What comes to mind with the words Expanded Consciousness? We’ve all experienced it to some degree both receiving and giving a Zero Balancing session. There’s that signature feeling in your body that tells you you’re expanded. You might notice it when you’re on the table or in a different way as you give the first Half Moon Vector. Have you noticed how your client’s eyes sparkle after receiving a ZB? If you check a mirror, you’ll likely see your eyes are sparkling too. I call it  “ZB eyes.” You both are in expanded states of consciousness.

Healing happens faster in expanded consciousness. Think about what the word “expanded” means. It connotes something larger than what was there before. In ZB, the client’s experience of themselves quite literally expands. Self-concept and beliefs become less concretized. They let go of identification with aspects of their present or past experience. Who they think they are is less well held so who they truly are can surface. 

To facilitate expansion, we practitioners create and hold a sheltered and protected space so the client can drop the need to scan their environment for threat. They can stop monitoring the external and tune in to the internal. Several ZB principles make this possible. Interface, High Regard and Donkey Touch play a large role in creating safety. Our touch is so connected and so safe. The instinctive part of the client, their donkey, feels this and knows they can focus elsewhere. 

We talk about hedonic touch as a means of inducing an expanded state. When something hurts good, the body has an experience of opposites and the mind can’t make sense of it. Which sensation should receive attention? Pleasure? Pain? Expansion begins and the receiver enters a realm that is both more deeply themselves and beyond themselves. 

How do we know our client is expanded? One common sign is their head tilts slightly off midline. Have you ever seen this happen right after a fulcrum? It’s important to notice. They are deeply processing yet still present. If you check in and ask how they are doing, they respond quickly, though not always verbally. 

We practitioners become expanded as well. The process of learning to give ZB sessions is, in part, learning to function while in expanded consciousness. We are expanded yet not lying on the table. Our sensory experience broadens. We may see things without our eyes, hear without our ears, feel more deeply into the client’s experience. The deeper our sensory experience, the more important it becomes for us to remain grounded and stable. Someone needs to steer the ship. We have the responsibility of giving the session, monitoring our client and maintaining a safe space. 

I gave a session recently in which the client declined to frame, asking to go immediately to the table. After the first hip fulcrum, I saw their head tilt slightly off midline to the left. Expanded consciousness…check. The first thing they said when they stood up after the session was “I have a right to be here.” Their posture, demeanor, and voice quality all embodied this new reality. The core belief of being undeserving of life, that aligned with their troubled history yet had never been verbalized, had transformed during the session and had come to the forefront of their awareness. 

Expanded consciousness is a gateway for embodying one’s authentic self. In the safe and sacred container of your treatment space, the client can begin to experience their true nature. Healing can happen at the deepest levels. This is the power of expanded consciousness.

What does it mean to “put a fulcrum” into something? Have you heard this phrase before? I’ve been wondering about it quite a lot recently. In Geometry of Healing, when working with a Free Standing Waveform, one of the options is to put a fulcrum into it. What does this mean? What exactly are we doing when we put a fulcrum into something? I understand the action one might use, but what is it we are actually doing? Let’s have a cup of tea or glass of wine and ponder it together.

We put a fulcrum into a Free Standing Waveform (FSW) by adding a vector, such as more pressure or engagement or a change of angle. We observe and watch for something to change and often it does. Or perhaps an image arises during a ZB session and it feels right to put a fulcrum into that. The action seems clear. We change something about our touch or pressure and that creates a fulcrum. What I’m wondering about is the vibrational aspect of our actions. 

Is putting a fulcrum into the field the same as putting a fulcrum into bone? We know that we create a fulcrum by finding held energy and engaging it by adding pressure. We hold still and the receiver’s body responds by beginning to reorganize around our stillness. What if we are working in the background energy field? Our actions may be the same. When working with FSWs we look for a density in the background energy field. Once found, we can put in a fulcrum by increasing our pressure slightly to engage the density. The action seems the same as what we do when we put a fulcrum into a rib. Can we apply the same reasoning to explain how it works? 

What is the role of attention when putting a fulcrum into something? I had an experience with a client who had suffered with daily headaches for a year. While creating an ice cream scoop fulcrum, the source of their headaches showed up. I had a finger on one of their tarsals and felt, clear as day, that the vibration of their headaches was right there under my finger. What to do? I put a fulcrum into their headaches. Of course I was also putting a fulcrum into their tarsal bone but my focus was on their headaches. I was blessed to have confirmation of my experience when immediately following the fulcrum, they said, “My headache just went away.” And their headaches didn’t come back. What happened? Why did it work? If my attention was just on their tarsal bone, would it have produced the same results? Was it my attention to their headaches that created the fulcrum? If so, how?

What about life off the ZB table? Have you experienced a change in your life as receiving a fulcrum? For example, receiving news of a change, such as an illness or loss, or new job or new baby? Is that a fulcrum? If yes, what made it a fulcrum?

What about a change you have chosen? If you choose to move to a new city, have you put a fulcrum into your own life?

Can you consciously decide to put a fulcrum into your life? For example, initiating a conversation that changes a relationship with the awareness you are putting in a fulcrum. If yes, how did what made your words or actions a fulcrum? 

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you figure out!

Here’s a thought for you. Recall the last time you had a lot of fun. I hope it was today! Did you notice how your body felt afterwards? I’ve noticed a definite shift in my internal field after really having fun. The manner in which I enjoy myself may vary, yet there’s a characteristic quality to the way I feel inside that is present along with the other sensations that go with a meal enjoyed with friends or a walk by the sea. Have you experienced something similar? The question I have is: was it having fun that changed the field? If so, how? Let’s wonder about this together over a glass of wine or a cup of tea.

I first noticed this phenomenon many years ago after an evening at the theater seeing Monty Python’s Spamalot. It was a work night. I had dragged myself down into San Francisco in rush hour traffic after completing eight hours of Physical Therapy with home care patients and the mountain of accompanying paperwork. I was tired, a little cranky, and didn’t feel much like going. Yet as I left the theater, I noticed my body felt as if I’d had a two week vacation. The size of the change surprised me and really got my attention. The show was clever and funny and lots of fun. How was that experience enough to rejuvenate me as deeply as it did?   

In another example, I spent an evening with a good friend having dinner at an amazing restaurant, enjoying incredible food and wine and wonderful conversation. It was a different kind of fun. Yet there was a quality to how I felt afterwards that was similar to what I experienced after Spamalot. 

Each experience involved stimulation of different senses in ways that felt good. Yet there was an additional aspect that felt the same in both. For our conversation, I’m labeling that added characteristic FUN. 

This makes me wonder about fun and whether fun all by itself can change the field. Have you noticed anything similar? If you haven’t and feel curious about it, try observing how you feel after a variety of fun experiences. Is there a signature feeling of fun that is distinct from the other sensations involved in the activity? 

Is feeling good the same as having fun? Is there a vibrational difference? Can you feel good without having fun? Can you have fun without feeling good? 

We might all agree that if fun changes the vibratory field the change is positive. What is it about the change that makes it positive? 

If we are talking about a change in the field, is it possible to design a fun fulcrum? A fulcrum that invites the vibration of fun into the field? 

If we future pace ourselves to have fun, does this change the field even before the activity? I recall spending time with a beloved aunt who often said, “Let’s have some fun!” before starting out for an activity. I remember how my body felt, anticipating the fun we were going to have. I was already having fun! Was what she said a verbal fulcrum? 

What might happen if you put fun into your frame for a Zero Balancing session or a ZB class? 

What might happen if you put fun into your frame for 2024? 

Thanks for reading! I hope you had fun!

In keeping with the theme of this newsletter, this article will inform you about how a holistic, non-diagnostic therapeutic bodywork like Zero Balancing (ZB) can help if your pain has complex causes. Holistic means the whole person is considered, including their current life and past history. There may be multiple causes for pain and while those causes may include structural issues, other potential causes are also recognized, including stress, past medical and emotional history, personal beliefs, and personality traits to name a few. Non-diagnostic means the cause of the pain takes a back seat to the whole of the person. The treatment session is not determined by a structural diagnosis.

This is a very non-western concept. We are accustomed to and expect a structural cause for our pain, like a muscle strain or arthritis. Yet pain is often more complex and due to a multitude of factors. Because ZB addresses the whole person, the specifics are accounted for without  needing to be identified. 

The whole of the person is considered in this way. Zero Balancing balances structure and energy. Structure is everything in us that can be seen, such as bones, muscles, organs and joints. Energy is everything that cannot be seen, including stress, memories, experiences past and present, thoughts, beliefs, consciousness. Can you think of any part of a person that is not either structure or energy? Neither can I. Structure or energy accounts for every aspect. 

The Zero Balancing practitioner works with both our structural body and our energetic body at the same time, thus honoring the whole person. They seek those places where energy has gotten stuck, particularly the energy in our bones. Bone is the densest structure in the body and conducts the deepest currents. Bone energy is our core. 

Pain due to complex causes is thus addressed at a core level, reduced to its components of energy and structure. Zero Balancing helps If the source of the pain is an imbalance between energy and structure. In over thirty years of Zero Balancing, I’ve yet to find an instance where a structure/energy imbalance was not contributing to the problem to some degree. 

Here’s an example: I had a client referred to me for calf pain 6 months after tripping on the sidewalk. They had seen an orthopedic doctor who could find nothing wrong. I performed a thorough evaluation and found nothing either. There were no structural problems. The muscle was healthy, flexible and strong. There was no referred or radiating pain from a nerve problem. The knee and ankle joints were healthy and flexible. Their pain was real yet had no structural cause. There was no diagnosis. 

I used Zero Balancing and after a month or so the calf pain was gone. In the absence of a diagnosis, bringing their energy and structure into better balance did the trick. In fact, because of this success, they continued to come for ZB sessions. They’d had chronic pain in other areas of their body for years and had sought relief by restricting activity so much they rarely left their house. Some pain had been diagnosed with structural or emotional causes and some had not. Zero Balancing was an ideal tool to help. We did not need to know or understand the causes. As their energy and structure was brought into better balance, their life changed remarkably. The pain improved but did not go away completely. However, their relationship with the pain changed significantly. Avoidance of pain no longer controlled their decisions. They were able to expand their activities and live a larger and more fulfilling life. The effect of receiving holistic treatment was their whole life improved. 

You’ve likely heard these words many times: touching structure and energy simultaneously and consciously. This is the definition of Donkey Touch. It is fundamental in Zero Balancing and differentiates Zero Balancing touch from that used in other types of bodywork. It is one of the most powerful principles in ZB. Can you think of any part of a human being that isn’t either energy or structure? I can’t. So using Donkey Touch automatically connects you with every aspect of your client.

It’s easy to confuse Donkey Touch and Interface. So let’s clarify right here at the beginning of our discussion. Interface is boundary. Knowing where you stop and your client starts. It’s the fence that differentiates your property from your neighbor’s. It’s easy to see why Interface is important when using Donkey Touch. If you are touching every aspect of your client, it’s of paramount importance to know what is yours and what is theirs. 

As we learn Zero Balancing, there are lots of things that demand our attention. Learning the protocol, where to place our bodies and hands, taking out looseness, building and holding fields, clean, clear disconnect. When we progress to the advanced classes there is even more wonderful territory to explore and master. While Donkey Touch is not forgotten, our focus may be on our horizon, filled with the new and exciting things we are learning. This is natural. And returning your focus to the simplicity of Donkey Touch will amplify the effectiveness of every fulcrum, whether Core ZB or advanced.  

An experience that taught me the power of Donkey Touch occurred early in my Zero Balancing training, although I didn’t realize it at the time. It wasn’t until years after becoming a teacher that I recognized the value of the experience I’d had. I was working as a Physical Therapist in a nursing home and was asked to help with a severely mentally and physically disabled young woman who needed casts made in order to fabricate new braces for her ankles and feet. The orthotist making the braces was unable to apply the casting material because she was kicking her feet up and down nonstop. I was asked to help keep her still. This was an impossible task. She did not understand language so words were ineffective. I was unwilling to physically restrain her as it was disrespectful and not the way I would treat anyone. I didn’t know what to do. The only thing I could come up with was to try Donkey Touch. I’d only had ZB I at the time so had very little confidence I’d be able to use it effectively. But since I had no other ideas, I gave it a shot. I stood behind her wheelchair and placed my hands on both upper trapezius muscles. To the best of my newbie ability, I touched her energy and structure. She stopped kicking and started weaving her upper body from side to side. Her caregiver said, “What are you doing? That’s what she does when she’s happy.” I followed her as she moved and, as best I could, stayed connected with her energy and structure. It was enough. Her feet remained still and the orthotist was able to complete the casts for her braces. Mission accomplished. 

If the use of Donkey Touch by a new student of ZB can quiet an agitated young woman, imagine what it can do combined with the fulcrums in the protocol and all the other ZB principles? This is the power of Donkey Touch. 

We are introduced to foundation joints in Zero Balancing I. We might review this information in ZB II, and often that’s the last time we think about them. Yet foundation joints, these hidden places in the body, can account for some of the common and remarkable changes we see after a Zero Balancing session. 

As we all know, there are foundation joints throughout the body, including the sacroiliac joint, the joints between the tarsal bones, the pubic symphysis and the sutures that join the cranial bones. These joints have properties that set them apart from freely moveable joints like the elbow or knee. They have a small or minute range of motion and no voluntary motion. The sacroiliac joint, for example, has a range of motion of about three or four degrees. The loss of one degree can equate to losing 25 to 35 percent of the function. In addition, it’s not possible to move your sacrum independently from your pelvic bones. The body cannot self-correct and instead tends to compensate around the loss. This compensation can have far-reaching consequences throughout the whole person. 

The power is in the restoration of that small loss in range of motion. Using the example of the sacroiliac joint, a gain of one degree of motion can result in a 25-35 percent improvement in function. 

Bringing foundation joints forward in your awareness can be helpful when describing Zero Balancing to a curious listener. While their donkey is likely driving their curiosity, the questions often arise from their rider. Many people think of structure when they think of their bodies. A simple description of the power of working with foundation joints can give their rider something to grab on to. 

It’s interesting to think about how foundation joints function in the transmission of energy or force. When I’m describing Zero Balancing to someone whose world view may not include energy, like some Western trained healthcare practitioners, being able to refer to ground reaction forces is a good way to guide the listener across the bridge to conceptualizing energy. Force is energy. For example, when the foot hits the ground, the ground hits back. The force generated as the heel strikes the ground during walking is equaled by the ground reaction forces. One key area for mitigating these forces is the tarsal joints, an area we know to be rich in foundation joints. Mobility in the tarsal joints is critically important for the foot to be able to absorb some of the ground reaction force as well as adapt to the unevenness of the ground. Adapting to the unevenness of the ground helps us to keep our balance.

When we evaluate the tarsals in Zero Balancing, one thing we can look for is mobility. In ZB, the mobility, or lack thereof, informs us about the balance of structure and energy. If tarsal motion is restricted, the energy cannot move freely through the foot. The ground reaction forces are not dispersed well. The foot is less adaptable to the uneven surfaces beneath it. The person is less connected to the ground, less connected between heaven and earth. 

When we balance the foundation joints in the foot with a few fulcrums, that one or two degree loss in motion can be reestablished and the much larger loss in function can be restored. There is more mobility, improved ability to adapt to the ground, enhanced connection to the earth. One client commented after her first ZB, “For the first time in my life I actually feel grounded! I feel it in my body.” This wonderful outcome demonstrates the power of foundation joints. 

I’ve been wondering about the Witness State lately. When we give a Zero Balancing session in the Witness State, we remain objective and have no agenda, judgment or opinion about what needs to happen, how it happens, when it happens or where the session needs to go. We are not attached to a particular outcome. Considering the many aspects of our nature, I’ve been questioning whether it’s possible to have absolutely no attachment to the outcome on any level of ourselves. Let’s have a think about this together over a glass of wine or a cup of tea.

We teach and learn that as Zero Balancing practitioners, being in the Witness State is an important aspect of giving a good session. Is this true? Why? Would having an agenda interfere? If so, how? What if our agenda is to be helpful? 

Does having an agenda conflict with any other Zero Balancing principles? How about High Regard? Can we have an agenda and hold our client in high regard at the same time?

I recall an earlier discussion about paradigm, also known as worldview, and am thinking about whether one’s conscious awareness of their paradigm has an impact on their ability to remain in the witness state. For example, what if our worldview includes the belief that if someone really wanted to heal they would? And if they aren’t healing, they must not want to. Can we hold this belief unconsciously and still be in the Witness State? Can we hold this belief consciously and still be in the Witness State? 

What about paradigms from other trainings? Many of us were initially trained as Acupuncturists, Massage Therapists, Chiropractors or Physical Therapists. Can we hold beliefs taught in these other disciplines and remain in the Witness State? 

What about our client’s beliefs? Are we in the Witness State if we share our client’s beliefs? If we have a client who was told they cannot be healthy if their pelvis is out of alignment, and we agree, are we in the Witness State?

Are we attached to an outcome when we give a fulcrum? If the purpose of a fulcrum is to balance structure and energy and a fulcrum is indicated where energy is stuck in bone, does the practitioner have an agenda to free the struck energy? If the answer is yes, can one have that intention and still be in the Witness State? 

Is the desire to be helpful antithetical to staying in the Witness State? How many of us have found ourselves wanting to help, wanting the client’s pain to improve or anxiety to diminish? Is this an agenda? Can this desire interfere with healing? If so, how?  

What about clients who feel worse after their ZB? Does that impact us as practitioners? If it does, are we still in the Witness State? 

Can we remain in the Witness State when giving a ZB session to a family member? Or a good friend? Is it harder? Easier? 

Can we honestly say we have no opinion whatsoever about what needs to happen during a ZB session? If the client feels ungrounded and unstable at the beginning of the session, do we feel ok if they are just as ungrounded and unstable at the end of the session? If we don’t, is this an agenda? 

Is compassion part of the witness state? How about kindness? 

Thanks for diving in with me! I hope this has stimulated new insights about the Witness State.