a means for reaching our full human potential. Body Math can help most conditions, especially those more involved and complex ones not responding to traditional treatment, as well as simply helping one to experience a happy, long and healthy life.

Treating the physical body may involve the use of herbs, homoeopathics and other natural remedies; or may involve manual therapies to the physical structures such as the spine, muscles or organs as well as addressing related emotions. Treating the emotional body may involve connecting the given restriction to the subconscious emotional memory region in the brain using a very light touch. Treating the mental body may involve working in the mental plane of the aura and having the individual direct their healing energy to specific chakras on this level. Treating the spiritual body may involve grounding techniques to bring one's own vital spirit down into each of these first three levels or bodies, as well as specifically moving this fourth level healing life-force through blocked chakras in each of the first three levels. Then as the physical, emotional and mental bodies heal, the spiritual body, or vital life-force, becomes much stronger as well.

As traditional and alternative medicines are starting more and more to complement one another, the Body Math approach can effectively enhance the assessment and treatment potentials of just about any system of healing, regardless of which orientation. It lends itself particularly well to the fields of paediatrics, emergency medicine, and veterinary medicine, since the patients in these three fields (young children, people in shock or trauma, and animals) all obviously have difficulty telling their doctors and healthcare practitioners about their symptoms. With the Body Math assessment, as futuristic as it sounds, one can in a short time scan a body with one's hands and tell exactly where and what is wrong (much like the small scanning device we see the doctors use on Star Trek). So practitioners who learn Body Math can still use their existing treatment techniques, but with better results since they then will have more information with which to approach each case. This is why Body Math is considered such a universal language of healing.

In fact this off-body manual assessment was first developed with good reliability by Barral and described in his book Manual Thermal Diagnosis.[1] Barral, who has his Osteopathic practice in Grenoble, France, did a study in nearby Geneva, Switzerland in corroboration with "L'Hospital Cantonal de Genève" and a general surgeon. This experiment was performed by Barral with a team of engineers using a device to detect changes in infrared radiation emitted by the body. This device had been made in order to validate his manual thermal diagnosis techniques (which turned out to be even more precise than the device, since trained hands are capable of detecting several different electromagnetic ranges at once including the ultrasound, infrared, microwave and radio wave frequencies).

In this study 100 patients were assessed prior to surgery using this device without touching a body, asking any questions, or having any prior knowledge of these patients' conditions other than that they were about to have surgery. With 96 of these 100 patients, he was able to determine precisely what was the matter with them and why they were about to undergo surgery. In fact, more importantly, Barral determined from the off-body, thermal exams that the remaining four patients had no problems warranting surgery. It turned out that these four patients were undergoing exploratory surgery which revealed nothing of a surgical concern! From this study, and from the many thousands of patients Barral and his trained students have assessed using manual thermal diagnosis, it is quite obvious that skilled manual off-body assessment can be more reliable, less invasive, and less costly than modern medical testing procedures (especially exploratory surgery).

A Closer Look at the Four Levels or Bodies

Level I – The Physical Body

The first level of the aura, located approximately 4 inches off the body (varying from 3 to 5 inches according to one's physical vitality at a given time), relates to structural and mechanical aspects of the physical body as well as to the conscious emotions. This level corresponds to the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum.[2] This is where both physical and emotional traumas are found within the aura with direct correspondence to the physical structure. Thus, a given emotional restriction will often correspond to the functional expression of its related structure in the body. For example an emotional issue involving 'holding on to' or 'letting go of' something may physically relate to constipation or diarrhoea, which are functional expressions of the large intestine. Restrictions of the first level can involve any structure of the body and potentially any emotional issue, with the involved emotion sometimes being quite obvious; at other times it is not readily discernible.

It is therefore helpful to be aware of some of the common correspondences and relationships between the different structures of the body and given emotions. Chinese medicine for thousands of years has related the organs to given emotions, such as the liver to anger, the kidneys to fear and the lungs to grief. Louise Hay has written several books on the relationship between the body and the mind and emotions[3],[4] and Barral's Manual Thermal Diagnosis also lists many such correspondences, specifically to the organs, in the appendix.[5] An important cautionary note here is to be very clear to not simply project an emotion onto the physical restriction such as "oh, you obviously have some issue with anger because you have a problem with your liver", for there is not always such a correspondence. Such relationships are offered as helpful guidelines only.

Level I restrictions will present in the fascia in the transverse plane and can be assessed on-body by myofascial assessment of the transverse plane or through Barral's "local listening" technique as described in his book Visceral Manipulation II.[6] Level I restrictions are found off-body at the distance of the first level and can also be palpated through the Body Math manual assessment of the aura.

Level II – The Emotional Body

The second level of the aura, located approximately 8 inches off the body or about twice as far as the first level, relates to the subconscious emotions as well as to the astral plane. This level corresponds to the microwave range as well as to the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Restrictions in this level usually will come from the early imprinting of society via our immediate family (parents, grandparents, siblings) or early caregivers from the time of conception to about age seven. After this age more restrictions may become imprinted but most have already occurred by the first few years of life and then are simply reinforced through further experiences in life that tend to build on the early restrictions. Again, these are subconscious restrictions, thus rarely can they be consciously remembered for they bypassed the conscious mind when they first occurred.

This is truly our ancestral imprinting which is passed down from many generations through the emotional subconscious of our second level. Obviously this has huge implications for our relationship to our genetic ancestral programming and the "nature versus nurture" debate. It is my belief that appropriately conducted research in this area would actually reveal genetic changes occurring due to this second level imprinting, and conversely, genetic changes seen after correcting such Level II restrictions!

A classic example I like to give to demonstrate the occurrence of a Level II restriction, is a father's response to the birth of his first-born. Even though he may not consciously care if it is a boy or girl, he may have a subconscious, societal programming that it is better to have a son for one's first born (such programming unfortunately is still quite prevalent in many cultures, and not just on the subconscious level). So when the baby is born and the father is told it is a girl, even though he may be consciously delighted, he may have subconscious disappointment. This can then immediately register in his daughter's second level (typically around the organs of sexual identity) and she henceforth will likely have a subconscious need to please her father, or in later life, men in general, to feel accepted.

The second level appears to have a functional relationship to the body's cells and physiology, unlike the first level, which has a structural/mechanical relationship to the body. From this it follows that when there are long standing and severe second level restrictions present, there can be functional problems with the tissue involved. For example, diabetes will often have a primary Level II restriction present over the pancreas. And in the previous example with the first-born female child, she may later in life develop symptoms in the region of her Level II restrictions. Cancer will also show up as a primary Level II restriction over the involved region or organ most of the time. This may be because the governing second level, due to the severity of its restriction in this area, has not been able to send the proper input to the cells and tissues in this region, instructing them how to continue carrying on in their programmed functions. Again, what great potential for new research! Barral has already made a tremendous contribution to the understanding and treatment of the second level.

Level II restrictions will present in the fascia in the transverse plane as areas without movement and can be assessed on-body by myofascial assessment of the transverse plane. Level II restrictions are found off-body at the height of the second level and can be palpated through the Body Math manual assessment of the aura.

Level III – The Mental Body

The third level of the aura, located approximately 12 inches off the body or about three times as far as the first level, is the mental plane and relates to our belief systems. This level appears to correspond to the radio range as well as to the microwave and infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. Restrictions in this level come from the beliefs and mental constructs that we formulate in order to cope with different stressful situations in life particularly during our formative years. Problems arise later in life long after the original stressful stimulus is gone, when we still have our thinking or beliefs organised in such a way that no longer serves our best interest.

A very simple example to illustrate this is a situation where as a child we may have learned (and thus developed the belief) that if we smiled and did not complain, we would not get in trouble or be yelled at and would at least have our basic needs met. However, now as an adult, having options and choices we did not have as a child, we may find ourselves in a relationship with an abusive partner whereby continuing to smile and not complain only serves to keep us in the abusive situation. As a child it may have been the best strategy for surviving the situation, but as an adult this mental paradigm now only serves as an effective 'jailer' locking us into the same pattern.

The above example is one existing in the more mundane realm of mental constructs, paradigms and belief systems. However, there also exist restrictions that relate to the spiritual realm dealing with our beliefs regarding our relationship to the divine (whatever this may mean for each of us). So if we are holding onto some belief that blocks us from receiving influence from this realm, then this too will register as a problem or restriction in our third level.

The third level is different from the first two levels when it comes to assessing the chakras because damage in the third level is typically more of an 'all or nothing' phenomena. In the first two levels individual issues, traumas and restrictions will typically just involve one, or sometimes two, chakras at a time. Whereas third level restrictions will frequently cause all of the chakras on this level to become blocked or damaged creating a subtle yet significant degree of mental confusion ('foggy-headedness') and a decrease in mental integrity. I speculate that there is a clear correlation between such mental disease as Alzheimer's and dementia with longstanding damage to Level III. The types of stimuli that can cause such significant damage to this level are of very specific nature, thus providing valuable insights for understanding the core essence of this third level, or mental plane. The following is a list of some of the known stimuli that cause major damage to the third level chakras:

1) Use of hallucinogenic drugs (causing a forced 'tearing of the fabric' of one's conscious reality); 2) Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRIs, which is a common medical testing procedure; 3) Electroshock therapy, a medical procedure used with an alarming increase in frequency in mental hospitals; 4) Religious dogma of an extreme nature or cult worship, i.e. extreme enough to cause the member to 'disconnect' from their own ability to connect with the divine by totally 'buying into' the group's belief system which tells them how to connect with such (or even going to the opposite extreme with atheism or agnosticism as a reactionary response); 5) Sudden loss of a significant family member during one's formative years without sufficient understanding (similarly as with #1, causing a sudden 'ripping away' of the mental fabric of reality, as one's reality when young is one's immediate family); 6) Exposure to various forms of specific or non-specific electromagnetic radiation, usually man-made/industrial/environmental and extreme in nature (with #2 and #3 being two specific and common examples).

Level III restrictions will present in the fascia in the coronal or frontal plane if they relate to more mundane beliefs and in the sagittal plane if they relate to beliefs affecting our ability to connect with the spiritual realm. They both can be assessed on-body by myofascial assessment of the coronal and sagittal planes and through Barral's "local listening" technique.[7] Level III restrictions are found off-body at the height of the third level and can be palpated through the Body Math manual assessment of the aura.

Level IV – The Spiritual Body

The fourth level of the aura, located 21 to 26 inches off the body, relates to our spirit – our own healing life force. It is necessary to have a minimum of one chakra present in the fourth level to be alive and that is all that most people do have present. However it is sometimes the case that more than one fourth level chakra is present, especially in early childhood before 'the school of hard knocks' has 'knocked off' the extra one(s) reducing that gifted individual down to the lowest common denominator of having just one fourth level chakra present with which to navigate the planet. Or, some exceptional people may be born with 4 Level IV chakras and then be left with two – being still gifted but not at one's full potential.

There is a very strong correlation between intelligence and the number of fourth level chakras present or at least present during early childhood development. Which chakra(s) are present in the fourth level corresponds well to one's gifts, talents and abilities as well as to the type of lessons or limitations with which one may have to deal in life. Therefore, if one is fortunate enough to have both been conceived with and survived with more than one fourth level chakra, then that individual would naturally have more gifts, talents and abilities with which to work and less inherent difficulties and limitations – thus greater potential to be successful in life. Verily we can see the importance of a healthy, supportive, nurturing and loving home environment for the optimum development of one's potential.

I believe we ultimately have the potential to have all of our fourth level chakras present. However, the number of fourth level chakras is very much dependent on the strength and health of the chakras in the first, second and third levels of the aura; as the physical, emotional and mental planes are foundational for the support and strength of one's spirit (one's fourth level healing life-force). In other words we cannot enhance our spirit (or so called "become more spiritual") without first attending to the basic needs, health and well-being of ourselves on the more basic first three levels: physically, emotionally and mentally. Paradoxically this is bi-directional as we need to use our spirit or spiritual body to heal and maintain our physical, emotional and mental bodies.

Summary

Body Math is a state-of-the-art alternative approach to healing that is very holistic in nature, providing us with a universal language of healing that is able to assess and treat multidimensionally the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual realms of our beings. It is one of a number of alternative treatments that is receiving growing recognition and acceptance including being featured on a television special on Alternative Medicine aired both in the US and internationally in the past year.

References

1 Barral Jean-Pierre. Manual Thermal Diagnosis. Eastland Press Inc. 1996.
2 Ibid. p10.
3 Hay Louise L. Heal Your Body A-Z. Hay House Inc. 1998.
4 Hay Louise L. You Can Heal Your Life. Hay House Inc. 1984.
5 Barral Jean-Pierre. Manual Thermal Diagnosis. Eastland Press Inc. 117.1996.
6 Barral Jean-Pierre. Visceral Manipulation II. Eastland Press Inc. 1989.
7 Ibid.