Students learn natural healing techniques during health program


Students from all over campus gathered in the Woldt lower level classroom on Friday, March 27 to attend a two hour Craniosacral Health Program.

Abby Finney, residence hall director of Woldt/Fabiano, was a student at the Naturopathic Institute of Therapies and Education. As part of the curriculum, students will go to class on the weekend and must complete about 30 hours of homework a week. The homework may be in a form of a book report or teaching a class, such as the program Finney put on.

"I worked on my undergraduate of biomedical sciences at CMU but was more inclined towards natural healing," Finney said. "As a sophomore I started at the Naturopathic Institute but ended up leaving and going to Kansas State. I made my way back to Mt. Pleasant and pursued classes again and finished the program."

Craniosacral therapy is a type of natural healing that focuses on the body's energy field, light touch healing and meridians. The focus of most of the program was on light touch therapy along the spine, cranium and sacrum. Light touch acts as leverage for muscles to release and realign. Finney also spoke about the history of craniosacral therapy and how it allows for proper flow of cerebrospinal fluid which nourishes the central nervous system and the body.

"I really enjoyed the program," said Howell freshman Rowan Clark. "It was very calming and relaxing to work through these techniques. The focusing on certain points in my body really uplifted my mind."

Students were encouraged to get with a partner and get hands -on practice with the techniques associated with the healing. Finney first demonstrated on someone and then had the students practice on one another. Students learned to feel for tissue and energy release by searching for a pulse in the occiput and sacral.

Finney also discussed how it's important to have good intentions and follow intuition, not only during these practices but also in life. She had students do an activity called "growing your roots," where they focused on breathing and learned about the energy that flows through the body. Students also did a ten minute activity that involves using the fingertips to alter energy flow inside the head, promoting relaxation.

"The point of the mind balancing activity is to assist one another in cleaning the mind and reaching peacefulness," said Finney. "This can be really helpful with roommates, friends, before exams and even just to help relax. It's very good for refreshing and refocusing the mind."

Students were also informed on the seven main chakra points in the body. Chakras are energy vortexes that control energy flow. Finney distributed handouts to all of the students explaining the chakras, as well as the different techniques she demonstrated. 

"I have read about chakras before and practiced this stuff on my own," said Redford senior Nieya Gaston. "It felt good to be able to work with others and see their reaction after doing the techniques. It was also really interesting to see how I reacted to other people's energy, too."

Students interested in getting involved with the Naturopathic Institute can visit the website and see if it's right for them. The only prerequisite to being in the program is a high school diploma.

"The Institute is really great," said Finney. "You can get a natural health educator certificate after only attending for a year. Plus it's just a helpful way to be aware of what is good and bad for you. How to live a naturally healthy lifestyle is useful information for anyone to have."

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