“Water is fluid, soft, and yielding…But water will wear away rock, Which is rigid and cannot yield…”. ~ Lao Tzu
Marianne Hansen entered the therapeutic profession after graduating University. The path of working in the water as a therapist became available to her during her recovery after a severe car accident.
When asked about her work with people with a variety of physical challenges at her 'Natural Wellness Center'... this is what Marianne had to share:
'Not all the clients I see have had accidents…water is a wonderful healing medium for any body. In my experience working in hospitals I have worked with Neurological patients including stroke, closed head injuries, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, parkinsons disease: Orthopedic injuries from work related accidents and car accidents; Degenerative diseases such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and a variety of others.'
Marianne has seen a change in society's understanding of holistic/alternative approaches. She states 'People are seeking alternatives to conventional treatment and the clients that I have now are more educated in holistic treatment as well as more open to trying alternative approaches.'
Recently Marianne Hansen built her own treatment facility on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada and she explains how this came about, what her facility provides and the benefits to people in her region.
'The center was a dream that manifested into reality. The goal was to build a facility to house the equipment so that I would be able to provide aquatic treatments to the community. I have worked in a hospital setting for the last 10 years providing aquatic treatments to residential and rehabilitation patients. This work seeded the idea to open a facility to provide this type of treatment to a broader spectrum of people. I have been trained in both aquatic rehabilitation exercise (working as a Kinesiologist (BPE adaptive)) and aquatic massage (training provided through the Aquatic Worldwide Bodywork Association in the US), which enables me to provide both therapeutic exercises for maintenance and recovery and aquatic therapeutic massage for the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation. Since this type of treatment facility is not readily available in BC outside of the hospital setting the people in this region are able to access a unique type of treatment that is very successful. Treatment in warm water has been proven to decrease recovery times, to be an effective pain management tool, and to effectively improve range of motion for the whole body.'
Recently, in the fall of 2011 Marianne began working with a young man who is not only physically challenged as an outcome of a car accident but who is autistic. She describes for the reader her experience and what she sees as common traits with him and those others she has worked with as well as traits not so common.
'The most common trait this young man has with everyone else that comes for water treatment is the desire to heal and the body’s capacity to receive treatment. When the body is provided with the opportunity to return to its natural state, healing occurs. He also experiences true joy or bliss, with the freedom of movement and the comfort of the warm water, which is true for most people that receive water treatments. What is unusual for a neurological injury is that he has a lot of mobility in all of his joints and the integrity of the muscle tissue is very good. This enables us to work towards recovery of independent mobility which I haven’t seen in other people with similar physical injuries.'
The Hansen facility is most unusual and provides opportunity for a variety of people, even for those who are not physically challenged or injured - Marianne explains the benefits of the principals she works with for body, mind and emotional well being.
'The primary benefit of being treated in the water, which cannot be as easily achieved on land, is the freeing of the body through weightlessness in warm water. When you add the application of massage and the guided movement through the water, the body has an opportunity to blissfully relax and let go. Once the body is free, the mind and emotional well being naturally follow.'
In Part Two of this article: Marianne Hansen will share her vision for the 'Future of Health' for individuals, families and communities both in the long and short term. Marianne is a
- Registered Massage Therapist
- Bachelor of Physical Education - major Kinesiology
- Certified Watsu Practitioner
- Certified LaStone Therapist
To learn more, become a subscriber to my column to get updates on the latest review or column and to post your personal comments and to share your life experiences. Marianne Hansen will be on our radio show this month Leonora Speaks with... http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-/2012/02/03/autism-the-paradigm-4pm-leonora-speaks-with5pm-pst a show which airs LIVE every Thursday at 5pm Pacific Standard Time, 7pm Eastern Time (click google time to find out your time zone in your country). To learn more about Marianne Hansen the writer and Naturally Autistic ANCA visit http://www.mhansen.ca/ and http://www.naturallyautistic.com
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