Glossary of Therapies P - R

This glossary is intended only as a guide. For further information on any of the therapies, please contact one of the listed therapists in the directory.

Past Life Therapy sometimes used by hypnotherapists or psychotherapists to allow clients to express what appears to be a previous existence. They can also be considered as buried thoughts or emotions. Like hypnotherapy this form of therapy takes place under hypnosis where again the client is placed in a deep relaxed state and then guided through their past life unlocking lost memories and in some cases solving various emotional and physical problems.
Pilates uses a gentle stretching form of exercise to balance and realign the body.
Polarity Therapy combines Indian and Chinese methods to encourage life energy flow by touch, nutritional advice, counselling and exercise.
Psychotherapy a therapist will use listening skills to draw out personal problems within a therapeutic setting. There are many therapies that come under this heading and include; psychoanalysis, behavioural therapy, cognitive therapy, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), humanistic psychotherapy, gestalt therapy and family therapy.
Rebirthing birth is said to generate emotional and physical trauma creating feelings of separation or fear later in life. Through the use of breathing techniques you will re-experience traumatic emotions to release tension. This is a fully clothed therapy.
Reflexology this therapy is beginning to be used in hospitals as it is felt that having the feet massaged is calming, so orthodox medicine seems to be more accepting of this method. Reflexology is a treatment of the feet and sometimes the hands, it involves a "hands on" massage technique. The belief is that all parts of the body are reflected in the feet and by massaging of these reflexes corresponding organs in the body can be stimulated, thereby releasing natural healing. Reflexology can be used to alleviate many problems including migraine, back pain, asthma, high blood pressure, poor circulation, constipation and IBS. It is also believed that using pressure on certain parts of the foot can cause partial anaesthesia which could be of use when minor surgery is performed.
Reiki this is a form of Japanese healing, it is performed on a fully clothed person and is a "hands on" or "hands off" therapy, this means the practitioner can work either with his hands actually touching the patient, or by holding the hands at a distance of about 3 inches above the body. Reiki works not only on the physical but on the spiritual and emotional levels also. It is a natural and holistic system that goes to the level it is needed.
Rolfing focuses on manipulation and posture to enable the body to "loosen up" and to realign it. Poor posture can cause many problems and can affect emotional and physical well being. Rolfing aims to put the body at ease helping it to work with gravity rather than against it.
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