Native American Bodywork

Mikka Barkman, (ABT, LMT)

A 3rd generation Cree Native  American healer.

The “Barkman Method” is a holistically focused bodywork which unites manual technique and dialog between the client and practitioner.  Both enter into a state of deeper awareness. The goal is to empower the client to make changes in lifestyle which are in alignment with who they are. The questions, “Who am I?”, and “Why am I here?” are addressed through a process which is client centered.

Native Americans innately understand   the benefits of touch, it is human nature   to connect with others and with all of   nature.  The Medicine Wheel concept provides a model to understand this connection from an intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical perspective. When these perspectives are united within the self, strength and a positive sense of well-being are experienced.  When imbalance occurs in one or more quadrants, symptoms of dis-ease occur, often manifesting as physical pain or illness.  As a client reveals the stories of their life, imbalances become apparent.  As they apply their story to the Medicine Wheel, new awareness occurs and conditioned reactions can be replaced by new ways of thinking and behaving so that they can respond to life and live more in the present.

Crucial to understanding the Medicine Wheel is the knowledge that Native American cosmology is a science of mind and spirit: all that exists is seen as a manifestation of thought.   The Medicine Wheel is not used by all tribal groups and  there are multiple ways to translate its meaning. Ultimately, it empowers people to live in harmony with nature: their own, their community’s and the Earth.  With directed thought, positive change will occur.

Thoughts and emotions (Spirits) show up in the body in specific areas and can feel more dense or immobile in relationship to other areas of the body. Often, these areas are tender and/or very painful.  A skilled practitioner can sense the variations of this energy and manipulate it with constructive interference, creating change and an opening to release old patterns and space for the development of new, growth oriented patterns.  Thought is energy, emotion is energy.  When we freely express ourselves, this energy dissipates or moves.  When suppressed, or worse, repressed, this energy has to go somewhere and can manifest in the body.  Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it simply changes it’s form. Mass and energy are different manifestations of the same thing.

The techniques used have been around for millennium but have only been named and defined in modern times.  Definitions for these techniques can be found within the fields of osteopathy, massage therapy, Asian bodywork, physical therapy, insight psychotherapy,  crystal and other energy based modalities. The “Barkman Method” uses variations of any of these, relying upon the innate healing wisdom of the body to determine which is needed. Manual pressure can be feather light, deeply penetrating, and somewhere in between.

Bodywork sessions are done on the floor, on a warm mat, with the recipient fully clothed in loose comfortable clothing. The practitioner applies pressure with the palms, thumbs, fingers, forearms, elbows, knees, shins, toes and feet, often being in contact with the client using all four limbs simultaneously.  A ceiling bar, and the walls of the therapy room (in place of trees), can be used for support when using the feet. Heat is sometimes applied in the form of herbal paks, hot stones or  thermaphores. Movement into a variety of positions and stretching are sometimes part of sessions, though this will vary according to the needs or limitations of the client. The use of a sauna or steam is desirable prior to the session but not required.

Use of the Medicine Wheel is not for everyone, however, dialog still remains an important aspect of the bodywork sessions, primarily bringing awareness to limiting belief structures. Each session is unique and depends entirely on  the issues that are presenting at that moment.  The therapist participates in the dialog to assist and guide, not to direct, the client to greater personal understanding.  Sessions become an artful dance, a melody of relaxed and sometimes intense release. Clients can expect a profound feeling of change and an expanded awareness of self.  Over an extended period of treatments, the intensity will vary and  ultimately, most clients will need or want only periodical “tune-up” sessions.   They have taken the driver’s seat, understand and know themselves better and are committed to living in alignment with who they are. There is no time limit to this process; living, being and healing is a lifelong journey.

Each healthy, thriving client has a positive affect on our world.

For those professionals interested in learning more, Mikka will be adapting some of the techniques for use on a table. Click on Helpful Sites - Professional Workshop (above) CEC’s available.