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76 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k n o v e m b e r / d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 4 different," as Upledger Institute instructor Tim Hutton, PhD, LMP, CST-D, puts it. This aiming toward a neutral stance is one of the hallmarks of advanced craniosacral therapy (CST) practitioners. While the goal of complete neutrality is not for every bodyworker in every situation, I believe we all could benefit from being more neutral in the ways we approach and interact with our clients. When we focus less on outcome and more on being present with our clients as they are, the outcomes they experience actually tend to improve. Cultivating neutrality encourages us to be aware of our choices and challenge our habitual reactions and assumptions. Picture this: a longtime client comes in complaining of having had low-back pain since her last session. What's your first thought? Do you blame yourself? Do you think, "If she'd only do those stretches I demonstrated …"? Do you start strategizing the session before you even assess her? What happens in your body? Does your chest tighten, your breathing get shallow, or your heart beat faster? Do you lose track of sensation in your body? I'd consider all of these normal and typical human responses, and they're all based on assumptions. When we act from our assumptions, we lose one of the most important qualities of a successful bodyworker, the very thing that makes our skill We body therapists are a caring bunch. Our clients come to us with stresses and strains, pain and injury, and we want to help them get better. But what, exactly, does "better" mean? How can we know what wellness looks like for them? When we follow our well-meaning impulses to help without looking at what's behind those impulses, we can miss the very cues that allow us to assist our clients' healing processes, and actually may end up standing in their way. As a craniosacral therapist, I work within this paradox every day: to be most effective, I know I must steadfastly refuse to assume what healing is for my clients, taking care not to be overly invested in eradicating symptoms. I recognize that symptoms certainly communicate something about what's going on with my clients, but often are not the root cause of what's troubling them. So I do my best to cultivate a more neutral approach, focusing my efforts on "being willing to be present with my clients exactly as they are, in the moment, with no desire for them to be any