Embodied Being: The Philosophical Roots of Manual Therapy

(Paperback)

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A concise distillation of half a lifetime's hands-on experience as a practitioner of Structural Integration bodywork (also known as Rolfing) Perplexed that most practitioners are unable to answer the questions, What do I do first What do I do next and When am I finished, and simply rely on their intuition, Maitland sets out to define what makes a truly life-altering bodywork session, drawing on his understanding of Goethe, Merleau-Ponty, and other great thinkers. Maitland proposes that the holistic approach in bodywork is capable of creating new possibilities for the future by erasing the patterns that bind us to a dysfunctional past. Such treatments can so profoundly reshape the body that there is no longer any room for emotional torment and can free bodies of physical pain, releasing the innate joy within the core of all human beings. Ultimately, giving and receiving manual therapy teaches both practitioners and clients how to move with grace, open their hearts and touch the numinous.

Reviews

"As a trained philosopher, Rolfing instructor, and Zen monk, Dr. Maitland travels far in this bookfrom the breadth and depth of philosophy's elegant language and arguments to down-to-earth plain-speak that often surprised me with words that quickly turned complexity into what is simple and relevant."
from the Foreword by Judith S. Freilich, MD

"Jeffrey Maitland has explored the pivotal fusion of mind, body, and planet, as he provides keys to the underlying meaning and context of somatic therapy. Beyond concrete mind and body are subtle mind and subtle body, and that's where Maitland lands in his work." Richard Grossinger, author ofPlanet MedicineandDark Pool of Light

"In this important new book, Jeffrey Maitland discloses the fallacies behind such perennial conundrums as metaphysical dualism and the mind-body problem. Engaging the metaphor of 'homecoming,' Maitland reveals the transformational potential to be realized in transcending the false dichotomy between consciousness and somatic experience."
William Dabars, PhD,associate research professor, School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies, Arizona State University, andcoauthor ofDesigning the New American University

"This book provides a guide to skilled perception for manual therapists. It is not so much a 'how to' training manual, but is a more philosophically based 'why to,' from symptom to self discovery."
Thomas W. Findley MD/PhD,professor in Physical Medicine atNew Jersey Medical School andphysician atVA Medical Center, East Orange, New Jersey

Author Bio

JEFFREY MAITLAND, PhD, has spent most of his adult life deeply investigating Zen practice, philosophy, and the nature of healing. He is a Zen monk ordained by Joshu Sasaki Roshi, an energy healer, Certified Advanced Rolfer (one of seven Certified Advanced Rolfing Instructors in the world), a former professor of philosophy at Purdue University, and philosophical counselor. With 30 plus years of experience and 5,000 hours of training, Dr. Maitland is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management and one of seven Advanced Rolfing Instructors in the world. He employs a gentle, non-formulaic approach to Rolfing and is highly skilled in visceral manipulation, biodynamic craniosacral, energetic, and cold laser therapy. Internationally known as an author, instructor, innovator, and expert in soft tissue manipulation, his advice is often sought by other professionals. Maitland teaches workshops and classes in myofascial manipulation to physical therapists and other healthcare professionals. Maitland has published and presented many papers on the theory of somatic manual therapy, Zen, philosophy, and Rolfing. His research, articles, and book reviews are published in numerous professional journals.