TY - JOUR
TI - Religious Origins of Craniosacral Therapy
AU - Migda, Andrzej
TI - Religious Origins of Craniosacral Therapy
AB - The article is an attempt to trace the religious determinants of the development of craniosacral therapy and to situate its origins in theoretical terms in the works of Emanuel Swedenborg and the writings and practice of the founders of osteopathy. Starting from the historical testimonies of the development of this therapeutic concept, I point out structural similarities with religious symbols present in shamanism, Protestant mysticism and in religious attitudes regarding Pentecostal demonology. By conducting observations in the Polish community of people with disabilities and conducting free interviews with mothers of children suffering from cerebral palsy, it was possible to discern the important role of spirituality modelled during therapy. Explaining the way in which modern spirituality and its religious roots are intertwined with medicine, I try to point out the area where their boundaries are blurred, creating an alternative proposal to academic medicine for recovery. This process related to the existential condition of man and his spiritual, individual activity leads to choices of activities that freely combine religious and medical traditions. Cultural changes in this area open religious studies to a new approach and observation of the mentioned research areas aimed at a broader presentation of the phenomena occurring at the interface of spirituality and medicine.
VL - Ahead of print
IS - Volume 57, Issue 1
SN - 0137-2432
C1 - 2084-4077
UR - https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/studia-religiologica/article/religious-origins-of-craniosacral-therapy-1
KW - spirituality
KW - craniosacral therapy
KW - mysticism
KW - shamanism
KW - disability
KW - Pentecostalism
KW - physiotherapy
KW - boundary blurring