By Carole Preen, Director of Complementary Health Professionals

Apart from my passion for aromatherapy, my other life’s work has been devoted to the development and promotion of a truly wonderful therapy called Neuroskeletal Re-alignment Therapy, also known as NSRT for short. As an aromatherapist working in private practice, I found myself constantly being confronted with clients with back problems. I have specialised in treatments during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period (this was back in the mid-nineties) and they also experience a lot of back problems. It was as if the universe was prompting me to develop my practice to be able to treat these problems. So, like most therapists I searched for relevant training in order to expand my knowledge and to be able to offer something to help. As I found myself referring clients for acupuncture and osteopathy I looked to train in these two modalities. I soon discovered that I would need a lot of money and three to four years study at degree level in order to study either of these disciplines. If I had been single and rich, I would not have hesitated, but my position at that time was with a young family and a mortgage, so this was completely out of the question. Well, they always say you should ask in order to receive and the universe responded to me it seemed by introducing me by chance, if there is such a thing, to a man named John Sperring who was visiting the UK from Australia. He told me about this amazing therapy he had recently studied on an introductory course in Adelaide, South Australia. Some therapy friends and myself put him to the test with difficult clients we had with back problems and we were amazed at the fast results. I had a treatment myself with excellent noticeable improvements as I had a car accident five years before and suffered neck pain from a whiplash. When John returned to Australia he gave me the contact details of the course in Australia. I was invited out to Australia to do a condensed course and felt compelled to go for six weeks to complete it. I raided our savings, borrowed some money, and went for it. Leaving my husband, my six year old daughter and four year old son at Heathrow Airport was one of the hardest things I have ever done, as was the lonely twenty three hour flight to Melborne. It was a very scary thing to do, to go and meet complete strangers but my husband is the most wonderfully supportive man on earth and I know I was meant to go in order to bring this therapy back to the UK. This all happended in 1997.

Needless to say I have never regretted this decision and have had a very successful practice treating a wide range of back, joint and neurological disorders since then. I have also had many articles published about the therapy, one even in the magazine for spinal cord injuries as I had the priviledge to work in this area with success. You can read many of the articles on our website at www.neuroskeleletal.org

The therapy itself works through the central and peripheral nervous systems, and was originally developed by a chiropractor who was looking for a way to treat her clients without cracking and crunching bones. It is non-manipulative so involves very light touch with the middle fingers on specific points. The therapist feels a sensation when they are on the right point, such as a vibrational pulsing or tingling and the client in turn will feel intense heat or a shifting sensation but it is never painful. The treatment is so relaxing that most people just drift offto sleep as the main points are done in the prone position. I have also worked out a correlation with meridians, although only a handful of the points are also acupoints. The benefits of a non-manipulative approach is that you cannot damage anyone or make them worse and you can perform the therapy even when someone is in extreme acute pain or just experienced the trauma. It is also good for the therapist in that we do not have to apply pressure or use our hands and wrists as we do in massage. I have had clients literally crawl into my treatment room on their hands and knees and walk out after treatment. Occasionally, we use inversion therapy alongside NSRT when appropriate. It is also a completely holistic therapy in that it treats the whole body every time, putting the whole body in alignment, therefore treating any compensatory problems that may have occurred. Once the problem is “fixed”, it remains so as the client’s own body has aligned itself through the treatments and so keeps this re-aligment after without the need for ongoing treatments or adjustments.

Over the last 15 years we have exhibited at CAM Expo and at the Back Show, in London. We have been so popular that I have been invited back for years to give workshops on NSRT and our stand is always fully booked out from people wanting to experience the therapy first hand at the shows. We have even had people coming back from show to show who live outside of London for a top up treatment because they had such a fantastic result from their treatment the previous year! Aside is a photogragh of me demonstrating the knee points at this year’s CAM Expo 2015 workshop.

Since 2015, I have had the opportunity to develop a new set of training programmes for Complementary Health Professionals, including NSRT. Instead of having to come to a college every week, you do the four theory modules at home online, supported by a virtual learning environment that contains videos, handouts and the learning support booklet. You can start these at any time, so no need to wait for the next course to start. Then you need to complete 4 weekend workshops. We run a weekend workshop every month, so you can select whichever one suits you. All of this is also pay as you go, so as well as studying at your own pace supported at home by a personal tutor (me!), you can also work to your own budget. You need to have a recognised Anatomy, Physiology and Pathogy qualification as a pre-requisite, but we also offer an online level 3 qualification in A, P and P if you need it. For full information on our courses, please visit our website at www.complementaryhealthprofessionals.co.uk. In 2016, I will be developing a shortened course for medical professionals such as osteopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists and physiotherapists who want to train but do not need the advanced anatomy and physiology in the theory modules. This has coome as a result of popular request and the details will be on the website before Easter.

If you are interested in trying out the therapy for yourself, we can let you know of therapists in your area, but most are currently practising in London as that is where the old course was delivered. One of my former students recently told me that she has clients flying in from the USA for treatments as it is the only thing that has helped them! It is hoped with this new online course that more people from all over the country will be able to train, which will be excellent as we are always be asked for practitioners outside of London. Prices for a treatment vary depending on therapist’s locations but one of the many advantages of the therapy is that you do feel a difference after only one treatment – normally immediately after getting off the treatment couch. I practice at therapy rooms in Mayfair, and if you would like to book a treatment with me, please visit our website www.chporganictherapies.co.uk

If you have any questions about the therapy or the course then we are always happy to hear from you. You can email us at [email protected]