Reflexology Fundamentals II
(Pre-requisite Reflexology Fundamentals)
1. Optimize-Advanced Foot Techniques
A. Pump the Walk: Operator will take hand or forearm and pump the foot into dorsa-flexion as you provide your finger walking techniques over specific reflex areas. Pump the walk will provide more effectiveness within the technique. Pump the walk will also provide distraction from discomfort. Associated reflex areas include: The pelvic, hip, Lower Lymphatic and Upper Lymphatic reflex areas.
B. Speed Walking: Operator will provide smaller therapy bites in a faster sequence to cover the reflex areas in a shorter time period, resulting in greater coverage, multiple times. A good operator can sufficiently cover all the reflex areas of 1 foot in approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
C. Diaphragm Pull and Curl: Operator will refine their D.R.T (Diaphragm Reflex Technique) by pulling the reflex area more fully onto the thumb and simultaneously rolling their flexed thumb deeper into the diaphragm reflex area.
D. Relaxation Flow: Operator will refine their transitional movement from one relaxation technique to the next until there are no gaps of time or hesitations. P.R/D.R.T./B.I.M/I.E/S.T/A.L./R.A.M.
E. Zone Analgesia Techniques = Time/Pressure: Operator will provide finger walking techniques over specific areas of the foot corresponding to the problem area of the clients body until an analgesic effect (insensibility to discomfort) is felt in the targeted tissues. Desired time frame and outcome can vary from receiver to receiver. Chronic conditions can take longer to treat than acute conditions as well as each person presents a certain level of circulation within their tissues.
F. No Vision Technique: Operator will close their eyes as they engage their reflexology techniques over the receivers reflex areas to gain a greater sense of palpation in regards to the reflex congestion. Feeling your way over the feet will help with your concentration into the tissues as well as improve your desired outcome. An operator who perfects this technique and learns to see with his hands will receive amazing results.
2. Optimize-Systematic Application of Reflex Areas: Operator should have a system for covering all the reflex areas of both feet. Operator may start on any reflex area they desire but should maintain awareness of all the reflex areas.
When operator is presented with a specific challenge all reflex areas will be worked, however 80% of the operators focus will be on the problem reflex areas.
1. Toes/Thyroid/Parathyroid
2. Eye/Ear
3. Chest/Shoulder/Lung/Breast/Thymus/Plantar
4. Chest/Upper Back/Upper Lymph/Dorsal
5. Spinal/Cervical/Thoracic/Lumbar/Sacral/Coccyx
6. Chronic /Uterus/Prostate/Rectal/Sciatic
7. Uterus/Prostate
8. Lower Lymph/Groin/F. Tube
9. Pelvic/Hip/Sciatic/Knee/Leg
10. Ovaries/Testes
11. Internal Glands - Adrenals, Pancreas
12. Internal Organs - Liver, Spleen, Stomach, Gall Bladder, Kidneys
13. S. Intestine/L. Intestine/Ileocecal Valve/Sigmoid Colon
14. Pituitary/Pineal
15. Brain
3. Optimize- Spontaneous Alignment Techniques
A. Ankle Pump & Traction: Operator will grab the posterior heel with one hand and pull inferiorly as the other hand or forearm makes contact with the plantar surface of the foot and pushes superiorly. Operator will provide pumping action (pulling/pushing) with each hand simultaneously to warm the tissues of the foot and ankle for several repetitions. Operator will follow this pumping action by grabbing the heel and dorsal aspect of the foot above the tarsal bones and apply a firm traction inferiorly to decompress the ankle.
B. Digit Traction: Operator will take one hand and hold the receiver’s foot just below the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, (metatarsal/phalangeal) junctions, on both the plantar and dorsal surfaces of the foot. Operator will grab the distal end of each digit and provide a firm traction to each digit, decompressing and returning each digit to its original balanced position.
C. Meta - Phala Technique: Operator will grab the 2 toes associated with the groove in-between the 1st and 2nd metatarsal bones and will pull the toes and groove in a forward direction. The operator will take the thumb of the other hand and turn it sideways and place it at the base of the groove in-between the 1st and 2nd metatarsal bones and provide a pumping action deep into the inter-space simultaneously with the pulling action of the toes. This will help to spontaneously align the joint space. Operator will repeat this same protocol between the 2nd and 3rd, 3rd and 4th, 4th and 5th metatarsal grooves.
D. Hold & Roll Technique/Toes: Operator will take one hand and hold the inter space between the 1st phalange and the 1st metatarsal and provide compression to the inter-space. Operator will grab the 1st phalange proximal to the inter-space and provide a rotational effort in a clockwise/counter clockwise movement pattern to spontaneously align the joint space. Operator will repeat this sequence to the 1st phalange of all 5 digits.
E. Meta -Tarsal Twisters: Operator will grab the medial side of the foot with one hand (Fingers on the dorsal surface/thumb on the plantar surface) and the lateral side of the foot with the other hand (Fingers on the dorsal surface/thumb on the plantar surface). Operator will provide a flexion/extension effort in opposite directions to the foot simultaneously with both hands. Operator may also apply the spinal twister technique with a greater emphasis on a counter rotational movement with each hand. Operator may also place the thumb on the plantar surface of the ball of the foot at the big toe joint as the 3rd,4th,and 5th digits are placed on the dorsal surface of the foot at the little toe joint. Operator will torque the foot in a clockwise fashion. All of these techniques will increase the potential for spontaneous alignments in the tarso-metatarsal articulations.
4. Hand/Wrist/Forearm Techniques
A. Radius/Ulna Dance: Operator will grab the radius bone with one hand at the elbow as the other hand grabs the ulna bone at the elbow. The operator will push/pull the bones back and forth simultaneously in opposite directions from the elbow to the wrist resulting in a warming and release of tension within the deeper levels of fascia and musculature of the forearm. This technique will benefit circulation to the wrist and hand.
B. Hold & Roll Wrist: Operator will grab the radius and ulna with both hands below the wrist and provide a gentle compression. The receiver will open their hand with fingers extended together and provide 3 large, slow, rotational movements in a clockwise/counter clockwise fashion, resulting in a fascial release within the hand to create space for the carpals as well as the digits.
C. Spontaneous Carpal Release: Operator will grab the inter-space between the radius/ulna and the carpal bones with their thumbs on the dorsal surface of the hand/wrist and their eight fingers will be on the palmer side providing leverage, compression and traction. Operator will now proceed to take the wrist/hand into radial deviation, ulna deviation, flexion and extension.
D. Digit Traction: Operator will proceed to stretch the flexors by extending the arm and by hooking the wrist with the index finger and thumb at the distal radial and ulnar heads. You will take the opposite hand and hook all the fingers including the thumb and stretch them into extension. You will engage the tissue using M.E.T. until the desired length of tissue is achieved. Operator will now proceed to grab receivers hand in the metacarpal spaces as the other hand grabs the distal end of each digit. The operator will provide a ventral to dorsal translatory movement decompressing all 5 digits. Operator will repeat the ventral to dorsal translatory traction again with all 5 digits.
E. Palmer Technique: Operator will interlace the 4 fingers of their left hand with the receiver’s right hand. Operator will place the pad of their thumb on the palmer surface at the metacarpal-phalangeal joint of the receiver’s right hand. Operator will take their other hand and provide reflex therapy bites across the entire palmer surface of the receiver’s hand in multiple directions as the operator’s left hand torques the receiver’s right hand into the reflex therapy bites. Operator will now interlace their right hand with the receiver’s right hand and provide the same protocol as mentioned above. Operator will repeat this same protocol on the receiver’s left hand.
F. Dorsal Technique: Operator will grab the 1st and 5th metacarpal-phalangeal joints of the receiver’s right hand on the palmer and dorsal surfaces. Operator will use the index fingers of both hands and walk them down the 5 grooves on the dorsal surface of the receiver’s hand from the metacarpal-phalangeal joints to the radius and ulna inter-space just past the carpal bones.
G. Finger Technique: Operator will wrap the index, middle, and third finger around the receiver’s thumb from the distal joint space to the tip of the thumb. Operator will provide small reflex therapy bites horizontally across the palmer surface of the receiver’s thumb for 2 or 3 applications. This same protocol will be repeated by the operator on the other 4 fingers from the mid-distal joint spaces to the tips of the fingers.
H. Rapid Wrist Movement: Operator will place the palmer surface of each hand against the dorsal and palmer surface of the receiver’s wrist at the inter-space between the carpal-radialulnar joint. Operator will move 1 hand inferiorly as the other hand moves superiorly simultaneously, creating rapid wrist movement. Repeat this technique throughout the treatment to the hands.
H. Butterfly in Flight: Operator will place all 8 fingers on the dorsal surface of the receiver’s hand and place both thumbs in the inter-space between the lateral metacarpals. Operator will roll the thumbs into the inter-space with a dorsal to ventral translatory movement, which will represent butterflies wings in flight. You will move the working thumbs into the 2 medial inter-spaces and repeat the same sequence mentioned above.
I. Diaphragm Reflex Motion: Operator will grab the mid-distal digits of the receiver’s hand with the pads of the Operators fingers on the dorsal aspect of the receiver’s digits. Operator will take the tip of the thumb of the other hand and place it on the medial aspect, superior to the 1st metacarpal tuberosity. Operator will guide the opposite hand to lift and pull onto the tuberosity of the receiver’s hand. Operator will guide the working thumb from medial to lateral and from lateral to medial. Operator will repeat this protocol spontaneously throughout the hand treatment.