About Ortho-Bionomy
Which conditions may Ortho-Bionomy assist with?
Many clients have found Ortho-Bionomy helpful for conditions including, but not limited to:
- sore muscles
- headaches and migraines
- joint injuries and dysfunction
- repetitive strain injuries
- neck and back pain
- whiplash
- rehabilitative injuries
- physical conditions associated with emotional imbalances
- stress-related symptoms
What are some of the possible benefits?
These may include, but are not limited to:
- enhance relaxation
- reduce stress
- increase circulation
- relieve cramps, back pain and headaches
- greater range of motion
- release muscular tension
- sense of mental safety and peace
- alleviate chronic pain associated with injuries, muscle and joint problems
- improve problems of posture or structural alignment
Who is Ortho-Bionomy suitable for?
Ortho-Bionomy is suitable for every age group and mobility level. Ortho-Bionomy is safe for newborns, the elderly, and those in post-operative conditions. Athletes and dancers may improve performances with the therapy by increased balance and flexibility. It can also assist with comfort during pregnancy.
What happens in an Ortho-Bionomy session?
Ortho-Bionomy sessions are fully clothed and the practitioner usually works with the client on a bodywork table or chair, and occasionally with the client seated or standing.
Ortho-Bionomy employs subtle yet deliberate movements that re-position the body to naturally release stress and pain patterns. A strong focus is placed on the comfort of the individual. No force or manipulation is used.
At the end of the session the practitioner may identify self care exercises for the client to do after and between sessions to continue the releases and to retrain the body in its new patterns.
Ortho-Bionomist
An Ortho-Bionomist does not diagnose – however is a facilitator, an educator who helps bring the attention of a person to those patterns within themselves which, through the person’s own recognition, brings motive for change. During a session we facilitate the experience of comfort, which then allows the body to relax and release tension.
Ortho-Bionomy Techniques
An Ortho-Bionomy practitioner may incorporate some or all of the following techniques into a session: positional release, range-of-motion exploration, isometric and isotonic techniques, posture exercises, gentle rocking, subtle movements, visceral or lymphatic work, cranial work, and self-care exercises. Usually there is no need for more than one treatment per week even when treating the most acute problems.
Founder of Ortho-Bionomy
Dr Arthur Lincoln Pauls, a British trained Osteopath from Canada, founded Ortho-Bionomy in the mid 1970s. Dr Paul’s professional training combined with his interest in homeopathy and martial arts, led him to identify how the human body delivered a self-corrective reflex to injury, and how to use this response to reverse damage. He discovered that by working WITH the body and not against it, the body could find balance on its own without having to use force to correct it.
“Change can only come about when the self corrective instincts of the body are summoned in such a way that the body does not resist change. Anything beyond this is force, which when applied too much, leads only to the rebellion of the self instead of a re-unification of the harmonic whole.”
— Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, D.O.
The term Ortho-Bionomy comes from “ortho” meaning correct or straight, “bio” meaning life and “nomy” meaning the laws of or study of. Dr Pauls defined the term as “the correct application of the laws of life”. He stated “[Ortho-Bionomy] is really about understanding your whole life cycle.
