SUMMARY of the Bliss Method Posture Correction process:
Patient education takes place during the treatment visits with doctor and therapist. Structural corrections are made using a combination of chiropractic and soft-tissue body-balancing techniques, our own Bliss Method techniques, mind calming and breathing practices as well as postural exercises.
We teach logical and easy methods of self-help, little by little, during the treatment and correction process which usually spans over a few months or longer. It does take time to re-model a spine to healthier alignment and to retrain positive habits which reinforce this corrective process. Older spines, and those with degenerative changes, take longer to re-model, as one would expect. It requires the cooperation and teamwork of both client and professionals. We help the body and mind to learn in pleasant and efficient ways how to move and be straight. We don’t overload the patients with self-care though -just enough to maintain the corrections and the patient’s motivation too. Periodic check-ups are scheduled in the following year until the structures stabilize in their new positions and new mental habits have been formed.
Fortunately, the self-care process is much easier than it sounds: because good posture makes you feel good and look good, it is just natural to want to maintain this new way of being. With our methods of treatment at Bliss Clinic, we are able to give our clients the positive experiences of good posture relatively quickly so that they become motivated to help themselves change… Because they feel better, the choice to be straight just becomes easier and easier.
Our Bliss Methods involve education and treatment…
…So one understands:
- the various causes of their faulty posture
- what the professional must do to correct it
- what they need to do to assist in their own treatment and transformation process
- how they can help themselves -take responsibility- once the corrections are made.
Common causes of bad posture (in our experience):
- mechanical faults in the body (imbalances / restrictions in muscles, joints and fascia tissues)
- scar tissue from injuries and surgeries
- poor ergonomics
- blocked or negative emotions
- congestion and weakness in the body’s meridian system
We show our clients, on an individual basis, how these different aspects are interrelated and which factors are most important to get under control. Everyone’s pattern of dysfunction is unique to them, as is their pattern of symptoms. We give them new and logical understandings about how their bodies and minds work together to create either poor posture or good posture, poor health or good health. And, we reinforce these teachings by giving them tangible experiences of wellbeing as their posture and appearance improve during the course of treatment. Results often come quickly! Not only is there tangible relief from pain and stiffness, but also improvements in flexibility, breathing and energy levels -even improvements in digestion are common during the treatment period.
Patients often describe a new sense of “freedom”, or experience the thrill of feeling younger again;these changes can be dramatic and experienced even during the course of one office visit! Others -friends and family- begin to see the positive changes in their appearance and demeanor. New and positive momentums for change are created. These transformations can be very empowering.
We don’t take shortcuts in this self-improvement and healing process. We take the time necessary to inform our clients and also give them good results so that their motivations for changing unhealthy habits to better ones can be engaged. We get them interested in looking after themselves better. We help them to engage those untapped reserves within themselves so they can better ”rise up to their true height”, or true potential -this is actually our mission with the Bliss Method. When we straighten up people’s spines and posture, we also release their potential to live more fully and happily -This is a deep thing. It gives people more options, greater scope.
Look around: How happy, healthy and successful are those people with bad posture? Think about it… How happy, healthy and successful are those with great posture?… Of these two groups, who have a greater “presence” and better self-esteem? Who get the lucky breaks? Who are likely to live longer and with more quality years of health? At Bliss Clinic, we recognize these simple truths and incorporate these inspirations into our teachings and treatments. Patients see new possibilities for themselves and become motivated by the positive experiences of their treatments. Motivated patients get well and can overcome obstacles.
So, using these “Bliss Methods”, our broader mission is to help people free their own potentials for happy, healthy and productive living. And, knowing how vital the link of good posture is to freeing up this potential, we direct our energies and skills to create the best possible posture and overall flexibility in the body.
In our approaches to correcting posture, relying solely on professional care is not enough; in the same way, just self-help is not enough either: both need to be combined in an efficient and artful way for good success in the short and long term. The Bliss Method creates this effective synthesis.
Appendix:
List of systems and schools of thought from where Drs. Fraser and Nicholas Bliss have integrated their knowledge and experience over a 35+ year period:
Chiropractic and Osteopathic Medicine, Chiropractic Sports Medicine, Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine, acupuncture, podiatry, Classical Yoga, yoga therapy, Trigger Point Therapies (Travell, Nimmo), Motion Palpation, (Gillet and Faye), Drs. Lewit and Janda, Applied Kinesiology (AK), Active Release Techniques (ART), Myofascial Therapies, Craniosacral Therapy (CST), Integral Psychology (East and West), Shindo, Alexander Method, numerous meditation and mind-calming approaches, Raja Yoga, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), energy medicine, Qigong, Nogier Auricular (Ear) Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine Face Diagnosis, breathing techniques.
