Positive Health Online

Polarity Therapy was developed by Dr Randolph Stone in the USA from 1945 to 1973. He integrated his knowledge of osteopathy, chiropractic and naturopathy with an understanding of energy, derived mainly from the Indian Ayurvedic tradition of healing. Dr Stone’s revolutiony insights identified energy as the core focus for understanding health. He developed many techniques for relieving congestion of energy flow using the appropriate degree of touch. The techniques are based on a practical model of energy: this model provides the practitioner with guidelines as to where to place the hands on the body according to the particular requirements of the patient.[1]

Consciousness and Energy

Every manifestation in creation, whether thought, emotion, or physical object, is a form of consciousness (“con” means “with” and “scio” means “know”; hence “consciousness” may be thought of as that “state of knowing” beyond duality). What consciousness is in itself is beyond description, beyond qualities, but when it becomes the substance of creation it takes on qualities, eg: hot, cold, wet, dry and is then called energy. In Polarity Therapy we describe five different qualities of energy, or “elements”, called ether (space), air (movement), fire (transformation), water (bonding) and earth (materiality). (The main quality of each element is given in brackets.) According to Ayurveda,[2] the five elements in different proportions produce all the forms of creation. Each chakra centre is associated with one of these energies (see below).

The Creative Process in Man

In Polarity Therapy, we are able to describe the creative process in Man by integrating ancient knowledge, e.g. Ayurveda and Yoga, with contemporary insights, especially those of Dr Stone, and our own experience. This description of the creative process, as is the case for any model, can only describe a limited aspect of reality. Nevertheless, it has a breadth of view which is very useful in practice and satisfies the need of the Western mind for an intellectual mode of understanding.

The first step in creation involves stepping down from the non-dual state of consciousness into a state of polarity which has various names according to the particular tradition. What we may call the positive aspect of this polarity, or male principle, carries the “blueprint” of form, the negative or female aspect constitutes the substance of creation (Fig l) As an analogy, we may think of the creation of the spider’s web (Fig 2): within the spider is contained both the substance of the web and the “blue-print” of its form.

In the Chinese tradition, “Yang” is used for positive and “Yin” for negative. The positive aspect of the polarity has energetic, expansive qualities, while the negative aspect is receptive and contractive: using the example of breathing, expiration is positive and inspiration is negative.

The Positive Aspect (Male;Yang)

As stated above, this contains the knowledge of the form of the body or “blue-print”. Traditionally it is believed that the pineal gland, situated deep within the brain, is the site of this male aspect. Cerebro-spinal fluid, which circulates around the entire nervous system, passes close to the pineal gland, and in so doing acquires the imprint of knowledge of the “blue-print” of the body from the pineal gland. Then, according to Dr Stone, the CSF conveys this knowledge throughout the body.1 In Polarity Therapy we use cranial and other holds to balance the flow of CSF (Fig 3) thus increasing the body’s awareness of its harmonious form and function.

The Negative Aspect (Female;Yin)

For the purpose of creation, consciousness steps down in vibration to form a chakra centre, or whirling centre of energy, situated at the centre of the forehead, just above the level of the eyebrows. This is the Eye-brow centre, or Ajna chakra and is traditionally related to the pineal gland.[4,5].

The energy at the Eye-brow centre is poised to create our physical and subtle bodies, with their complex system of chakra[6] and energy pathways, eg meridians. The energy pulsates by expansion from the Eye-brow centre to the periphery and then contracts from the periphery to return to the Eye-brow centre. (Fig 4)

It is in this process of step-down, expansion and contraction of energy that the chakra along the spine are formed. The chakra are located at the throat, heart, solar plexus, sacrum and base. In terms of energy, the throat is associated with ether, heart with air, solar plexus with fire, sacrum with water and base with earth.

The whirling of these chakra draws in energy from the universal energy field and also creates energy fields.  These are both within the confines of the physical body, which Dr Stone called oval fields, and also extend outwards from the physical body. (Fig 5). When we place our hands above and below the body with gentle contact, eg around the diaphragm or head (Fig 3), we are able to balance the chakra and associated oval field.  The energy fields outside the body6 can also be balanced with the hands held in the field but not in direct physical contact.

Creation of the Physical Body

The physical body is formed by the interaction of the knowledge of form (“blue-print”), conveyed by the CSF, with energy.  This energy comprises energy associated with the chakra centres and the energy taken by the five senses. (According to Ayurveda, sound relates to ether, touch to air, sight to fire, taste to water and smell to earth;[1] we imbibe energy via our senses.) Food and air are also forms of energy from which the body is made. (Fig.l.)

The Significance of the Periphery

As stated above, energy at the Eye-brow centre pulsates by expansion to the  periphery and then contracts from the periphery to return to the  Eye-brow centre. Thus creation is analogous to breathing, with expiration and inspiration. This arrangement ensures that energy will not be dissipated, as would be the case if there were no return movement to Source. Dr Stone gives the following example to illustrate this point: “If a stone  is dropped in a pond of still water, waves radiate outwards from the agitated area until that impulse of concentrated energy is exhausted.”

A familiar example of the return of energy to source is when thanks are given for something received, the receiver returns energy to the giver so that energy is not lost.

With the outward movement and step-down of energy, our subtle bodies and physical body with its five senses are created. It is the problem of the human condition that most people are identified with their body, its memory of past trauma and with sense objects: their attention is directed predominantly outwards. This impedes the return of energy to Source where revitalisation takes place. This need not be so: techniques of meditation and spiritual exercises e.g. Yoga and Tai Chi, view the body as a springboard for the return movement to Source. We may conclude that the lack of awareness of the need to return to Source for revitalisation, or difficulty in doing  so, is the ultimate cause of disease. The Polarity Therapist, by working to remove congestion to energy flow, helps patients to connect with their Source, their inner core of Stillness. Thus Polarity Therapy works at the causal level of health care.

References

1. Franklyn Sills. The Polarity Process. Energy as a healing art. Element Books. 1989.
2. Vasant Lad. Ayurveda. The science of self-healing. Lotus Press. 1984.
3. David Tansley. Subtle Body. Essence and shadow. Thames and Hudson. 1977.
4. Swami Rama, Rudolph Ballentine, Swami Ajaya. Yoga and Psychotherapy.  The evolution of consciousness. Himalayan Institute. 1976.
5. Serena Roney-Dougal. Where Science and Magic Meet. Element Books. 1991.
6. Barbara Ann Brennan. Hands of Light. A guide to healing through the human energy field. Bantam Books.1988.