Vision Issues and Chronic Upper Body Tension

SUBJECT:
Vision Issues, Chronic Upper Body Tension

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Offering a total of 13 CEU's 3 Lecture & 10 Hands on

Vision issues are very common with our clients and for body-workers as well. Vision issues are frequently related to chronic face and upper body tension-- which bodywork alone relieves for only a short time. For example, squinting or straining to see can create deep tension in the eyes, jaw and sub-occipitals. Head tilts and turns can develop with conditions such as a“lazy eye”. Working at a computer while wearing bifocals leads to a downward tilt of the head and a retraction of the neck. Optometry professor Bradley Coffee of Pacific University has remarked that “The connection between certain visual conditions, especially strabismus, and postural adaptations is a VERY good reason that chiropractors, body-workers, massage therapists, and others who work on physical structure should be collaborating with good optometrists. If something is broken in the visual system that is causing a secondary physical adaptation, it will likely be impossible to resolve the physical adaptation without first addressing the visual problem.” In this course, body-workers will learn to identify compensatory reactions of our body, both to vision issues and to wearing eye glasses. They will learn how to help clients understand this connection and how to tailor an entire massage session to this tension, using specific hydrotherapy and massage techniques for the face, neck, and upper body. And finally, they will learn about referring the client to appropriate health professionals, including optometrists, osteopaths, natural vision improvement teachers, and Feldenkrais practitioners. Go "beyond the bandaid" and take your understanding to the next level!

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Marybetts Sinclair has been a massage therapist and instructor for 36 years, and was an Emergency Medical Technician for 8 years. She has practiced massage in many different environments, from health spas and children's summer camps to physical therapy and chiropractic clinics, nursing homes, homeless shelters, and special programs for children with disabilities in the US, Mexico, Ecuador, and Indonesia. Marybetts is the author of Massage for Healthier Children, Pediatric Massage Therapy, and Modern Hydrotherapy for the Massage Therapist, as well as 25 articles which have appeared in massage publications. Her latest article is "Rooted in the Past: Childhood Origins of Adult Musculoskeletal Issues", which appeared in the September 2010 issue of Massage and Bodywork Magazine, available at www.marybettssinclair.com Marybetts Sinclair, LMT, has been a massage therapist and a Bates Method natural vision improvement teacher for decades.

Email: maryb@peak.org

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