Emily Ireland facilitates new levels of healing
for the body and mind. A craniosacral therapist and remote viewer, she
applies remote healing to principles of craniosacral therapy, functional
anatomy, and mental health. This process, which she calls remote healing therapy, improves
wellness by releasing a variety of physical imbalances and
emotional-spiritual blockages via a self-corrective mechanism whereby the
physical body becomes more aligned with the psychospiritual aspects of an
individual.
As a craniosacral therapist, Emily uses light touch in order to correct or release restrictions in the bones and connective tissues of the body. She also incorporates her biomechanical training as a movement specialist in sessions, along with breathing techniques, guided imagery, and meditation in order to provide a space for the client to progress into a deeper state of relaxation, and to better understand the proper form and function of the body. This helps to release habitual or ingrained patterns the client may be experiencing.
An alumna of Sarah Lawrence College, the Kane School of Core Integration, and the Upledger Institute, Emily has studied modern dance, functional anatomy, pilates and yoga for more than two decades. Having taught dance and private movement therapy sessions for over ten years, she also incorporates her training in methods such as Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, and Body-Mind Centering. Emily’s teachers have been physical therapists, acupuncturists, and other highly skilled bodyworkers, and it was through her own experience of injury and recovery that she first came into the healing arts. She has therefore developed a level of skill and technique that comes from a rehabilitative background, and of an understanding of classical Chinese medical philosophy.
interviews
with and articles about Emily:
Balanced Body with Ashley Mazurek
Emily Ireland Healing Therapy
37 Gervin Road
Lawrence, NJ 08648
United States
tel. 6465357784 (day)
emilyirelandhealingtherapy@gmail.com
Hours of operation / Fees
in-home visits provided.
Manhattan and Princeton area office locations
LGBT Allied
Available for patients:
Case studies, easy to understand explanations about the CranioSacral System, Visceral Manipulation, products to use between sessions, and much more. More information
My skills
Emily Ireland is an intuitive healer, trained in the techniques of remote viewing, craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation, somatoemotional and myofascial release, and nutritional and lifestyle counseling including: grounding, breathing and meditation work, and biomechanical counseling.
Articles & Books Written
CranioSacral Therapy and TMJ by Emily Ireland, CST
Temporo-mandibular joint syndrome arises when inflammation of the jaw joint causes pain, discomfort, audible changes like clicking or popping, and sometimes a restricted range of motion upon opening or closing the jaw. Many people are affected by tension at this joint, and often the tension radiates elsewhere in the body. I often find that the source of the pain is not in the TMJ itself, but originating from another area of restriction in the body. The most common presentations of TMJ and TMJ-related syndromes that I have found are sacroiliac joint dysfunctions that either cause or radiate to the TMJ, with or without symptoms in either joint. The SIJ is located at the posterior hip, where the sacrum and hip bone come together. Here there are thick, complex attachments of connective tissue, including fascia, muscle, ligament and cartilage. Near to where our center point of gravity lies, the SIJ provides some movement and is a primary stabilizer of the hips as related to weight-bearing, while also contributing significantly to our range of motion. Everyone’s SIJ is shaped differently: some people have rough, more thickly constructed joints here that would enable more stability, but less range of motion. On the flip side, someone with a more mobile, slippery-like sacroiliac joint would have a more difficult time stabilizing, but would possess greater flexibility. Many dancers and yogis represent this type. Women, too, have more 'slippery' SIJs, and with good reason, for their bodies are adapted to provide less restriction to the birthing process, and during each menses will also soften and relax. This is due to the hormone relaxin, which flows throughout the body and provides for loosening or softening of tissues and joints. This increase in mobility, or hypermobility in many cases, causes the muscles and other stabilizing forces in the body to tighten up further in order to protect the hips from imbalance or dislocation. This may cause further pain or tension not only throughout the hips and low back but elsewhere in the body …even all the way to the TMJ.
Both the TMJ and SIJ are fluid-filled joints encapsulated by fibrous tissue, and both serve similar functions, for the temporal bones house the cranium in much the same way the hip bones house the pelvis. This is why when we walk, we turn our upper body and swing our arms/hands to the opposite side of which our pelvis rotates. The first figure pictured below represents what the anatomically appropriate form in motion looks like, hips rotated left with upper body rotated right. The second picture is what the figure looks like when the pelvis and head both rotate in the same direction, which in walking would serve as a dysfunction.
If the temporal bones become stuck in one direction, and do not freely move within the anatomically appropriate range of motion, or do not move freely with the craniosacral rhythm, a dysfunction of the TMJ can occur, along with other symptoms such as headache, migraine, sinusitis, eye pain, ear disorders and other occurrences of pain or discomfort. If the SIJ is compensated, problems like sciatica, lower back and hip pain may occur, but it is also important to look at how the SIJ restriction may affect the jaw and cranial bones. The spine is the major connection between these two junctions, and restrictions can travel and settle into certain places within the spine, or adjacent to the spine. It is important to release the restrictions in both locations, and along the spinal pathways, in order to help the body to correct and heal.
Each person is different, and it is the therapist’s job to listen to the client’s story, both physically and psychospiritually, so that we may properly hold the space for the person to heal.
SCOLIOSIS
Abnormal curvature of the spine
by Emily Ireland, BS, CST
Scoliosis is a dysfunction of the spine, characterized by an S or C curve that deviates from the natural lordotic and kyphotic curves of the spine. Cases range from mild to severe, from normal functioning without pain or symptoms to bracing and surgical procedure. Scoliosis most often occurs at the onset of adolescence, and is more common in females than males.
Theories about why scoliosis most often occurs in adolescence vary. The mechanism of hormonal shift in the body may be an influence, physiologically and/or emotionally. As young women come more into their own identity, dramatic changes also occur within the self-image, and the relationship of the self to the world and the individuals surrounding them. A change in posture, such as hunching or any change to the natural curvature of the spine, held in the body at such a vulnerable and opportunistic time for hormonal changes, may contribute to the development of the spine in such a way as to alter the normal shape and function.
Orthodontic work, which is common during the teen years, and deviation of the jaw have also been noted as contributions to the development of scoliosis. This is due to the relationship of the skull, jaw and teeth to the rest of the skeleton, with the emphasis on the translation of alignment or balance issues through the spine. Conversely, internal rotation of the tibiae and hypermobility of the hips, shoulders and spine have also been seen as potential influences on scoliosis.
Muscular imbalance can also be a factor in the development of scoliosis, and many movement therapy exercises can be given in order to help correct the dysfunctional parts of the spine. Osteopathic manipulations, rolfing and physical therapy have proven to be helpful and, in a significant number of cases, corrective.
Other musculoskeletal disorders with characteristics such as fragile bones, connective tissue disorders and the muscular dystrophies can contribute to the onset of scoliosis. Neuromuscular diseases such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida also produce muscular imbalance, and scoliosis can present as a secondary disorder to these. Paralysis can also lead to a progressive scoliosis.
Scoliosis can also cause Thoracic Insufficiency Syndrome, which is a condition marked by the inability of the thorax to support normal breathing and lung growth. Due to the acute characteristics of this disorder, related symptoms may also be considered when evaluating for treatment.
Professional Associations / Memberships
IAHP