What is Shiatsu and how does it work?
Shiatsu has its roots in Traditional Japanese Medicine, an ancient medical model that believes that all body/organ functions are controlled and given life to by a vital energy called (Ki) that flows through the body in channels called meridians.
For different reasons the meridians can become blocked, weak or overactive creating problems in our health and causing illness.
Shiatsu has a holistic view of health and sees body and mind as one. What affects the body affects the mind and vice versa. A physical health condition will have an impact on a person in many different ways, not only physically, and therefore it can be understood and treated in a variety of ways. If you just try to take away the problem with for example a pill or an adjustment without balancing and strengthening the whole body, the issue will reemerge later.
Body and mind in harmony
Throughout the years, I have had many clients who came with a health problem but after that initial problem had disappeared kept coming for more treatments.
These clients told me that they felt that the shiatsu treatment was doing more than treating their initial problem. They felt that the sessions were strengthening their overall health giving them more energy, reducing their stress levels – helping them feel more positive.
Below are a few areas that I have had outstanding results
Pain: I have had excellent results when treating clients with many different forms of pain, especially the following: lower back pain, neck and shoulder problem, pinched nerves, tennis elbow, chest pain, stomach disorders, knee problems, sciatica.
Stress and its many side effects: I find my shiatsu useful in the treatment of stress and its many side effects anxiety, sleeping disorders, burnout, headaches, heart palpitations. Here it is vital to help the client find out why they are getting stressed and what part of their emotional history is linked to the problem.
Long-term chronic illnesses: In the past few years, I have started treating many clients who have suffered long-term chronic illnesses, for example, fibromyalgia, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome – to name a few. Practically all chronic conditions through time will lead to low energy levels and emotional instability. I have had great success in helping clients gradually and through time build their energy levels up again. Helping them regain their power is a crucial first step in their recovery. In my experience, it is only when they have restored their energy that they can start to heal.
Why get sick when you can prevent it
Traditionally Shiatsu was given as a treatment to stimulate and strengthen the body and bring it back into its natural harmony so that it was resilient, robust and full of energy and could ward off illness. It is in this field that Shiatsu has proven itself to be most effective.
How I treatment
Your symptom is only a messenger telling me that there is a deeper imbalance that needs attention brought to it.
What I do when I treat is to treat your symptom or the problem you want to look at and at the same time find and put you in contact with the reason for the problem.
Graeme Docherty is one of the most experienced shiatsu therapists in Denmark. He has worked with shiatsu in his clinic in Copenhagen full time for over 20 years. Graeme is the head teacher in the Shiatsu Skolen the first shiatsu therapist education in Denmark. He also teaches advanced shiatsu and Energy work courses abroad.
Graeme Docherty learned shiatsu from Jeremy Halpin, an Australian shiatsu practitioner. He also taught Graeme to teach Zen Shiatsu and carry on the tradition of helping people learn to practice Shiatsu.
Through the years Graeme has met and learned from many great shiatsu teachers, amongst them Wilfried Rappenecker, Laura Davidsen, Pia Staniek, Lili Just Simons, Luigi Gargioli.
Graeme is also educated as a massage therapist and back in the day he played table for the Scottish national team.
