I just finished taking Watsu 1 at Harbin Hot Springs in Middletown, CA, from the creator of the technique and author of the book, Harold Dull.
I am a massage therapist with over 1200 hours training and have received hundreds of professional massages; I will always love land massage. But let me say that I was profoundly moved with my experience with Watsu, and intend to become certified within the first half of 2005 and add it as a modality to my practice. I don't cry easily, but I had tears of joy four different times on my drive home while processing my experience in the water.
I learned through the grapevine that Harold Dull used to hang out with the beat poets. After reading his book, which is in its third edition celebrating 25 years of existence, the poet side of Mr. Dull became crystal clear to me. Harold not only created one of the most exciting and therapeutic forms of bodywork of our times, but also is a gifted author, poet, and self-publisher. Harold Dull is truly a renaissance man and a gift to our planet. In his 60s and entirely computer literate, he is even the webmaster for WABA, the nonprofit group that trains Watsu practitioners!
The book is not only full of the techniques and keys to the work, but a thing of beauty to behold and look at. It has time-lapse, digitally overlapped pictures, similar to the stop-motion chronological movement pictures used during the last Olympics. A jewel! I treasure my autographed copy from Mr. Dull!
If you live in pain, withor without pain meds, Watsu will improve quality of life and function in mind, body and spirit. Being floated in body-warm water by a practitioner who moves you and allows your body to painlessly move, has turned my rock-hard body and shouting pain receptors way down in an accumulatively more bearable life (body, mind & spirit) This book makes sense, is intuitively and therapeutically meshed, admirably presented, and invaluable to anyone in skin, in my opinion (and in experiencing bi-weekly sessions in the past 11 months). Most cities have warm pools through the Easter Seals' pools where the book's teachings can be tried. Call them! Get this book! Give this book away and get more, if you have ever benefitted from body work or not. In '87 my body began to hurt. The neck to the shoulders to the arms and hands, then the whole back and finallly, everywhere. Over time. I have now been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome, chronic pain syndrome, chronic fatigue immune-deficiency syndrome (CFIDS), irritable bowel syndrome and many more. I've tried anything and everything, from Shiatsu massage, cranial-sacral therapy, myofascial release to faith- healing and Native-American healing ceremonies. Through all, pain continued almost unabated until Watsu. I still need pain meds because the damage is so vast, but after giving up on life, my husband and I leave for winter & spring in Belize, towing our sailboat, in two days. After this review, I leave for my last millenial Watsu in the US - with this book.
