The power of relaxation
It was whilst sitting on a beach in Falmouth, South-west England that I decided to take stock of life, career, and the next looming birthday milestone.
Perhaps it was the sea air, a change of scene, simply getting away from the 'routine of life' ...anyway the result was to decide on a career change - from a Chartered (Work) Psychologist to a Clinical Reflexologist!
Breaking the news
When I decided to reveal to my friends and work colleagues my plans I was met with various responses:
"What's that?, You must like feet!, Wow that's brave, I love Reflexology.. I had it in hospital when recovering from cancer surgery, it really helped me and Can I book in for a treatment?!".
Who were these people? Well they were like you and me, looking for ways to balance work and life, and dealing with various life changes - new parents, moving home, changing jobs, children leaving home, the challenges of hormonal changes (peri/menopause), managing ever increasing care responsibilities and the prospect of retirement.
When I revealed my motivations, one colleague simply said: 'Carole you have found your 'Why'..or purpose. And I think that summed it up nicely!
Rewind...you were a Psychologist?
I loved studying Human Biology and back in the 1980's I considered a career as a Physiotherapist, but instead opted for a Degree in Psychology and Human Biology. Postgraduate study (MSc and PhD) in Applied Psychology followed where my research included investigating cardiovascular and subjective measures of low workload and 'Rust-Out' among Civil Airline pilots.
With the advent of aircrafts fitted with lots of technology, there was a concern that Pilots (among other types of workers) would have too little to do - leading to 'Rust-Out' the opposite of 'burnout'. The mental and physical health implications of 'Rust-Out' tend to be 'forgotten' but can be as damaging as 'Burn-out' (e.g. disturbed sleep, fatigue, lack of purpose, low mood and self-esteem). Rust-out remains topical as scientific advancements (e.g. Artificial intelligence) become an accepted feature of our daily lives - another story!
Fast forward 30 years...and I have been a University Lecturer - teaching topics including the psychology and physiology of stress, workload and performance, aviation medicine (in-flight disorientation and optical illusions), and research methods, ethics and health psychology. I have also worked within government, large corporations and smaller research consultancies.
What did I do?
Lots of different, fast paced and exciting projects - ranging from flying in fast jet aircraft (in the back as a researcher!) and alongside the pilot in helicopters to investigate flight related stressors and new technologies; researching novel ways to ensure personnel in safety critical roles (e.g. service personnel, surgeons, train drivers) retained their skills; and advising government policy and practice around future Training and Education. I have worked in teams, both nationally and internationally, spoken at conferences and written research papers...BUT..
At the heart of my career has been a passion for supporting others to navigate life and work and to simply GROW and make a change, however big or seemingly small.
Finding the right Reflexology course
My starting point was to go to the Association of Reflexologists website and search approved courses. I discovered that the highest qualification available was at Level 5 (2nd year Degree study equivalent) and importantly regulated by OFQUAL. I quickly selected the Wye Reflexology Academy - which offered CAREA OTHM Level 5 Diploma in Applied Reflexology for Integrated Medicine - this qualification currently provides the MOST INNOVATIVE regulated route to level 5 training (including a level 6 unit). I was particularly motivated by the return to advanced study of Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology - and found out during the course that a lot had changed since my first degree which included Physiology. Lots more around the importance of the VAGUS nerve and the Brain Gut Interface and relevance to the regulation of our nervous system and digestion. More on that in a later blog! Thankfully Alison Belsom (Director Wye Reflexology Academy) had decided to open a second teaching venue in Castle Cary, Somerset which was just 30-minutes away so all pieces of the jigsaw were starting to come together!
Course Experiences
It was challenging! 12 weekends of face-to-face learning, 100 client treatments (with associated research and write-ups), practicals, assessments, 'tests', essays and business planning. This was MY choice and by the time I completed the course I knew that I had truly achieved a qualification which set an incredibly high standard.
Learning the Duopody or 'two-handed' form of Reflexology felt daunting at first - a particular sequence of movements, working across both feet at the same time needed to be learnt for each of the 14 systems of the human body - cardiovascular, respiratory, immune, digestive, endocrine etc. and practiced on willing clients. Ultimately these system sequences were selected and combined in a way that was relevant to the needs of the client. Then came the teaching of additional techniques...linking, energy medicine, Chakras..and much more. Incredibly, it did all come together - over the course of the academic year!
Alison's belief in us, along with her considerable support and encouragement that it would be all be fine was key...and she was right!
My peers on the course provided the 'glue' and my experience of working within fast paced teams where support and collaboration is critical reappeared. The group of 7 students came from different walks of life with varying experiences which added significantly to the richness of the course.
How do we keep all of this information in our heads...was a typical point for discussion! Prompt cards to support treatment planning and conduct were created and placed strategically for reference when treating clients. As we all grew more confident these cards started to disappear or were condensed further.
There has been a lot of research on how we acquire and retain skills over time - this was a specialist area for me when I worked as a psychologist in a large future training and education programme. So the latest thinking around how we learn and retain skills came in handy during the course. This knowledge also helped me to understand why it was easier to recall the reflexology sequence when 'working' the reflexes associated with the cardiovascular, lymphatic and digestive systems in contrast to the immune and endocrine systems. A future blog is planned on this topic!
Plans change!
My plan A was to complete the course and to then change careers...however, plans are a 'template for change'! and I took the decision to leave my full-time job to complete the final 4 months of my course - a very good decision.
Client case study participants
During the case study treatments I was fortunate to recruit a group of volunteer participants living with a range of health and wellbeing related conditions - for example, very high level of stress, anxiety, mood and hormonal imbalances, sleep disturbances, digestive issues, muscular/skeletal tension and pain from significant historic surgeries. All had a desire to make a change and to explore the benefits of Clinical Reflexology.
Whilst Reflexology does not claim to cure or diagnose, 'change' was evident to a greater or lesser degree among all clients. Such changes were evidenced through a shift in ratings of health and wellbeing scores which were taken at the initial and final client appointments.
Business Planning - creativity and reality!
The final months of the course included a business module with an assignment to pull together a business plan - creativity and visioning was encouraged, along with the realities of financial planning (including everything from the cost of a therapy room to laundry!). During the latter stages of the course I decided to start seeing my study clients within a thriving clinic - Ninesprings Natural Health Centre in Yeovil Somerset. This was a positive move - supporting a smooth transition from student to fully qualified practitioner and providing opportunities to interact with other self-employed therapists (e.g. acupuncturists, osteopaths, hypnotherapists, counsellors) and teachers (e.g. yoga, pilates, breathwork).
Deepening our knowledge and practice
The specialist techniques that are taught (exclusively) on the CAREA Level 5 Diploma are outlined on my website - Duopody, CALM and NEPIP. The learning of the NEPIP technique was awaited with lots of enthusiasm from our group - this was a specialist technique that brings together the strengths of Psychology and Reflexology - incorporating health related intentions (psychology), and the rebalancing of the core body systems. associated with stress. The Limbic system - a part of the brain that is associated with our memories and emotions - and (in reflexology terms) reflected on areas of the 'big toe' was also incorporated into the Reflexology sequence. Our final course client case study was to conduct and write up a series of NEPIP treatments on one client.
An observed practical exam with a visit from the originator of the Duopody and NEPIP techniques (no pressure!) was a course finale and a treat for all!
We all love the NEPIP Reflexology technique!
NeuroEndoPsychoImmunopody (NEPIP) is a beautiful, gentle technique developed to support clients living with high levels of stress. A key observation was that there is certainly a 'time and a place' for a gentle, versus a deeper 'depth of touch' - reflexes (areas) on the feet reflecting the nervous system certainly benefit from a gentle touch (in my opinion!). As an aside - a gentle approach when 'working' the reflected areas of the Lymphatic system is also important (more on that later!).
Your next assignment is a Research Proposal - excellent!
Most of my career as an Applied Psychologist had been spent either doing, specifying or commissioning research...so the opportunity to apply these research skills to the development of a Reflexology research proposal put me back into a (semi-) comfort zone!
In the early stages of my Reflexology course I explored the evidence for the effectiveness of Reflexology and discovered a breadth of research studies that had been conducted both nationally and internationally. Importantly, many studies had been peer reviewed and accepted for publication in reputable journals.
Research studies have investigated the benefits of Reflexology in relation to for example, fertility, pain management (e.g. child birth, osteoarthritis), sleep, wellbeing, stress, fatigue, blood pressure, migraines, headaches, mood, lymphodema etc. A review of a selection of research studies (including an assessment of the strength of evidence and significance of findings) is reported by Kevin and Barbara Kunz - other research databases are also worth exploring.
As this website matures I will incorporate a dedicated page on Reflexology research as this is important to the continued growth in acceptability of this complementary therapy, its benefits to health and wellbeing and therapeutic practice.
So what was my proposal about?
During my case study treatments I developed a particular interest in the impact of stress on digestive health and how a Clinical Reflexology approach might support my clients living with 'Digestive issues', in particular Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I signed up to the ibs network to find out more about the condition, ways to assess symptom severity (e.g. the Rome IV criteria) and importantly the support that is in place for those living with this condition.
The final title of the proposal was "Efficacy of the NEPIP Reflexology protocol in the management of Irritable bowel Syndrome: A Pilot Study". The focus was on individuals in occupational groups where work is demanding, the consequences of 'getting something wrong' is significant, and there is potential exposure to trauma and personal risk.
Whilst this is not an article on research methods...it is worth noting that in any 'Real World Research' there is a need to control, as far as possible the range of factors that might impact the 'issue' being investigated - this is known as 'random' variation which might 'cover up' a true effect. Research should also start with a review of 'what we know already' as this helps to plan and add to knowledge.
An example research article for interest: Tovey P.A. (2002) 'Single blind trial of reflexology for irritable bowel syndrome', British Journal of General Practitioners 52: 19-23.
If you are reading this blog and would like to discuss an opportunity to take forward the proposal ideas then please do get in touch!
You are qualified!
...more to come...