How is this different than chiropractic?
Traditional chiropractic works to improve skeletal alignment and joint mobility to reduce pain and improve function. There are also chiropractic “mixers” who recognize the effects of emotional state and nutrition on overall health, and incorporate that approach in to their sessions.
Like chiropractic, Clinical Somatic Education (CSE) improves skeletal alignment and joint mobility to reduce pain and improve bodily functioning. Unlike chiropractic, CSE doesn't involve manipulations or adjustments; instead, it teaches your brain to make those adjustments from within. The result is long-lasting improvements and self-sufficiency without the need for indefinite (or frequent) office visits.
In chiropractic, the adjustment is “done to” or “done for” you. You are passively manipulated, and while the changes can be effective, they are often short-lived. This is because chiropractic focuses on the position of the bones, while CSE understand that the bones only move because tension in the muscles pulls on them. the muscles are controlled by the brain; therefore, the only way to effectively change the tension of the muscle ( and allow the bones to come into alignment), is to change the message that the brain is sending to the muscle to contract.
In CSE sessions, your brain actually learns how to replace old, restrictive ways of operating with free, coordinated, more balanced movement patterns. You regain more control of your muscles, and are able to relax tight muscles, often resulting in spontaneous spinal self-adjustments (complete with popping!). As with all types of learning based changes in life, the ways to gain (and maintain!) improvement soon seem second nature &mdash which, in fact, they are! With CSE, you will remind yourself of what your body already knows about keeping itself supple, free, and moving, for the rest of your life.
