By Dr. Barry Gillespie and Michale Chatham
Michale Fetzik, a CFT infant practitioner from Wichita, Kansas, tells parents that they may need to “ride the bull” with their little one during the initial CFT/IDM sessions. “Riding the bull” in CFT is metaphorical to riding a bull in a rodeo. The rider “wins” if s(he) sits firmly on the back of the bull and hangs on for a predetermined time. S(he) “looses” if the bull throws her/him to the ground before that time. By successfully “riding the bull” in CFT, the family can “win” with a more relaxed baby.
During CFT/IDM the therapist only facilitates the infant’s stretching and unwinding. There is no adjusting, manipulation, curing, or fixing. The baby drives her/his own movement to release birth restrictions resulting in authentic healing. But things can get dicey as the family watches him/her fully express many emotional and physical releases. This is especially true for a first-time mom with an infant presenting deep craniosacral fascial strain patterns causing colic or torticollis. Infants have not developed their adult social filters and quickly let us know their unhappiness. 🙁 Fortunately, the outbursts are usually very short and forgiving. We can explain this intellectually to an accepting mom before CFT/IDM, but during a session a frightened look on her face signifies a dynamic surge of “mommy hormones” (Krissy Myers’ term). We need to continually reassure her that her infant is safe. As the family “rides the bull,” everyone needs to be fully present, understanding, and trust the healing process.
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