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BODYREADING THE MERIDIANS SOMATIC MATURITY Many systems have sprung up around bodytyping and psychology— from Hippocrates' four humours through Wilhelm Reich and the bioenergeticists who followed him.11 Grasping the kind of patterning This gentleman hovers near the inhalation end of the breathing scale, whereas the gentleman shown in Image 5A hovers at the exhalation end. in the skeletal geometry (as we have been) and the myofascial meridians of tension (as we will do in subsequent issues) can lead to a different level of seeing, and thus a deeper level of work. One of the most interesting contributions that can be made by quality manual and movement work is related to maturational development. Can you see that the pelvis of the young woman in Image 8, left, looks younger than the rest of her structure? Can you see the underlying very small boy within the postural pattern of the middle-aged man in Image 6A (page 81)? Are such observations clinically useful? REALIZING POTENTIAL In this article, we have stepped over the line from remediation of biomechanical inefficiency toward the realm of the somatic psychologist. In my humble opinion, the two are intimately related, and being able to recognize such restrictions, parse out the underlying patterns, and realize such potentialities is one of the more important jobs for the manual therapists of the coming century. I am specifically not recommending This young woman's pelvis looks younger than the rest of her structure. stepping into the psychologist's role with your clients, but simply recognizing what the body pattern is trying to express can often facilitate change without your saying a word. Like most therapists, I have seen many such patterns, and I have been privileged to watch them change under my hands, but the therapist is acting as a midwife to that change, not as a psychologist. The Anatomy Trains map, not specifically developmental, is one way into seeing such underlying patterns. It is bodyreading the specifics of these longitudinal myofascial meridians to which we will turn our attention in the next issue. Trains. He studied with Drs. Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais, and Buckminster Fuller, and has practiced integrative bodywork for more than 30 years in Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He incorporates many movement and manual disciplines in his work. For more information, visit www.anatomytrains.com. NOTES 1. D. Hollerwöger, "Methodological Quality and Outcomes of Studies Addressing Manual Cervical Spine Examinations: A Review," Manual Therapies 11, no. 2 (May 2006): 93–8. 2. M.A. Seffinger et al., "Reliability of Spinal Palpation for Diagnosis of Back and Neck Pain: A Systematic Review of the Literature," Spine 29, no. 19 (October 1, 2004): E413–25. 3. Michael T. Haneline, DC, MPH, and Morgan Young, DC, "A Review of Intraexaminer and Interexaminer Reliability of Static Spinal Palpation: A Literature Synthesis," Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (June 2009). 4. Judith Aston, Aston Postural Assessment Workbook (San Antonio: Therapy Skill Builders, 1998). 5. Thomas Myers, Anatomy Trains (Edinburgh, United Kingdom: Elsevier, 2009). 6. Thomas Myers, "Kinesthetic Dystonia," Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 2, no. 2 (1998): 101–14. 7. L. Gaggini, The Biomechanics of Alignment, 6th ed. (Boulder: Connective Tissue Seminars, 2005). Available at www.connectivetissue.com. 8. Jan Sultan, "Toward a Structural Logic—The Internal-External Model," Notes on Structural Integration 86 (1986):12–18. Available from Dr. Hans Flury, Badenerstr 21, 8004 Zurich CH. 9. W.H. Sheldon, The Varieties of Human Physique (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1940). 10. This orientation work from Hubert Godard is available in English in the book How Life Moves, by Caryn McHose and Kevin Frank (North Atlantic Books, 2006). 11. Here are some references for this type of work: W. Reich, Character Analysis (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1949); Ron Kurtz, Body-Centered Psychotherapy (San Francisco: Liferhythms: 1990); Stanley Keleman, Emotional Anatomy (Berkeley, California: Center Press, 1985); A. Lowen, The Language of the Body (New York: Hungry Minds, 1971); Thomas Hanna, Somatics (Novato, California: Somatics Press, 1968). earn CE hours at your convenience: abmp's online education center, www.abmp.com 83 Thomas Myers is the founder of Anatomy