An Introduction
Circles of Healing, The Complete Guide to Healing with Massage and Yoga for Practitioners, Caregivers, Students and Clients, by Gwen Wendy Hammarstrom, BFA, CAMTC
Circles of Healing is a comprehensive resource for professional massage and energy practitioners, as well as for others interested in the healing power of touch and yoga. It is based on my 40 years of experience in the field, working with a wide variety of challenges presented by my clients. The book is beautifully illustrated and demonstrates the possibilities we all have for healing beyond the usual medical remedies.
“Easy to read and easy to follow, Circles of Healing is without a doubt the go-to book for healing, whether the source of suffering is physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual. Wendy’s tender touch in Circles of Healing embraces not only your heart, but also your soul. It nourishes your spirit, and helps you laugh and sing again. The book is Wendy’s life journey, a precious gift to everyone who has the privilege of reading it and applying its insight and exercises to their own lives.”
~ Allen Kates, editor, author, CopShock, Surviving Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
*Learn how to care for yourself AND expand your work to include students or clients with a variety of health challenges.
*Follow step by step instructions for hands-on techniques and exercises.
*Find extensive resources for working with many diverse client populations, including the overlooked and underserved.
*Discover useful and practical charts and forms for your professional practice or use at home.
*Gather great tips for professional bodyworkers and caregivers.
*Read my experiences, laced with humor and wisdom gained during the 20,000 hours of hands-on client and teaching experience.
From the foreward by Alice Iwasa:
“...any person can, at one time or another in their life, be a person with special needs. From birth to death, we all go through times when we are out of the mainstream, vulnerable, possibly ill or disabled, and in need of TLC (tender loving care). Some individuals live a whole lifetime as a special needs person; nearly all of us fall into that category at some point.”
I believe healing touch is an overlooked modality for many people. All those facing physical, mental and emotional challenges, and their caregivers, are the inspiration for this book. The vulnerability of these special clients, with their courage, warmth, wisdom and magnanimous spirit continues to inspire me.
Those who are new to the field of bodywork will learn about the variety of paths they can follow. By using the techniques and reading the case hisotris and personal stories in theis book, seasoned bodyworkers and movement instructors can expand their area of practice and discover the unexpected joy of working with these populations. In addition, this book can help all caregivers who are not specifically bodyworkers, such as psychotherapists, hospice workers, home health care workers, physicians, rescue workers, nurses, teachers and others to discover new ways to use touch and movement to help their clients as well as themselves. Now, perhaps more than ever before, we need simple ways to help each other in this troubled and increasingly complex world.
Circles of Healing is a must-read for every bodywork and yoga practitioner, teacher and student, as well as for therapists, medical professionals, veteran advocates, hospice workers, first responders and the vast number of us who are caregivers by profession, or within our families.
