The Metamorphic Technique is another highly relaxing treatment which can have you nodding off during a session. In addition, people who have regular sessions find themselves changing for the better, becoming better able to cope with problems and clear about what they want in life. The tensions and anxieties leading to sleeplessness can drop away in the process.

The technique is a very gentle form of massage of the feet, hands and head — principally the feet. It is believed to stimulate the receiver’s powers of self-healing by releasing emotional blocks. It was developed by an English naturopath, Robert St John, after studying reflexology. Reflexology works on the whole foot and on physical symptoms; in the reflexology system the inner side of the foot, from the big toe to the heel, represents the head and spine. St John discovered intuitively that this area also represents the period of conception, gestation and birth, and that gently massaging it can release emotional traumas experienced during this vital time.

Children can benefit enormously from the Metamorphic Technique, and often enjoy giving sessions to other people. A good deal of work has been done on children with Down’s Syndrome and other problems; the technique can also soothe children who are hyperactive or highly strung. Adult stroke patients, and people with nervous disorders have also benefited from it. The technique is not a form of medicine and its practitioners do not claim cures; it seems to have the effect of allowing the person to reach his or her full potential, whatever that potential happens to be.

Self-help and further information

The Metamorphic Technique is easy to learn and practise, with your friends, partner or children; sessions should not be given more than once a week. It’s also possible to treat yourself, though this is never as relaxing as receiving a treatment from someone else.

Instructions are given in The Metamorphic Technique by Gaston St Pierre and Debbie Shapiro (Element Books, 1982). Personal tuition is advisable to start with, however; as well as the very simple technique, practitioners need to learn to adopt a detached attitude, unconcerned with getting results — something not everyone finds easy.

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Anti-Depressants/Sleeping Aid