What Is Polarity Therapy? How It Works & What to Expect

Polarity Therapy is an Eastern system with strong ties to Western medicine, making it truly integrative. Dr. Radolph Stone was an osteopath and naturopath from Chicago. He was interested in esoteric philosophies including Theosophy, Sufism and other teachings of the East. His best friend and colleague was Dr. Sutherland. Together they founded the Chicago School of Drugless Healing. While Dr. Sutherland developed Craniosacral Therapy, which tracks the flow of fluid energies in the body, Dr. Stone developed Polarity Therapy. Polarity Therapy comprises more than 200 maps of the energy body, which lay over and align and with the physical body. Polarity Therapy is the science of how a body, or human matter, comes into form. In this sense the inverse process, of how a human becomes something fully or more than human, is also considered. In Dr. Stone’s terminology this is called involution and evolution.

The Four Pillars

There are four pillars to Polarity Therapy, making it a fully holistic system. In today’s age, where courses and certifications are in proliferation, it is rare to encounter complete systems. For this reason, I chose to practice Polarity Therapy.  

1. Diet and Nutrition. In all three of the paths I carry diet is the foundation. It is not the most glamorous or eye catching of the pillars. Without a healthy system of nutrition and elimination however, there is no foundation for health to truly emerge. 
2. Yoga and Movement. Yoga is central to the Vedic path. True yoga is an ontology for unity with the divine. And so it is in Polarity Therapy. The depths of the yogic movements within this path can only be known by experience. It is not a stretchy form, like others which have come to the West. It is designed to move energy. 
3. Bodywork and Energy Healing. The bodywork is what stands out, as it is the main portion of your sessions with the practitioner. The bodywork is so rich and intensive. Typically persons come for treatments over 18 months to 3 years. There is much to move through and the transformation that takes place is long lasting/permanent. 
4. Counselling and Speaking. In true transformative process there are aspects that need to be voiced and heard. As the energy system disentangles it is important that the mind participate. As the energy system learns to centre itself in rest, it is essential that the mind agree to rest and learn to be an active agent in its fulfilment. 

The Polarity Process

Polarity Therapy is said to be a method that begins with the body but touches the soul. The polarity process integrates all of the main senses: sound and sight through speaking and listening, touch through bodywork, taste and smell through nutrition, and movement or proprioception through yoga. And while the process may address any of the major systems including musculo-skeletal, respiratory, eliminative, endocrine or cardiovascular - it will certainly bring balance and relaxation to the nervous system. Balance in Polarity Therapy, like many Eastern systems, occurs in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual fields together. When a body is in balance it is able to bring its own wisdom forward and this is often called self-healing.

When you come for a Polarity Therapy session you will first sit and have a chat with your practitioner. They will follow the lead of what you present with and allow the process to begin. You may speak a good deal at first, moving into bodywork slowly. You might begin with structural, more osteopathic parts of the bodywork and weave into the emotional and spiritual aspects of the work later. Or you might just need deep rest on the bodywork table, restoring total balance through gentle touch. Your practitioner may give you movements to do at home and offer nutritional support. For most, the dietary and movement parts are something you continue at home so that you are helping yourself as well as being helped. In this way polarity therapy is also educational.

A person might come to polarity therapy for:

• Injury recovery and rehabilitation
• Emotional and Mental stability
• Help addressing trauma
• Support through grief
• Support in life transition
• Support through chronic illness

Whether you are curious about this Eastern/Western method or you have something specific to address, you will likely come away feeling lighter and more relaxed.

Complex Healing

What I love most about Polarity Therapy is the way it address the total person. The main aspect is the light touch energy work on the massage table. The 200 maps mentioned previously show the practitioner where to place their hands. The wonders which can open in every part of the life unfold from here but the greatest wonder is full health and wellbeing. As a system brings itself into balance, it benefits from support, and here is where the other three pillars enter. By moving the body, attending to the diet and digestion, and speaking what needs to be said and heard, we support the process of involution and evolution.

Trining for Polarity Therapy is a complex process of its own. To understand the many different ways our need for health and healing can present, and to address these with precision and care, one must study at depth levels. When students study with me, they are held through a deep transformational process of their own. By mapping their own healing over the maps and techniques generated by Dr. Stone, they gain perspective which cannot be gained any other way.

I believe that in our current time, our global healing needs are complex. We carry DNA from many parts of the world, our food is shipped from one side of the globe to another, it is often processed with chemicals which are not even names and known to us and there is pollution and stress on top of that to manage. This makes it impossible to regain health by the old methods of eating the same food our ancestors ate, of living in the same simple ways. There is no path forward but to embrace the complexity of modernity. In my experience, we each truly do need talking therapy, embodied and energetic care, movement, awareness and deep changes in lifestyle and diet.

The four pillars of Polarity Therapy are a brilliant structure by which to co-embody health. In Polarity Therapy, the client and the practitioner work together. It is expected that the client will take up responsibility for their health at different stages in the process. In this way, we are creating new pathways to fully thriving, little by little.

About the Author:Hannah Jewel, PhD, RPE, CRT, ART

Hannah Jewel, PhD, RPE, CRT, ART offers services in East Sussex, London and the surrounding areas. She has been in clinical practice since 2002 in the modalities of Polarity Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Reiki and Sacred Movement. She is registered educator in Polarity Therapy, Relaxation Therapies, Reiki Mastery and Sacred Dance forms. 

Polarity Therapy is system from the East which includes energy healing on the massage table, counselling, yoga and nutrition. As a complete system it offers many doors in, but ultimately we end up at the level of the soul. Neutral-Space Relaxation is a specialised and profound tool for regulating the nervous system. Sacred movement and dance forms include styles of yoga, movement with awareness, somatics, breath work and Sufi whirling. 

Hannah trains students in the above modalities through internationally accredited programmes. She also supervises MA and PhD projects through Ubiquity University. For study, depth healing or pure and simple rejuvenation, she welcomes you. jewelofpeace.com, training.jewelofpeace.com

If you are looking for a Polarity Therapy practitioner, choosing an appropriately trained and professionally accredited practitioner can help you feel more confident about the standards behind their practice.

Hannah Jewel is an accredited member of the International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine (IPHM).

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