It is a simple, easy-to-learn and to apply technique that actually brings results. I have received lightness of being, joy of aliveness and general feeling of greater  possibilities in just a few sessions. The results will be different for each person as you personal dramas and traumas are cleared and you become more connected to who you really are -the essence of being in the moment. the changes are not always easy to pinpoint or articulate but sense of connecting to something bigger is there. The magic is back in your life. You stop functioning on automatic pilot and become more aware of the choices you make with your words and beliefs. How does it get any better than this?

what are the bars?

There are 32 bars of energy that run through and around your head. They store the electromagnetic component of all the thoughts, ideas, attitudes, decisions and beliefs that you have ever had about anything. There are Bars for healing, body, control, awareness, creativity, power, aging, sex and money; just to name a few. Each thought, idea, attitude, decision or belief that you have fixed in place solidifies the energy and limits your capacity to be generative in that area and to have something different show up in your life with ease.Running the bars is an incredibly nurturing and relaxing process, undoing limitation in all aspects of your life with out any effort. At worst you feel like you have just had a relaxing treatment. At best your whole life can change into something greater with total ease.

To book a session please contact me directly on 07814627723 or shiftyourlifeuk@yahoo.co.uk

An acorn fell from a magnificent oak tree. It landed on fertile ground, content and safe inside its shell.

Then one day, after the sun shone and the rains had showered, as spring turned into summer. a strange then happened. The acorn started to out grow its shell. Its shell started to crack.

The grand design coded deep in every cell of the acorn, the blueprint of the oak tree, began to reveal itself. The acorn quivered in its dilemma – to hold on or to let go. Both seemed impossible. Then in a moment of insight, it perceived a new possibility. It decided to relax its hold, the cap popped off, and the swollen shell fell away from the tender seed.

The acorn’s old identity gave rise to it’s new form. Tiny roots searched for the cool darkness of the earth. . . After a while, a tender green shoot emerged from deep within the heart of the acorn and reached for the sun.

As the acorn opened, the oak tree began to take its place.

There really is a secret process that allows you to achieve just as much health, wealth, happiness, and success as you can ever desire. The funny thing is, it’s never been a secret.

As some people discovered an unimaginably long time ago, the best way to keep a secret is to tell everyone about it, over and over and over again in many different ways until they stop paying attention and forget about it. Then someone “rediscovers” the secret and everyone gets excited about it until it’s old news and it gets forgotten again.

Possibly the oldest form of the secret process is found in Huna, a name of convenience given to the very ancient esoteric knowledge of Polynesia. As a word in Hawaiian, ka huna actually means “the secret.” Interestingly, this particular word has the connotation of something hard to see, not something intended to be kept hidden. The process itself is described in the Hawaiian proverb, Makia ke ali’i, ehuehu ka ukali (literally, concentration is the chief, energy is the follower), which I first translated in my 1985 book, Mastering Your Hidden Self, as “Energy flows where attention goes.”

In other words, to achieve all your desires, keep your focus on what you want, and not on what you don’t want, a version of the secret expressed frequently in the Seth Books by Jane Roberts. Other versions of the secret process can be found in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, in Buddhist and Taoist writings, in Yoga sutras and Sufi poetry, and of course in the works of more modern writers such as Wattles, Hill, Emerson, Holmes, and many others. One nice thing about the Hawaiian version of the secret is that it includes specific instructions for putting it into practice. These instructions can be found in the roots of a little-understood Hawaiian word, haipule.

The Pukui-Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary defines haipule as meaning “religious, devout, pious, reverent, to worship,, to hold prayers or service, to consecrate a heiau, and a church service,” but this is obviously a Christianized interpretation of this very Hawaiian word. More likely, it’s original meaning as a whole word was based on the word hai (to offer) plus pule (prayer, blessing, spell). That is, haipule is a term relating to a process for making good things happen.

The actual process, according to my Hawaiian uncle, William Kahili, is found in root meanings of the word. More accurately, the roots describe four ways to maintain a positive focus, which is the key ingredient of the secret.

Ha, meaning “life, breath, spirit.”

Breathe deeply and get emotionally excited while thinking about what you want, or at least feel as positive and happy as you can. When you lose your focus, breathe deeply to get back into the present and start over.

I, meaning “to speak.”

Speak the words that describe what you want, aloud or silently. When you find yourself speaking negative words related to what you want, stop, breathe, and go back to saying what you want instead.

Pu, meaning “to issue forth, to appear like smoke.”

This is a poetic description of imagination. Imagine what you want in as much sensory detail as you can. When you find yourself imagining what you don’t want, stop, breathe, and imagine what you want again.

Le, a short form of lele meaning, basically, “to move.”

Whenever you are thinking or speaking about what you want, assume a positive posture and move in confident ways. When you find yourself feeling depressed, helpless or disillusioned in relation to what you want, stop, take a deep breath, and change your posture or the way you move into a more positive and confident mode.

You don’t have to do everything every time you think of what you want, but each method reinforces the other and helps you to maintain your positive expectation.

So that’s it. The secret is out. Or, as the ancient Hawaiians would have said,

Ahuwale ka nane huna
“That which was a secret is no longer hidden”
(from ‘Olelo No’eau, by Mary Kawena Pukui)

copyright by Serge King 2003

You may copy, share and post this document as often as you wish on condition that it not be sold. For a free copy in booklet form, email your name and postal address to huna@huna.org.

The Aloha Spirit is a well known reference to the attitude of friendly acceptance for which the Hawaiian Islands are so famous. However, it also refers to a powerful way to resolve any problem, accomplish any goal, and to achieve any state of mind or body that you desire.

In the Hawaiian language, aloha stands for much more than just “hello” or “goodbye” or “love.” Its deeper meaning is “the joyful (oha) sharing (alo) of life energy (ha) in the present (alo).”

As you share this energy you become attuned to the Universal Power that the Hawaiians call mana. And the loving use of this incredible Power is the secret for attaining true health, happiness, prosperity and success.

The way to tune into this Power and have it work for you is so simple that you might be tempted to pass it off as being too easy to be true. Please don’t let yourself be fooled by appearances. Take the time to try it out.

This is the most powerful technique in the world, and although it is extremely simple it may not prove easy, because you must remember to do it and you have to do it a lot. It is a secret which has been given to humanity over and over again, and here it is once more in another form. The secret is this:

Bless everyone and everything that represents what you want!

That’s all there is to it. Anything that simple, however, does need some explanation.

To bless something means to give recognition or emphasis to a positive quality, characteristic or condition, with the intent that what is recognized or emphasized will increase, endure or come into being.

Blessing is effective in changing your life or getting what you want for three reasons: First of all, the positive focus of your mind stirs up the positive, creative force of the Power of the Universe. Secondly, it moves your own energy outward, allowing more of the Power to come through you. Thirdly, when you bless for the benefit of others instead of directly for yourself, you tend to bypass any subconscious fears about what you want for yourself, and also the very focus on the blessing acts to increase the same good in your life. What is so beautiful about this process is that the blessing you do for others helps them as well as you.

Blessing may be done with imagery or touch, but the most usual and easy way to do it is with words. The main kinds of verbal blessing are:

• Admiration – This is the giving of compliments or praise to something good that you notice. E.g., “What a beautiful sunset; I like that flower; you’re such a wonderful person.”
• Affirmation – This is a specific statement of blessing for increase or endurance. E.g., “I bless the beauty of this tree; blessed be the health of your body.”
• Appreciation – This is an expression of gratitude that something good exists or has happened. E.g., “Thank you for helping me; I give thanks to the rain for nourishing the land.”
• Anticipation – This is blessing for the future. E.g., “We’re going to have a great picnic; I bless your increased income; Thank you for my perfect mate; I wish you a happy journey; May the wind be always at your back.”

In order to gain the most benefit from blessing, you will have to give up or cut way down on the one thing that negates it: cursing. This doesn’t mean swearing or saying “bad” words. It refers to the opposite of blessing, namely criticizing instead of admiring; doubting instead of affirming; blaming instead of appreciating; and worrying instead of anticipating with trust. Whenever any of these are done they tend to cancel out some of the effects of blessing. So the more you curse the harder it will be and the longer it will take to get the good from a blessing. On the other hand, the more you bless the less harm any cursing will do.

Here, then, are some ideas for blessing various needs and desires. Apply them as often as you like, as much as you want.

• Health – Bless healthy people, animals, and even plants; everything which is well made or well constructed; and everything that expresses abundant energy.
• Happiness – Bless all that is good, or the good that is in all people and all things; all the signs of happiness that you see, hear or feel in people or animals; and all potentials for happiness that you notice around you.
• Prosperity – Bless all the signs of prosperity in your environment, including everything that money helped to make or do; all the money that you have in any form; and all the money that circulates in the world.
• Success – Bless all signs of achievement and completion (such as buildings, bridges, and sports events); all arrivals at destinations (of ships, planes, trains, cars and people); all signs of forward movement or persistence; and all signs of enjoyment or fun.
• Confidence – Bless all signs of confidence in people and animals; all signs of strength in people, animals and objects (including steel and concrete); all signs of stability (like mountains and tall trees); and all signs of purposeful power (including big machines, power lines).
• Love and Friendship – Bless all signs of caring and nurturing, compassion and support; all harmonious relationships in nature and architecture; everything that is connected to or gently touching something else; all signs of cooperation, as in games or work; and all signs of laughter and fun.
• Inner Peace – Bless all signs of quietness, calmness, tranquility, and serenity (such as quiet water or still air); all distant views (horizons, stars, the moon); all signs of beauty of sight, sound or touch; clear colors and shapes; the details of natural or made objects.
• Spiritual Growth – Bless all signs of growth, development and change in Nature; the transitions of dawn and twilight; the movement of sun, moon, planets and stars; the flight of birds in the sky; and the movement of wind and sea.

The previous ideas are for guidance if you are not used to blessing, but don’t be limited by them. Remember that any quality, characteristic or condition can be blessed (e.g., you can bless slender poles and slim animals to encourage weight loss), whether it has existed, presently exists, or exists so far in your imagination alone.

Personally I have used the power of blessing to heal my body, increase my income, develop many skills, create a deeply loving relationship with my wife and children, and to establish a worldwide network of peacemakers working with the aloha spirit. It’s because it has worked so well for me that I want to share it with you. Please share it with as many others as you can.

How to Enhance Your Power to Bless

There is a technique practiced in Hawaii which enhances your power to bless by increasing your personal energy. It is a simple way of breathing that is also used for grounding, centering, meditation and healing. It requires no special place or posture, and may be done while moving or still, busy or resting, with eyes open or closed. In Hawaiian the technique is called pikopiko because piko means both the crown of the head and the navel.

The Technique

1. Become aware of your natural breathing (it might change on its own just because of your awareness, but that’s okay).
2. Locate the crown of your head and your navel by awareness and/or touch.
3. Now, as you inhale put your attention on the crown of your head; and as you exhale put your attention on your navel. Keep breathing this way for as long as you like.
4. When you feel relaxed, centered, and/or energized, begin imagining that you are surrounded with an invisible cloud of light or an electro-magnetic field, and that your breathing increases the energy of this cloud or field.
5. As you bless, imagine that the object of your blessing is surrounded with some of the same energy that surrounds you.

ALOHA WORKS – WORLDWIDE

The Aloha Project of Aloha International provides booklets like this to individuals, groups, organizations and institutions around the world through the generous contributions of donors who believe that the world can be a better place by providing information that helps people to help themselves.

To make a contribution to the Project, to recommend a recipient group or organization, or for more information contact:

The Aloha Project
PO Box 426
Volcano HI 96785 USA
(808) 645-7007
www.alohainternational.org
huna@huna.org

]]> http://shiftyourlife.co.uk/articles/lomi-lomi-hawaiian/the-aloha-spirit/feed 2 http://shiftyourlife.co.uk/articles/lomi-lomi-hawaiian/the-gospel-of-huna http://shiftyourlife.co.uk/articles/lomi-lomi-hawaiian/the-gospel-of-huna#comments Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:37:06 +0000 admin http://shiftyourlife.co.uk/articles/lomi-lomi-hawaiian/the-gospel-of-huna The Seven Principles of Huna as taught by Jesus of Nazareth
compiled by Serge Kahili King

Huna is the very ancient wisdom of Polynesia, said by some to have been formulated by wise ones of Mu who were careful observers of God, Man and Nature. The same wisdom has thus been found in many times and places, including the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth.

Below is a list of the seven principles of Huna, each followed by sayings of Jesus that teach the same thing. Translations are from the King James version of the Bible except for a few from the Amplified Version (AV). This study is not complete by any means.

The World Is What You Think It Is

• “Repent – that is, change your mind for the better, heartily amend your ways with an abhorrence of your past sins, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17AV)
• “As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.” (Matt. 8:13)
• “Thy faith hath made thee whole. (Matt. 9:22)
• “According to your faith, be it unto you.” (Matt. 9:29)
• “And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matt. 21:22)
• “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Mark 5:34)
• “Whosoever … shall not doubt in his heart but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith.” (Mark 11:23)
• “What things soever you ask in prayer, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24)
• “Thy faith hath saved thee.” (Luke 7:50)
• “Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 8:48)

There Are No Limits

• “Your father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” (Matt. 6:8)
• “If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you.” (Matt. 6:14)
• “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matt. 7:7)
• “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, ‘Remove hence to yonder place,’ and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matt. 17:20)
• “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 18:18)
• “All things are possible to him that believeth.” (Mark 9:23)
• “With God all things are possible.” (Mark 12:27)

Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

• “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt. 6:21)
• “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” (Matt. 7:12)
• “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” (Matt. 13:12)
• “Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves.” (Matt. 7:1AV)
• “Unto you that hear shall more be given.” (Mark 4:24)
• “For he that hath, to him shall be given; and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” (Mark 4:25)
• “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34)

Now Is The Moment Of Power

• “So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:34AV)
• “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 10:7)
• “‘O woman, great is your faith. Be it done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was cured from that moment. “(Matt. 15:28)
• “So the father knew that (his son was healed) at the same hour in the which Jesus said to him “Thy son liveth.’” (John 4:53)

To Love Is To Be Happy With

• “Happy (blessed) are the humble (poor in spirit), for the kingdom of heaven is theirs; happy are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted; happy are they who are patient (the meek), for they shall inherit the earth; happy are the upright, for they shall be satisfied; happy are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy; happy are the pure in heart, for they shall see God; happy are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God; happy are those who are persecuted for being and doing right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; happy are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on my account. Be glad and supremely joyful for your reward in heaven is strong and intense.” (Matt. 5:3-12AV)
  “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” (Matt. 5:44)
• “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.” (John 13:34)

All Power Comes From Within

• “Not that which goes into the mouth defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” (Matt. 15:11)
• “There is nothing from without a man that entering into him can defile him, but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man…For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts.” (Mark 7:15, 21)
• “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

Effectiveness Is The Measure Of Truth

• Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance ­ let your lives prove your change of heart.” (Matt. 3:8 – John the Baptist AV)
• “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, its strength, its quality, how shall its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer.” (Matt. 5:13 AV)
• “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” (Matt. 5:14-15)
• “Beware of false prophets … Ye shall know them by their fruits.” (Matt. 7:15,16)
• “A good man out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” (Matt. 12:35)
• “And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea ‘Peace, be still.’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them ‘Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?’”

Huna is a Hawaiian word meaning “secret,” but it also refers to the esoteric wisdom of Polynesia. Kupua is another Hawaiian word and it refers to a specialized healer who works with the powers of the mind and the forces of nature. In that respect it is very similar to the Siberian Tungusic word “shaman.”

The understanding of Huna described here comes from the kupua tradition of the Kahili family from the island of Kauai, through Serge Kahili King, who was adopted as the grandson of Joseph Kahili and trained in his tradition.

The Seven Principles

The basic assumptions of Huna are these:

• 1. The World Is What You Think It Is.
• 2. There are no limits.
• 3. Energy Flows Where Attention Goes.
• 4. Now Is The Moment Of Power.
• 5. To Love Is To Be Happy With (someone or something).
• 6. All Power Comes From Within.
• 7. Effectiveness Is The Measure Of Truth.

The Three Selves (or Four)

nother set of assumptions used in Huna is that human behavior and experience can be explained and changed through the interaction of three (sometimes four) selves, aspects or functions:

• 1. The High Self (Kane, Aumakua), inspires.
• 2. The Conscious Self (Lono) imagines.
• 3. The Subconscious Self (Ku) remembers.
• 4. The Core Self (Kanaloa) wills.

The Four Levels of Reality

A third set of assumptions coming from the kupua tradition divides all experience into four levels or frameworks of beliefs about reality which can be summarized as follows:

• 1. Everything is objective (Scientific reality).
• 2. Everything is subjective (Psychic reality).
• 3. Everything is symbolic (Shamanic reality).
• 4. Everything is holistic (Mystical reality).

The kupua (Hawaiian shaman) learns to move in and out of these realities in order to change experience more effectively.

Sunday Times, London

Question: Can you tell me anything about a therapy called the Metamorphic Technique? My friends rave on about its effects but don’t seem to be able to explain how it works.
Mrs S Gill, Walsall

Answer: This is one of these “secret” hands-on therapies that devotees deliberately keep quiet about, not least because skilled practitioners are few and far between and if the secret of how brilliant it is ever got out, none of us would ever get an appointment.

I am happy to spill the beans because it was this little known technique that dramatically changed my life for the better and set me on the road to improved wellbeing. A spin off from reflexology, the technique was developed in the 1960’s to help treat autistic children. Good practitioners describe how they simply “hold” the energy while the clients own life force gets to work to eliminate the emotional blocks that are preventing them reaching their full potential.

The theory is that from the very moment of conception, traumas are held within the memory of every cell in the body and that until these memories are released, you cannot move on and fulfil your life’s true purpose.

These releases are triggered by a gentle foot, hand and head massage that may make you want to go to sleep or may leave you feeling re-energised and raring to go. This is not a talk therapy (which makes it popular with men).

I like it because it gets results – fast – and because you cannot sabotage the process by over intellectualising what is going on.

METAMORPHIC TECHNIQUE

Originally known as prenatal Therapy, MT was originated in the 1960s by naturopath and reflexologist Robert St. John. While working in a school for mentally handicapped children, St. John found that instead of working on reflex points all over the foot, many of the children could be helped by working along the spinal reflex area and in time developed the Metamorphic Technique.

The Metamorphic Technique presents a revolutionary way of looking at life and a means to change it. The practitioners of the Metamorphic Technique follow a simple map. It is during the nine months of gestation that the potentials of the human life are established. It has been found that by working on the spinal reflexes of the feet, hands and head, this formative period is brought back into focus and the time structure loosened. Through this work the essential life force for the patient releases the energies that are impeded during the prenatal period setting free the healing processes of the mind, body and spirit. It is about transformation; personal, spiritual and emotional change. It is not a therapy, but a technique that triggers your inner life force, enabling you to realize your full potential.

In the years when complementary therapies have moved rapidly from the realm of the wildly if Alternative” to a mainstream role in every high street beauty salon, one treatment has retained much of its mystique.

Since its development in the 1960s, the Metamorphic Technique (MT) has become quietly popular with, and quietly indispensable to, an ever growing number of people. Perhaps part of its low profile is due to the fact that it remains bemusingly difficult to explain – even when one has, as I have, experienced treatments and become convinced of their favourable effects.

MT operates on two basic premises: that emotional trauma experienced from the moment of conception – can be held in the body; and that the MT practitioner, by working on the “spinal reflexes” on the feet, hands and head which correspond to the gestation period, can help to free blockages caused by that trauma. The practitioner acts as a catalyst, “kick-starting the life force”: this allows the patient to access their own innate healing ability – their “wise guide within” – which, when freed, is a powerful tool for change.

Skeptics will by now be muttering darkly about spooky psychobabble~ but documented claims for MT’s effects range from enhanced self-confidence and dramatic improvements in allergies to profound beneficial effects on mental and physical handicaps and the medical profession (as reported recently in The Sunday Times) is sitting up and taking serious notice of MT. Doctors might not be able to explain why it works: many are just coming to the reluctant conclusion that it does.

Magi Traynor has been practising MT for several years after training with Gaston St Pierre, founder of The Metamorphic Association. She currently practises at the Lee Everett Consultancy in Brackenbury Village, where I went in search of further elucidation and to experience the technique for myself.

Magi’s personal view is that, if we imagine our life as a river, MT helps us to “go with the; flow”. After the Duchess of York’s recent, highly publicised philosophising on this very theme, the analogy may well draw an unfair degree of derision – but the image is a powerful one. The river (our life force) is strong, but rocks and boulders (lessons to help us grow) lie in our path. Magi’s view is simple: “If we can stop hanging onto the riverbank and go with the flow, we can steer our way around the rocks and boulders. Work on the feet helps us to let go of the river bank; work on the hands helps us to handle the rocks in our path; and work on the head helps us understand their purpose.”

So what does it feel like? The MT practitioner’s touch is lighter than that of a reflexologist; the feet and toes are worked with gently, using stroking or light massage at seemingly random points. I personally found the sensation profoundly relaxing and lapsed into a chilled-out silence; other clients of Magi’s apparently sit and chat throughout the whole process, finding it energising and uplifting. Her view is that you get what you need from the treatment.

Although MT’s effects are generally gradual, and can include anything from experiencing a boost in confidence to a reduction in nervous tension, Magi’s own casebook includes at least one woman who gained immediate – and delighted – relief from chronic back pain. As for me, after a few sessions I have to admit to feeling a lot more at one with life; and I don’t think it’s just coincidence. If you get what you need from MT, after my last session my “wise guide within” correctly identified that I urgently needed a tryst with Mr Sheen and a hoover: I shot home and, with a dramatic surge of energy, cleaned the house from top to bottom an action as rare as it was profoundly satisfying.

Down to MT? Who knows. But I’m certainly happy to go with the flow and see where some more sole searching takes me.

Metamorphic therapy is a well kept secret that can transform your life in weeks I came across the Metamorphic Technique via a cryptic but enticing recommendation from a friend, who revealed virtually nothing about what was involved, but stressed the transforming effect it would have on my life, if I was ready for it. Intrigued, I booked a session with one of the country’s top practitioners, Audrey Pasternak, at the trendy Life Centre in West London, to find out.
As I sat on the massage couch, having first removed my shoes and socks, I immediately felt that I was in safe hands. With her elegant outfit and chic, understated jewellery, Pasternak could easily pass for a distinguished actress or an antique dealer. Indeed, before discovering the technique seven years ago, she had a long successful career as an interior designer. As I launched into a series of questions, she told me in a no nonsense tone to leave the journalist outside the room and enjoy the experience.

Like most people who find it, I realise now that I came to Metamorphic Technique still looking for something that would help me realise my full potential. Despite intensive therapy, all kinds of workshops, and a wide range of alternative treatments over the years, I felt something was missing, and that I wasn’t achieving or enjoying life as much as I could.

Not a lot actually happens during a Metamorphic Techniques session. The practitioner – works with her hands, stroking and lightly massaging the tips of the toes and the inside of the foot, between the big toe and the heel, for about an hour before moving on to the fingertips and, last, the head. It is the head massage that feels most intense, and though you can, if you want, chat through the first stages of the session, this is the time to close your eyes and feel the energy shifting inside your body.

The principle behind the Technique is that the light touch stimulates your life force and activates the self-healing process. As Pasternak puts it, the client does the work with the practitioner “holds” the energy.

“But how on earth does it work?” you persist. “It just does,” is the response, “in the same way a tiny seed has the innate intelligence to grow into the flower it is supposed to be, and knows exactly when to bloom.”

The Metamorphic Technique was developed in the 1960s by the respected naturopath and reflexologist Robert St. John to help mentally handicapped children release their emotional blockages. Through his work he discovered that the nine months spent in the womb are mapped out along the spinal reflexes (which are located mostly at the sides of the feet, but also on the hands).

He passed his findings on to the British-based Canadian practitioner Gaston Saint-Pierre, who, in 1979, set up the Metamorphic Association, of which he is still the director. Metamorphic Technique has slowly and quietly gained respect from not only those whose lives have been transformed by it, but from doctors and specialists impressed with the results for conditions ranging from dyslexia to eating disorders.

As well as reporting significant changes in the way they see life and how they feel about themselves, it is common for those who receive the Technique to change where they live, their job, and their relationship – sometimes all three at the same time.

At the end of my first session, I sobbed uncontrollably, without knowing why. Pasternak assured me I would get through this and told me to be gentle with myself. For a few days, I felt spaced out and tired, which is a common after-effect. Though sessions are recommended once a week, I found I had such strong reactions that I needed a longer break in between.

I have had several sessions now, and have started to notice subtle changes: I don’t feel guilty about putting myself first, I steer clear of difficult (emotional) situations, I make space for myself and, most of all I’ve stopped giving myself a hard time.

Instead of doubting, I now trust who I am.

The trauma a baby might experience in the womb can range from the physical to the emotional. Metamorphic practitioners believe these experiences create the emotional patterns that carry on through our lives and which, if negative, manifest themselves as illness, addiction, stress, emotional problems and depression.

Men are particularly attracted of the Technique because they say it provides all the benefits of intensive psychotherapy without the agonizing process of being probed about the past and the present. In fact, you can spend the whole session with your eyes closed and your mouth shut, not having to utter a single word.

One of Pasternak’s male clients, a television producer who prefers to remain anonymous, says he started the Technique after a relationship ended and he realised that he felt stuck in every aspect of his life. Ironically, the woman he had just parted from had been going to Pasternak for a year, during which time she changed dramatically for the better, and lost what he calls “that fundamental sadness”.

>Rather than invoking radical change, he describes his transformation as less dramatic, more like a reversion to his natural self: “I finally got it together to change my home, and my work as a producer changed too. I have now started a new relationship and, for the first time in my life, I find that I don’t put up blocks or create trouble.

“R had therapy for a couple of years and that definitely cleared some problems, but the Metamorphic Technique seems to work at a much deeper level. You get the benefits of therapy, a relaxing treatment, and your whole energy slowly changes.”

New Year is traditionally the time for resolutions and brave new deals. But how many good intentions stay the course through January, let alone the rest of your life? Sometimes we need a little extra help to get the ball rolling.

The Metamorphic Technique might do just that. It’s neither a therapy nor a massage, it’s not healing and, its practitioners insist, it’s not even a treatment. Of all the practices in complementary medicine, this is perhaps the most mystical and unexplained. It asks for a suspension of belief, a casting-off of logical explanations, and invites you to put your trust in your own inner life-force. Thousands who have experienced the technique affirm that life is never the same once you step onto the metamorphic path.

The technique was developed in the Sixties by naturopath and reflexologist Robert St John while he was working in a school for mentally handicapped children. Changes his work brought about were not deep or lasting enough, he thought. He carne to the conclusion that not only are all the parts of the body represented in the foot (as reflexology teaches) but that our passage through the womb, from conception to birth, is also mapped out on the side of the foot, along the points reflexologists call the spinal reflexes. And he carne to believe that our ailments, and the characteristics we carry through life, are estab1ishcd during the time in our mothers’ wombs. By working on the feet, he found he could release blocks and facilitate ‘transformations’ both on a physical and an emotional level. One case in particular stood out. A woman carne to him with a six-week-old Down’s Syndrome baby. St John taught the technique to the mother and after a year of sessions the child was normal. The extra chromosome which causes the syndrome had not disappeared; it was simply no longer operative.

Gaston Saint -Pierre, at the headquarters of the Metamorphic Association in South London, learnt metamorphosis from St John and in 1979 set up the Metamorphic Association as a registered charity. Despite a pile of testimonials from orthodox doctors and complementary practitioners, clinics, schools and institutions, he insists that it is not the technique itself nor the practitioner which brings about such results – it is the life-force working inside the person.

“Practitioners are merely the catalyst,” he says. “It is a case of loosening a structure to enable the power of life to take over.”

Getting to grips with how the Metamorphic Technique works is extremely difficult. Saint-Pierre likes to use metaphors to explain the principles. He says we are all like seeds which have, inside, the blueprint of a plant or a tree. We need a catalyst in order to grow. For, the seed it is the earth; for us it is our own inner life-force. Saint-Pierre is a still, quiet man with a twinkle of humour in his eyes. He takes no case history, and does not ask for details about your life. Instead, he simply invites you to take off your shoes and socks and lie or sit on a large window seat liberally scattered with cushions. Placing my foot on his lap, I lay back and closed my eyes while he started work. His touch is light and fluid: sometimes it felt as if he were gently polishing my foot; at others, as if he were almost searching for something. Occasionally he would yawn. This, he explained, was not because he was bored or tired but because blockages were passing through his hands into his body. Yawning, sneezing, or even burping apparently allows the blocks to disappear harmlessly.

Some people report that during a session they ’see’ scenes from their lives or that they can re-experience emotions from the womb. Nothing like that happened to me, but the whole experience was very enjoyable and I found myself half-dozing and half-waking. After about half an hour, Saint-Pierre worked on my hands and then finally on my head, leaving me feeling very relaxed yet surprisingly energized. It’s hard to see how such a simple technique can instigate profound changes but people swear it has transformed their lives. Some find new relationships or end outdated ones; some move house or change their jobs~ others are prompted to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Often, Saint-Pierre says, it nudges people to seek the help they really need.

He work with handicapped children and adults has continued, and metamorphic practitioners also work on a voluntary basis in hospitals, in schools for children with learning difficulties and even in prisons. More recently, Metamorphic Technique has been given to people with my and AIDS and has been taught to their friends and family.
Although he and a large network of practitioners all over the country will give private sessions, his real desire is that people will learn the technique themselves to practise on their family and friends.

“I could teach you in five minutes”, he says. “It can be done by anyone. And there is no need to go into deep meditation – you can talk or watch television while you are doing it. It can easily be integrated into people’s lives.”

He particularly likes to teach parents because he believes it can help to bond families together. Metamorphic Technique given during pregnancy and particularly during labour can, he promises, ease labour, often producing a quick and simple birth. Many midwives are learning the technique – a few simple touches to the newborn baby’s feet will instantly calm the child, he says.