I love watching The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan teaches us about ourselves as we relate to the animals in our home. He states that dogs take over the job of pack leader when we do not fulfill that role-when we are mourning lost pets, sad, fearful, angry, frustrated…….emotional instead of calm and assertive; what CranioSacral Therapy would call centered and grounded. So, dogs take over as pack leader and over protect us and our property by becoming barking, aggressive, four legged trouble makers.

And what do our kids do when we are not in control? When we are caught up in stressed out multitasking our minds are holding onto multiple future events at once at the expense of what is happing in that moment with our bodies, breath and minds. Dogs take over as pack leaders but kids model our behaviours, often taking on our stress as their own in an attempt to help us in some way. They develop physical problems, school related problems, social problems and exhibit many other cries for help. They are asking for you as parents to slow down and notice. Stress is a part of life but when it is overwhelming at an early age our children’s bodies pay a price.

What are your resources? To what do you turn to to create a calm , centred state of mind? Some positive options are:

• friends
• family
• exercise, yoga, tai chi
• nature
• hobbies
• professional help

Modelling these behaviours can help your children develop their own resources:

• talking to a trusted adult
• learning how to be in nature
• developing positive habits to deal with stress
• taking responsibility for their bodies
• knowing when to ask for help

CranioSacral Therapy helps you to begin to reconnect with your body in a positive way. Being in a room with a therapist that is in a calm, centered, grounded state allows you to regain trust in yourself to also attain that calm state. Listening as your body responds to the therapist’s hands suggesting to you that it is okay to let go of body tension is a gift to yourself. It reminds you that you have the ability to be in the moment and the more you practice being in the moment the easier it is to recruit these skills during times of crisis, big or small. Teach your children how to prepare for and deal with life’s ups and downs by developing your own resources. Give yourself the gift of CranioSacral Therapy. Learn what it can offer. See how your children change for the better as you let go of your stress. Your four legged friends might just change their behavior also.

Copyright 2008  Brenda Rosenberg  All rights reserved.