Touch For Health International Journal, 1990

Mini Course Sample of Wonderful Touch for HealthBrain and Body Balancing Techniques

by Geraldine L. Rhoades

The 1988 and 1989 Touch for HealthInternational Annual Meetings werephenomenally healing and empowering forme. Touch for Health branched out withwonderful new courses that we could learnand share as Touch for Health Instructors. Ilearned M.A.P.S., designed and taught byJohn Varun Maguire, Self-Help for Stressand Pain, by Elizabeth and Hap Barhydt,Stress Without Distress, by Bruce Dewe,M.D. and Joan Dewe, and Business Breaks,by Tom Margrave. I left the 1989 Touch forHealth conference ready and wanting to shareall that I learned.

In fact, Icame home feeling just like Ido in adelectable store in Colorado Springs called"The Chocolate Factory." With all thewonderful course options Ihad just received,which one will Ichoose to teach? Limits arerarely welcomed by me. As in "TheChocolate Factory" Iam happiest purchasingsamples of many chocolate choices ratherthan a box of one selection; hence Idecidedto teach a mini-course sample of some of thewonderful brain and body balancing choicesnow being offered in the courses I was soblessed to have just learned.I teach the balancing techniques which Ipersonally use the most from the Touch forHealth Book, MAPS, Stress WithoutDistress, and Self-Helpfor Stress and Pain. Iteach this course in 3 1/2 hours usingaccelerated learning techniques. Thesetechniques have been shown by testmeasurements to speed up learning as muchas 300% with a 90% retention (ref. 4, pg.5) Ilearned many of these techniques from Dr.Frank Clement at the Boulder Center ofAccelerated Learning (BCAL) in exchangefor teaching Dr. Clement Touch for Health.

For example, during class I play classicalbaroque music with a rhythm of 50 to 60beats per minute to help relax us and keep uscomfortably moving right along. I teach by"doing" for with direct purposefulexperience, student retention is measured to

be far greater than retention by just listeningor seeing. I use visual colored flip charts andusually explain the technique in depth and it'simportance after the experience of doing thetechnique rather than before. Also, everyhour on the hour we have a five minute classbreak (even if it's in the middle of anexercise). Music is changed to an upbeat jazzrhythm, and for the first 20 to 30 seconds westretch and cross crawl. After the break weresume baroque music and have a five minutereview of the past hour. This reviewtechnique is another proven one foraccelerated learning retention. (ref. 4)

I love teaching the sample course. It mayvary at times with wants and needs of theclass. The outline of what I usually cover isas follows:

A. INTRODUCTION

1. I introduce myself first, covering mybackground, and then the books andauthors. Then Ibriefly summarizewhat we'll learn.

2. We'll take some full deep breaths andmassage our ears.

3. Everyone introduces themselves andstates what they desire to receive fromthe class, if they choose to.

B. EMOTIONAL STRESS RELEASE(thinking of any stressor)

1. I demonstrate with a volunteer,muscle testing before and after.

2. Option of paring or doing thisexercise alone.

C. MUSCLE TESTING ANDBALANCING

1. Hydration.

2. Central Meridian energy flowusing Touchfor Health Book.

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Touch For Health International Journal, 1990

3. Governing Meridian energyflow using Touch for HealthBook.

D. BRAINENERGYBALANCESelf-Help for Stress and Pain.

1. Basic Balance exercise, pg 19.

2. Cross Crawl exercise, pg 21.

3. Infinity-sign exercise, pg 22.

4. Meta Integration exercise, pg 26.

E. GAITS & SKULL STRETCHINGTouch for Health Book & MAPS.

F. MUSCLE ENERGY BALANCEReactive and frozen muscles,Self-Help for Stress & Pain,

pgs 27-30.

G. STRESS RELEASEStress Without Destress,

pgs 12-21.

H. CLOSE

1. A relaxing guided meditation onreleasing and letting go of nega-tive thoughts and accepting Love(which I cannot describe inwords).

2. Each person shares what theyexperienced in the workshop, ifthey so choose.

3. I distribute evaluation sheets onthe class and schedules for addi-tional classes and then inviteeveryone to buy the books.

The SAMPLE COURSE WORKS. Touchfor Health Instructors have fun! Use myoutline or design your own outline of whatyou want to share. Keep it simple. You willfill your classes, and you will generate Touchfor Health IClasses too.

References1. Barhydt, Elizabeth and Barhydt,

Hamilton, Self-Help for Stress and Pain,Loving Life, 1989

2. Dewe, Bruce, and Dewe, Joan, Stresswithout Distress, Touch for Health, 1989

3. Maguire, John Varun, Maximum AthleticPerformance, Touch for Health, 1988

4. Shuster, Don, and Clement, Frank,Accelerated Learning: the Promise,BCAL Workbook, 1988

5. Thie, John F., Touch for HealthHandbook, T.H.Enterprises, 3rd edition,1987

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