Background TTouch
In 1978 Linda Tellington-Jones graduated from a four-summer professional training taught by the Israeli physicist Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais at the Humanistic Psychology Institute of San Francisco. Prior to that training, she co-authored a book on equine massage entitled, Massage and Physical Therapy for the Athletic Horse, based on the teachings of her grandfather, William Caywood. She had been applying this equine massage for 10 years for sport horses when she adapted the Feldenkrais Method for humans to work with horses and other animals.
Until 1983 she practiced the Feldenkrais work for humans and other animals, at which time Tellington TTouch was born and her interest in working at the cellular level began to unfold.
Her work with both humans and animals was deeply influenced by the findings and philosophy of Sir Charles Sherrington, known as one of the fathers of neurophysiology, and winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. The philosophy stated in Sherrington’s book Man on His Nature, that "every cell in the body knows its function in the body…and it’s function in the universe" was an inspirational cornerstone for the development of Tellington TTouch.
Linda’s trust in divine guidance and intuitive knowing lead her to a basic principle of Tellington TTouch: That each one of us has the potential to "Remember our perfection".
TTouch can be very useful for tourettes. I have taught kids to do it on themselves, from stuffed* or live animals first, and had great success at using ttouch to redirect their other behaviors. even my mom, a first grade teacher, used it with a student in her class, with only a one day ttouch class behind her, and had good success. I have found working the mouth and ears to be especially beneficial for these kids. I have also used ttouch in my physical therapy practice for adults with tourettes and they have found it very helpful, especially in more routine environments.
Sally Morgan, TTEAM Practitioner
*(applying TTouch with a stuffed animal helps to overcome fear of direct touch and is still highly beneficial)
I taught elementary art for 9 years and I started my TTouch training at about year 7 of teaching. By default, I easily began using TTouch with kids. Now I use it with high schoolers : )
One specific incident comes to mind....Billy Strang. Billy was a 4th grade ED (Emotional Disability) kid who frequently spouted off, ran around the room uncontrollably and/or would burst out in tears.
One day, he was so upset that he tried to stab me with a pencil. I quickly came from behind him, crossed his arms and hugged him as tight as I could against my body. Within moments, he started to cry with relief and dropped the pencil. The next day, I was his best friend : )
In Special Ed they do a body hold which simulates the Body Wrap. You may also suggest to his parents that they try putting on a Body Wrap or a tight t-shirt or tank top under his clothes.
I've also done Noah's March even when quickly passing a kid to help refocus and settle them down - just one long, slow stroke on their shoulder and an exhale has amazing affects.
I found that young kids love learning how to do TTouch. They actually listen and respond better than most adults : ) Another thing I've done is taught kids how to do circles around their mouth*, Ear Slides and a Coiled Python lift with two hands lying flat on the chest. When they have the tools, I've found that they love to use them.
Stacy J. Lewis
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2005
*(Anger, hatred, frustration and other negative emotions are frequently stored as tension in the cells around the mouth. TTouch on lips helps to dissolve the anger and find a more intelligent response for humans and animals)
Practitioner
Incorporating TTouch Into A Special Education Class
Notes on the benefits of TTouch on developmentally delayed youths in a special education class:
Erika Hull works with a class of Developmentally Delayed students (ages 12-21). She has taken a number of week long TTEAM Training's with Linda Tellington-Jones and with Robyn Hood. She also owns and rides two horses, and has a dog and two cats.
About 8 years ago, Erika first used the Tellington Touch on one student who was totally out of control. The student was screaming and could not sit or stand. In "self defense" Erika did a few one or two pressure Clouded Leopard circles and the screaming eased while she was doing the circles. Since that time, the use of TTouch in her classroom has become in her words " a way of being", that is integrated into the rest of her teaching.
However, with some students, she may spend a little more time to deal with specific problems.
In January 1990, I visited Erika to observe, video, and write about some of these special cases, so that they could be shown at the first Tellington Touch workshop for Humans held at Esalen Institute in February, 1990.
David: He came to Erika’s class at the age of 12 years suffering from Cerebral Palsy. At that time, he was violent and disruptive. He had no friends, did not talk, did no work, and had to wear diapers. His head moved constantly, he could not see anything and was unable to focus. He could not straighten his arms and they were always on his chest. He was unable to feel heat, cold or pain. Erika told him that if he wanted to remain in her classroom, he had to be smart like everyone else, and that his brain was the boss.
She began TTouch by working on his arms and hands with the Clouded Leopard, doing Noah’s March down both arms, and telling him that he had a telephone connection from the brain to his fingers. This was the "beginning of a new life" as Erika puts it, "he began to get an idea of where his body was".
Two years ago, a hamstring operation was done and his legs were in full casts (from the hip to the toes). His mother was told by the doctors that he would never have sensation or movement in the toes. Erika did Clouded Leopard and Raccoon circles on his toes, working on him for about 20 minutes each day for six weeks while he was in the casts. After the casts were removed, she did circles over the feet and legs. To help him stand, she put his feet in high ski boots. She used the wand to direct the brain signal from the head to the foot, and he is now able to wiggle his toes. He is also able to stand without the ski boots and instead of 100% of his weight on the heels, it is now 60% on the heels and 40% on the toes. He is now able to walk without assistance. By doing TTouch down the outside of the leg David is beginning to be able to turn his feet straight (instead of out), and is able to walk backwards.
To assist David with his writing and improve his eyesight, Erika did circles on David’s temples. He has learned his letters and numbers, and is now able to write them. He has become very social, has many friends, and can have a sensible conversation with people. He can dress himself, is able to use a urinal, and doesn’t wear diapers anymore.
During the TTouch work, a great deal of emphasis was placed on breathing, because the breathing helps to "unfreeze the neural impulses that direct the muscles". Erika says that David is now one of her best students.
Tara: She has been in Erika’s class for one and a half years. At the beginning she had no speech, and had so little strength or balance that she was unable to get on the school bus. Her speech problem was related to an inability to take air into the lungs, she was unable to rotate her spine, which interfered with her washroom activities.
TTouch was done on her feet and legs to improve their strength and she is now able to get on a ladder.
When first touched on the back, four months ago, she gasped, due to extreme sensitivity possibly caused by inflammation of nerve endings. Very light Python lifts and Raccoon touches were done all over her back to help improve her breathing and enable her to rotate her spine. Tara can now be touched all over her back with the Abalone without feeling any discomfort and can use the washroom. Her parents are very pleased with the changes in her.
Bill: Bill was expelled from every school and every school bus due to violent behavior, (e.g. throwing a VCR through the window). His student record is one inch thick with incidents. He was placed in Erika’s class in Nov 89. At the beginning, Erika did not us the TTouch on him, but she used the TTEAM philosophy of offering alternatives instead of force, as she had learned in TTEAM horse clinics. Whenever force, (in the form of direct commands) had been used with Bill, he had exploded (as some horses will). When offered alternatives, he began to be able to cope.
More recently (March 90) Erika began doing the Python and Butterfly on his arms and hands (his hand would shake, and he had difficulty writing). She also used Tarantulas and Lick of the Cows Tongue on his back, sometimes she only does Noah’s March.
If Bill receives some TTouch twice a day, his behavior is acceptable, and he is beginning to be helpful with other students. It seems that Bill possibly suffers from the opposite of tactile defensiveness, he becomes sick if he is not touched When he first came to the class, he could not use the computer with his hands, but would use his nose instead. In March, he began to use the computer with his hands. When the TTouch is done on his arm and hand, he will write, he was not able to do this six months ago.
Submitted By: Jan Snowden TTEAM Practitioner
May, 2005
Enhancing Teacher/Student Relationships
The following story is a typical example of the non-verbal empowerment of TTouch reported by TTouch Practitioner Stacy Lewis from St. Paul, Minnesota.
Besides my animal work, I also work with at-risk high school kids at a charter school in St. Paul, MN - the rough kids who've gotten kicked out of every other school and have one last chance to get it together or they don't graduate.
This particular girl, Anna, informed me the first week of my job (two months ago) that she not only hated teachers, but that she also hated women...and that there was absolutely NO chance she'd ever like me. Being a teacher, I took it as a challenge, of course :)
TTouch changed both of us this afternoon. I was helping out in a home-economics class today when Anna hit her wrist really hard on the underside of a table. I watched as she winced in pain and another female teacher asked Anna if she wanted an ice pack or any help. She declined. The teacher then offered that I could do TTouch with her and that I had "magical powers." I smiled and walked over to this cranky kid and gently said, "Do you trust me?" "No!!" she said, "But it really hurts."
I knelt down in front of her and touched her right arm. She winced with fear and I looked into her eyes and told her I promised I wouldn't hurt her. She finally relaxed her arm with some coaxing and I did a series of Python Lifts from her elbow down to above where she hit her wrist and I stopped.
She looked at me and smiled. I continued on by just holding my warm hands over her freezing cold fingers and I explained about helping her circulation with Python Lifts...and that I use the same TTouch on my dog to help with nail trimming. She was intrigued, impressed and laughed.
I repeated the Python Lifts down her arm again, showed her how to do them herself and wrapped her wrist in an Ace Bandage and walked away.
A shout bellowed from Anna across the room at me. "Hey, I trust you! And I've never trusted anyone. That's huge!" I smiled back at her and she left to go home for the day.
I never underestimate the power of this work and the connection it can bring to so many instances. I'm going to guess that in no time, Anna will be teaching her friends how to do the Python Lifts that the horrible female teacher taught her today in home ec : )
Several weeks later Stacy sent a follow-up report: "Yesterday was our first day back at school after a month off and guess who yelled hello to me the moment she saw me? Anna! I asked her about using her name and the story I wrote about our TTouch experience and she was elated.. wanted to see her name in print. Just another example of the non-verbal empowerment of TTouch!
On 7/6/05 1:48 AM,
"Stacy J. Lewis"
From: Cindy Fischer
Hi, Linda,
I have an update on that 12-year-old girl who was helped by the TTouch when she went into a psychotic rage. My pet-sitting customer Linda was at the residential treatment center when the girl went into another rage. Again Linda was able to calm her with TTouch at a distance. Linda has since learned that the girl had another rage. Without Linda there to intervene, the girl needed physical restraints after punching holes in a door and wall.
Take care,
Practitioner finds uses for TTouch in Daily life, especially to relax and relieve anxiety.
I do the TTouches on myself almost everyday, but usually only a few quick circles when I bump my head or stub my toe. I find that the TTouches help me to relax and breathe despite my pain. This benefit alone is enough to make me feel much better. In fact sometimes I do the TTouches on my stuffed animals in order to bring myself into a calm focus. However, I also find that they help in speeding the relief of pain, reduce swelling, and prevent bruising. I use different TTouches based on how they feel and the area of injury, but I usually find the Clouded Leopard, the Abalone, and the Raccoon TTouches to be a good starting point. For tight muscles or sore limbs the Python lift has also often brought great relief to me.
One of the most useful TTouches for working on myself has been the mouth work. I have a lot of anxiety over testing, my heart pounds, I sweat, and I lose my ability to concentrate on the exam, so I decided to try mouth work. I figured if it works on animals' limbic systems and helps their emotional balance, then maybe it would help me. I did circles all over the top of my upper lip, then moved a finger to the inside of my gums, doing small circles all over the upper gums. To my delight I actually felt better. In fact I survived final exams by doing this work before and during testing and did not even care if people thought I was strange. Now that I no longer have exams I still use the mouth work during times of great emotional stress, and generally get good results. The hard part is remembering to do the work once I am already upset.
Submitted By: Dawn Costerisan, TTACT II
