Touch for Health Conferentie 2014
The Netherlands
Ontvouwen in overvloed
Reveal in Abundance
Kinesiology and High Sensitivity
Author:
T r an s la t io n :
Ca r in J a n se n
Mar j a va n We e r e n
Kinesiology and High Sensitivity
High Sensitivity is a psychological term which was introduced in 1996 by the
american psychologist Elaine N. Aron. A Highly Sentitive Person or HSP is
extremely sensitive, especially for stimuli. Research has indicated that 10%-20%
of all people are highly sensitive. When typing this term on internet one quickly
finds many different websites with a tremendous amount of information on this
rapidly growing group of children, but also adults. Additionally many tests can be
found which enable to you check if you are a highly sensitive person.
In the kinesiology practice I regularly get to deal with especially mothers that call
for attention because their child is highly sensitive. I have noticed that often they
speak with pride about the special qualities that these children would possess.
These children often seem to have psychic abilities and seem to be very wise for
their age.
If we look at the characteristics of highly sensitive adults and children as they
are described in the available literature, we get the following list:
-
susceptible for stress and a higher susceptibility for burn-out
being overwhelmed by emotions
making choices is difficult
fatigue
putting oneself in last place
difficulties with indicating boundaries
lack of self-esteem and absence of "I-power"
large adaptability
difficulty with saying "no"
problems with working in a team
acting from feeling
but also
-
perceptiveness, feeling for detail
high alertness in case of danger
being attentive and helpful
being intelligent
being empathic
rich fantasy and perception
If we compare this list to the characteristics of Indigo children, we notice many
similarities. The major difference is in the psychic qualities the are attributed to
Indigo Children but that do not really appear in the list of characteristics of HSPs.
At the moment in my kinesiology practice I encounter many adolescents with
characteristics from the list of HSPs. The mothers of the adolescents do not come
to me with the term HSP or "being special" but more with complaints as "my
child is so tired, cannot concentrate, has difficulties making choices, does not feel
comfortable and suffers a lot from allergies".
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I therefore notice that when the child is young in many cases the parents are
proud of the special qualities and sometimes emphasize them. When the child is
older the disadvantages of sensitivity submerge and HSP is experienced as
difficult rather than special.
Obviously there are also many Highly Sensitive adults who will recognize
themselves in the above list. In my opinion HSP has always existed but
previously there was less attention or acknowledgement for this phenomenon.
Times have changed and an increasing number of children but also adults
experience difficulties rather than convenience from their (high) sensitivity so
luckily now serious attention is being paid.
What is the cause of High Sensitivity?
According to experts High Sensitivity mostly occurs with children of high
sensitive parents. It may therefore be hereditary. Also we may attribute part of
the cause to the time that we are living in currently, in our society.
A lot is being demanded of children, the bar is high. For example, think about the
CITO tests. But also the radiation that children are being submitted to and the
manipulated food that they ingest. All these, mostly negative, stimulants sort of
cause hyperactive senses, causing children to almost constantly be on edge.
But also damage caused by vaccinations in the young life could lead to (hyper)
sensitivity.
We therefore see that being highly sensitive can cause a lot of stress. (Young)
people then are, as it were, very susceptible to external stimulants which we are
being submitted to a lot in our current time. HSPs therefore are sometimes also
called overstimulated. If someone is overstimulated a stress reaction is being
activated in the body wich can cause various complaints. From the
orthomolecular dietetics we know by now that when someone is experiencing
stress the body needs a high dosage of vitamin B and C to control the stress and
lead it into the right direction. It is not a surprise that these people often suffer
from a vitamin B deficiency.
Hans Reijnen wrote a book about vitamin B12 and writes about this:
"Almost all patients with vitamin B12 deficiency in the practice turn out to be
spiritual (highly) sensitive people, often with a "mission" for themselves and
humanity. Especially this group often suffers from various typical health
problems (fatigue, allergies, high sensitivity, mental problems etc.) which in fact
are caused by an overlooked vitamin B12 deficiency".
On the website of nlbewustgezond.nl it says"
" The vitamin B-complex is also known as anti-stress vitamins and plays an
important role in the production of neurotransmitters. What does a
neurotransmitter do? The neurotransmitters Serotonine, Noradrenaline and
Dopamine regulate attention, focus and the sleep cycle. These neurotransmitters
therefore are quite important for the concentration at school, during homework
and for a good night's sleep. A vitamin B(12) deficiency could cause your child to
behave hyperactively, anxious and even obsessive."
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This explains why in my practice I see so many similarities between children with
ADHD symptoms and HSPs.
The similarities I see mainly when I test the absorption of vitamins and minerals.
Coult it then be that a child with the characteristics of ADHD of ADD also is
Highly Sensitive?
How does Espavo work with Highly Sensitive Persons?
Espavo means:"thank you for stepping into your power".
That is also my goal for everyone who visits my practice, follows the Espavo
course as student or starts working as trainer. One of the special characteristics
of Espavo is that in an uncomplicated way it reaches the deeper levels of
consciousness and unconsciousness and causes major noticable changes within a
sort timespan.
The techniques that are being employed in the Espavo modules are especially
valuable for (highy) sensitive children and adults. Since 2003 I have been
developing techniques and methods to guide and balance especially this group of
HSPs. But also people with other unbalances, complaints and development issues
benefit from an approach from Espavo, because the guidance is constantly aimed
at re-establishing the client with his or her inner strength and inner possibilities
and potential.
Meanwhile there are already 53 different Espavo-remedies, and I offer a Higher
Professional Education (HBO) accredited training with this viewpoint and method.
In the Netherlands an increasing amount of kinesiologists and therapists work
with this specialistic knowledge, and they help more and more people to their full
satisfaction.
Within Espavo a full method of guidance of HSPs was developed. As an example I
will mention a few points from the method.
During the pretests one can already encounter various factors which can point to
HSP. Often the eye movements which we test are not balanced, especially the
movements to the left and the right. Also the ear test often is "weak". In all the
years that I have worked with HSPs I have seen that they are overstimulated the
quickest via their eyes and ears.
The information that they absorb is filtered and processed with difficulty. When
they finally are overstimulated they seemingly shut all doors and windows in
order to protect themselves for the overload of stimuli. When I then test the
left/right eye movement, this often tests weak. This is because when someone is
overstimulated via everything he or she sees, more or less a tunnelvision occurs.
The eyes are connected to our left- and right side of the brain. When you read
and you move your eyes from left to right, if all is well you make contact with
both sides of the brain which enables you to read technically and also understand
what you are reading. If the eye movement is not balanced to right and left,
reading comprehension becomes more difficult, and therefore also learning and
subsequently concentration.
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It will then cost a lot of energy to absorb the educational material offered at
school or to do homework, which causes children to tire rapidly. If I ask a HSP if
after reading a page he or she understood correctly what the text was about, I
often receive a negative response. After school and during the evening reading
comprehension turns out to be even more difficult. Mothers, who are often
present at the consultation of their children, often suddenly understand why their
child has difficulties concentrating.
But wouldn't a simple k27 massage in combination with looking at the left and
right help to solve this problem? It would be wonderful, but unfortunately this
does not occur in my practice.
When I follow the procedure of "grounding" as the last pretest, I often see that
HSPs are totally not grounded. Because of all stimuli that enter their body
unfiltered, sensitive people loose contact with their body. Loosing the contact
with the body can also be called not being grounded. I regard the not being
grounded as a protective mechanism of the body itself. Things are overwhelming
and thus one more or less runs off. When someone is not properly grouded, a lot
of discomforts occur, for example:
-
Difficulties concentrating
Feeling of absence
Dizziness
Tiredness
Busyness
Eating a lot of candy or drinking a lot of coffee
Not feeling up to anything
If I ground a HSP according to procedure and then return to the eye test, I often
find that the eyes test weak again for left and right! If I balance the eyes, one is
not grounded and if one is grounded, the eye test is out of balance. The same
occurs with the ear test when a HSP is over-stimulated by sounds or by things
people tell him or her.
As a solution to this "problem" within the Espavo methods we like to work with
the Espavo remedy Tamus. When Tamus is brought into the field of the aura and
after that the tests for eyes, ears and the procedure for grounding are performed,
after correction the HSP IS balanced. Tamus shields the auric field from negative
stimuli from outside. As it were, a filter is being established that makes the
sensitive person feel more protected and enables him or her to stay within his or
her own energy, causing concentration to improve, reading comprehension to
increase and causing one to feel less tired.
Obviously during consultation we aim to teach the client to cope better with
external stimuli and to learn to filter them where necessary. But if the client does
not know how it feels to be bothered less by external stimuli, he or she does not
know what result he or she is after. In practice I often see that in the beginning
a lot of support of the Espavo remedy Tamus is needed, but in a later stage only
is used during tests, exams and in spaces with a lot of people present, so during
emergencies.
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Other Espavo remedies
Another example of an Espavo remedy which is effective with Highly Sensitive
People is Tigereye.
A tigereye as we know it works well with balancing the earth chakra; one gets
into touch with one's fears. The Tigereye of Espavo also affects fears, but in a
different way. At the moment many people suffer from dreams in the form of
nightmares. These dreams can be very real and scary, sometimes even causing
the person to be affected during the day. Dreams often contain a message, but
sometimes this can have such a profound effect on daily life that a helping hand
is needed. During these dreams one so to speak makes contact with one's fears.
While one runs from them during the day and would preferrably hide them,
during the night one is often confronted with them twice as hard. These people
often tend to hide their underlying emotions. Whatever you fear, you create. This
way you even attract it.
The Espavo remedy Tigereye does not make the dreams disappear but causes
one to be less emotionally involved. This way, one can develop a clear view on
the meaning of the dream which makes it easier to face one's fears and do
something about them. This remedy is also suitable for those that feel too
involved with everything. The sorrow or other emotions of others can have a
profound influence on the wellbeing of such a person. By using this remedy this
involvement can decrease so one can concentrate better one oneself.
Vitamins
As described before and can also be read in literature about the subject HSP, we
see that a sensitive person can suffer from deficiency of certain vitamins and
minerals but is also more susceptible for hypersensitivity like allergens.
The immune system of these people often does not function optimally.
During the intake that I do with all my clients, I test the absorption of various
vitamins and minerals. It is notable that with people who are highly sensitive,
who suffer from ADHD and related problems, or people with complaints of fatigue
or allergies, the absorption of vitamin C, B, D and the minerals Zinc and
Magnesium are often insufficient.
When trying to complement through supplementation, (still) the desired result
does not occur. Often chronically tired people are given a vitamin B injection, but
when I ask them if it helps I often get the reaction that the effect is only
noticable three days or so.
By restoring the absorption of vitamins and minerals using the Espavo method,
in many cases a lasting improvement occurs after only a short time. The stress
and overstimulation that is being experienced, can more easily be digested and
is less intrusive, and energy levels rise.
Also the neurotransmitters are produced more effectively which causes the
concentration to increase. When one restarts after approximately three months
with supplementation (if necessary) I notice that now it does have effect.
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Allergies
The immune system is a system that is meant to protect the body from external
pathogens and that effects the resilience of the human body. In my opinion this
is not only about the physical resistance but also the emotional and mental
resistance. When the immunesystem does not function as it should because
certain vitamins/minerals are not absorbed properly, a problem can occur within
the entire inmmunesystem because the system cannot protect itself properly
anymore.
Often we then see that the body starts to protect itself in the form of allergies
and/or intolerances. In case of an allergy histamines that protect the body
against the allergen (that it thinks it cannot handle) are produced. If we restore
the immunesystem it is easier to balance the allergies and/or intolerances, with
lasting result. Obviously the cause of the weak immunesystem and
hypersensitivities is being investigated.
We know from experience that Highly Sensitive People have an increased chance
of developing allergies and/or intolerances than people who are less sensitive.
Coping with sensitivity
Espavo organises trainings for coping better with high sensitivity of children,
adolescents and adults. There are numerous handles that can support in
guidance that a HSP can benefit from in daily life. The past years I have offered
these handles to many parents (who often are highly sensitive themselves) of
highly sensitive children which enabled them to first understand themselves
better but also to have more understanding of the complaints of their children.
The handles are often offered to the children via their parents which also causes
a better balance in the HSP via this route.
This all is merely an example, a first step and a limited selection from the
possibilities with which an Espavo therapist works if he/she is guiding Highly
Sensitive People.
if you would like to get acquainted with Espavo techniques or remedies, you can
find information on the website www.carin-kinesio.nl or on
www.opleidingscentrumespavo.nl
Carin Jansen
Educational Institute Espavo
Espavo remedies
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