Heel the pain; An undemanding therapy can effectively combat stress

THEre are two problems with many complementary therapies: they are expensive, and they require long-term commitment if any lasting effect is to be gained. However, a little-known, non-invasive practice called the metamorphic technique can be learned in just a few hours, and is a valuable skill for life.

It was first discovered in the Sixties by Robert St John, a British reflexologist, who found that during his work with mentally handicapped children, significant results could be achieved by focusing on the spinal reflex area of the foot. By using a gentle, flicking touch to this part, which stretches from the heel, along the bony ridge of the instep to the big toe, St John noted profound psychological and physical changes or "metamorphosis" in his patients. Unlike reflexology, which concentrates on specific reflex points on the foot to treat symptoms, St John's technique was a lighter, more uniform motion, using general pressure on the whole spinal reflex area. He concluded that the permanent psychological changes he recorded in his patients were due to a self-healing process in the body.

There is no scientific explanation, but touching the sensitive part of the foot that links the spinal column and brain is thought to trigger changes of energy within the body, particularly linked to emotional and psychological difficulties. It has been found to ease stress and relationship problems and has proved beneficial on some patients with autism and Down's syndrome.

The theory is that we are affected not just by our lives, but also by restrictions or problems within the womb from the point of conception. These blocks are stored in the body and mirrored on the feet. Some practitioners say it is possible to see what kind of birth an individual experienced simply by looking at their feet.

Sceptical? Glasgow-based psychotherapist Anne Shearer learned the metamorphic technique in the Eighties, on a course at the Salisbury Centre in Edinburgh, but remained sceptical about its benefits and did not practice it until some years later, when she worked as a volunteer in a drug rehabilitation project.

"There was a young girl, 12 years old, coming off heroin and she was very distressed; it was the second day of withdrawal and the pain was acute," remembers Shearer. "The only thing that came into my mind was to give her feet a little massage. I was feeling my way really, but she put up her other foot, no word spoken, and at the end of that she just went off to sleep."

After that, Shearer began to take the practice more seriously and has since opened the Phoenix Centre in Glasgow, which uses the metamorphic technique and breathing exercises to help patients combat stress and other psychological problems. Many clients are attracted to this gentle technique, but business people and teachers are typical. A small network of people who find the technique beneficial meet once a month to practise on each other. One colleague found her skills helped create a stronger, more loving bond with her teenage children when she was going through a difficult divorce. Most integrate it in their everyday lives, working alone, or with families and friends.

"It's such a simple technique. It doesn't take too long to learn and anybody can do it," says Marie Taylor, who attends regular sessions at the Phoenix Centre. "If I'm feeling a bit out-of-sorts or stressed it's really calming. I've worked on people in my family and I can see them getting more relaxed. You can see their eyes getting heavy."

The metamorphic technique is not a therapy or treatment, so practitioners are not concerned with discussing symptoms or taking a medical history. The most important principle is to carry out the technique in a detached way, triggering the body to make its own natural changes.

"The changes are coming entirely from within the person, the individual doing the technique is basically acting as a catalyst," explains Shaunagh Robertson of the Metamorphic Association, which now has around 100 qualified members. Self-administering is best done while the mind is distracted, such as when watching TV or reading.

In future, the association hopes its research will prove the medical benefits of using metamorphic technique to trigger psychological wellbeing. Until then, there is only anecdotal evidence. Anne Shearer sums up why this, one of the least explained complementary therapies, does have an effect: "You are certainly not trying to make anybody better but you are trusting the intelligence in a person Nature always tries to put things right."

For more information, send an SAE to: The Metamorphic Association, 67 Ritherdon Road, London SW17 8QE. Tel: 020 8672 5951. email: metamorphicassoc@cs.com

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