Working with babies and children requires special practitioner skills and for the practitioner to undergo further training. I have trained with Karlton Terry, a leading baby therapist, and also studied Shonishin/Japanese pediatric acupuncture with Stephen Birch and Junko Ida.
My training with Karlton was in relation to the ‘Birth Mask’, where early life photos tell the story of the compressive and drag forces that occurred during one’s birth. The twists and turns of birth, the compressive forces on the cranium, and the impact of maternal pain relief medication and other birth interventions, including planned and unplanned caesarean births, can literally form and shape us for a lifetime.
Sylvia’s own birth mask showing cranial impacts and drag forces
My training with Stephen Birch and his wife Junko Ida taught me how to support children using Japanese pediatric acupuncture/Shonishin techniques. This is a very gentle approach where great care is taken not to ‘overtreat’ because children are incredibly sensitive. I teach this method to parents and they can provide daily treatment.
Please give me a call or email me to discuss how best to proceed with treatment of a little one or child.
Shonishin Case history – 5 year old boy with night time enuresis
Charlie came to see me with his mum, Penny, in August 2016. He wet his bed 5 or 6 nights a week and was very demoralised. He struggled to get to sleep because of fear of wetting the bed, and would wake late, feeling tired, and struggling to get up.
I treated Charlie with craniosacral therapy and shonishin and showed Penny how to do shonishin herself. These two treatments combine really well for children of Charlie’s age and they love receiving treatment from their parents. The physical contact of shonishin brings closeness and reassurance – and it can be a fun routine for a child.
After the first treatment Charlie was getting to sleep more easily and waking up less tired. This improvement continued after the second treatment and by the fourth session his bedwetting began to improve.
I left it to Penny to continue with the shonishin and return if needed, as Charlie seemed to be doing so well.
One year on and Penny has been in touch to say that she and Charlie are absolutely delighted to report that Charlie has been dry at night for six months.
“We are all delighted with his achievement and it was your guidance that put us on the right track. Your relaxed approach and environment really gave us the confidence to work through this stressful time. Thank you so much”