Vertical Reflex Therapy chart - Federation of Holistic Therapists

Holistic | Reflexology
Reflexology | Holistic
A new stance with VRT
B
Lynne Booth explains how her Vertical Reflex Therapy
technique differs from classical reflexology
riefly working the top of a client’s
feet while they are standing is very
different to the traditional image of a
reflexologist working the soles of a
client’s feet as they recline in a couch.
Vertical Reflex Therapy (VRT) – or vertical
reflexology – works the same reflexes as
a classical reflexology treatment, only the
reflexes are accessed via the dorsum (top) of
the feet while the client is standing or resting
the feet on a hard, flat surface.
As with classical reflexology, the principles
of VRT can be applied to the hands as well
as the feet.
Although a complete VRT treatment
is significantly shorter than a reflexology
treatment (20 minutes versus 60), research
suggests that the body is more responsive
to certain techniques used on the top of
the feet in a weight-bearing position. This
is probably because the anatomical nerves
in the feet become sensitised when weight
bearing and therefore the energetic response
from the reflexes to specific parts of the body
is increased.
However, one of the reasons VRT is
becoming extremely popular in the UK and
abroad is because – as well as being relatively
easy to learn – it is extremely compatible with
classical reflexology. Many therapists have
witnessed excellent results when combining
the two therapies and I recommend a 45 to
60 minute session that comprises reflexology
and VRT as a preferred treatment option.
Masseurs, aromatherapists, osteopaths
and Indian head practitioners have also found
that incorporating a few minutes of basic
VRT techniques into their routine can greatly
enhance their treatments. And, of course, the
other benefit of working the top of the feet
or hands is that clients can be given some
simple self-help techniques to practise at
home in between treatments or to use on a
‘first aid’ basis.
The VRT routine
VRT can be applied to the weight-bearing
or semi-weight-bearing hands or feet of the
client. If the client is sitting or even lying
down, they can press their feet or hands
onto a flat surface, such as a foot rest or
a small tray. This is obviously useful when
the client is disabled or confined to a bed.
To stand for VRT or press the arm
downwards is obviously not very relaxing for
the client or practitioner, but it is compensated
for by the fact that VRT is applied in this
position for a maximum of five minutes only,
and often two or three minutes is sufficient.
The formula for complete VRT refers to
a comprehensive treatment that is very
therapeutic. However, the same formula is
applied whether the treatment lasts for a total
of 20 or up to 60 minutes.
1G
reet the standing feet by giving the
‘pituitary pinch’ to the big toes and
brushing your hands for a few seconds
over the top of the feet.
2 Immediately apply the five minute (or less)
basic VRT sequence, beginning in the
ankle/pelvic area and alternating the feet
after each move. Continue until the entire
dorsum has been treated.
3 T he client then lies down for classical
reflexology (this could be as short as 10
minutes or as long as 50 minutes-plus
– it is the reflexologist’s choice).
4H
alf way through the reclining treatment,
the profoundly relaxing ‘diaphragm rocking’
technique is applied for a few minutes
to the feet (this is particularly useful for
improving sleep patterns).
5 At the end of the classical reflexology
session, the client stands again for a few
minutes of advanced VRT techniques
on the weight-bearing feet – including
three priority reflexes, which are worked
synergistically and include the powerful
zonal triggers.
6 The treatment is concluded with a
harmonising technique.
As with classical reflexology, VRT uses
caterpillar walking and other standard
techniques, and the knuckles are also
incorporated during treatment. Therapists
are encouraged to use other skills they
have learned as part of their classical
reflexology training.
The same level of pressure used in
classical reflexology is generally applied
during VRT, though lighter work is preferable
where sensitive reflexes are concerned as the
feet and hands are more responsive in the
weight-bearing position. The dorsal aspect
of the feet and hands are also bonier and so
a more gentle approach is desirable if clients
are old or have thin skin.
Weekly VRT/reflexology treatments produce
good results, with a maximum of two sessions
per week recommended in chronic cases, as
the client’s body needs time to adjust. Acute
cases respond well to shorter daily sessions
where possible, and self-help, weight-bearing
techniques on the hands and feet can be
used several times daily on demand.
Synergistic treatment and
developments in VRT
Soon after I had mapped out how the reflexes
could be worked via the top of the foot, I went
on to develop other techniques, including
synergistic reflexology (SR), whereby the
dorsal aspect of the hands and feet can
be worked simultaneously to increase the
stimulation of the reflexes. I then identified
zonal trigger reflexes,
situated on the ankles,
which are particularly
relevant for
long-standing and
stubborn problems.
Many documented
examples illustrating
the immediate benefits
of VRT have come
after the therapist has
selected a priority
reflex to stimulate on
Synergistic VRT
the foot, for example,
demonstrated
VRT nail chart
a shoulder point, and, at the same time,
located a tender reflex on the ankle in the
same zone and worked them together with
the corresponding reflex on the hand for 30
seconds per foot. (see diagram left).
VRT nail working is a precise technique
where the toe and finger nails are worked in
conjunction with the dorsal reflexes. It is a very
effective technique that taps into the inherent
pressure on all the reflexes situated under the
nails, especially the thumb and big toe nails.
Who will benefit from VRT?
The accelerated response of VRT offers
therapists an extremely useful tool to
treat more people in a shorter space of
time. In my experience, it enhances every
reflexology treatment, but is especially
suitable for the elderly, chronically ill and
young children.
Mobility and muscular/skeletal
conditions tend to respond the quickest
and an immediate decrease in pain and
an increase in mobility have often been
reported by clients.
There is also a wide application for
the use of VRT in sport, music, theatre
and dance, and commerce, as well as in
Vertical Reflex Therapy chart
Illustration: Copyright © lynne booth
1 Zonal triggers
2Fallopian tubes/
seminal vesicles/
groin/lymphatic/
vas deferens/ helper
diaphragm/heart
3 Sigmoid
4 Colon
5 Small intestine
6 Bladder
7 Ureter tube
8Appendix/ileocecal
valve
9 Knee
10 Elbow
11 Kidney
12 Helper lateral digestive
13 Liver
14 Gall bladder
14 | International Therapist
15 Spleen
16 Pancreas
17 Stomach
18 Adrenals
19 Duodenum
20 Diaphragm
21 Solar Plexus
22 Thymus
23 Heart
24 Shoulder
25 Chest/lung/breast
26Trachea/oesophagus/
bronchial tubes
27 Helper thyroid
28 Thyroid/parathyroid
29 Neck
30 Lymphatics
31 Eyes
32 Ears/Eustachian tube
Issue 83 | July/August 2008
33Pituitary/pineal/
hypothalamus
34 Neck – side
35 Brain/skull
36Face/teeth/jaws/
tongue/throat
37 Helper sinuses/teeth
38 Sinuses/brain/skull
40 Helper ovary/testes
49 Spine
50 Larynx/vocal cords
52 Armpit
56 Sciatic nerve
57Cerbellum/brain stem/
cranial nerve
58 Skull
59 Pelvic/buttock area
Copyright © 2001 Lynne Booth.
It is expressly prohibited to
teach from, copy or reproduce
this chart without written
permission. Vertical Reflex
Therapy, VRT and the Booth
Method ® are registered
trademarks of Booth VRT Ltd
Vertical Reflexology by Lynne
Booth, is published by Piatkus
Books, ISBN 0-7499-2132-3
For more information, contact
Booth VRT Ltd, Suite 205, 60
Westbury Hill, Bristol, BS9 3UJ.
Tel: 0117 962 6746,
email: contact@boothvrt.com,
www.boothvrt.com
Issue 83 | July/August 2008
International Therapist | 15
Holistic | Reflexology
professions such as the police and fire
and rescue services. Some hospitals and
hospices are also realising the benefits of
reflexology for their staff as well as patients.
As part of my own practice I regularly
treat elderly residents at the St Monica
Trust, Bristol, and hold a weekly reflexology
clinic for professional athletes. It is
rewarding to help accelerate a recovery
from sports injuries such as groin strain,
tight hamstrings or muscle spasm using the
VRT techniques.
Background to the
discovery of VRT
I developed Vertical Reflex Therapy (VRT)
for the hands and feet in the early 1990s
at the St. Monica Trust, Bristol. I work there
as a reflexologist treating elderly residents
within one of the largest care home
complexes in the UK.
Many reflexologists will appreciate
how difficult it can be working the plantar
aspect of the feet of some disabled
clients and, from sheer necessity, I began
to work the top of the feet as they rested
on the wheelchair supports. Instead of
compromising my treatments, I gained
such excellent results that I began
mapping out the plantar reflexes on
the dorsum.
My research on dorsal reflexes on the
semi-weight-bearing feet continued but
the concept of VRT was only formalised
after I worked with a 74-year-old woman
who damaged her hip in an accident. She
had very limited mobility and was too frail
to undergo a hip replacement operation.
She reported that she was in great pain,
so I knelt down and worked the hip, leg,
spine and pelvic reflexes for no more than
90 seconds while she remained standing.
Ten minutes later, after I had left, she
experienced an acute pain in her right hip
followed by soreness, warmth and tingling,
which lasted approximately 30 minutes.
Her hip was then much less painful and
by the next day she could move her foot
and leg higher than she had done before
the accident. I realised at once that the
missing link to my research was that the
feet had to be fully weight bearing for the
reflexes to become acutely receptive.
Within ten weeks she had regained full
mobility. Subsequently, at 86, although
extremely frail, she was still mobile
and flexible despite an original medical
prognosis of being wheelchair-bound
in 18 months.
Following the woman’s recovery, which
was monitored by the medical staff at
the nursing home, I used what became
known as Vertical Reflex Therapy on all
my clients’ standing feet for all conditions
with great success. I soon began sharing
16 | International Therapist
Case study 1:
professional
footballer, age 24
Mr M had been unable to
train due to problems with
an old knee injury that
was aggravated when he
sustained a blow in a game
several weeks before. His
knee was considerably
swollen and he was
concerned that even mild
surgery to drain the swelling
would delay his return to the
first team.
The first time I gave him
VRT on the standing feet, his
knee swelled up more in the
evening, but by the morning
it appeared to have drained
and he had more movement
and less pain. I had given
him self-help VRT homework
on his weight-bearing hand,
which he applied every
day. Within two days his
knee had lost all the excess
fluid and, within a week, he
was back to full training.
He subsequently signed
for another club but has
returned about once a year
at the first sign of his knee
swelling and VRT continues
to ease the pain and
dissipate the fluid.
Brief VRT
treatment
on Mrs K
Contraindications
Case study 2:
pensioner, age 92
Mrs K first came to me
for reflexology sessions
nearly 11 years ago. At the
time she was 82, was in
poor health and very
immobile with chronic
arthritis. Mrs K wanted to
prolong her independence
after it was suggested that
she might have to consider
sheltered housing.
VRT/reflexology gave her
much greater mobility within
weeks and also helped her
respiratory problems. She still
lives alone in her own home,
drives a car, has taken
several holidays, resumed
gardening and recently
passed three computing
exams. She joined a gym
where she has to key in ‘Age
75’ on the respiratory monitor
these discoveries with other reflexologists,
and even clients, who achieved similar
extraordinary results.
In 1997 I conducted a small medicallyapproved and monitored study on eight
chronically sick geriatric residents at the
St Monica Trust. Over a seven week
Where can I learn
more about VRT?
I will be giving a two-hour talk
and demonstration on VRT at
Holistic Health on Sunday, 21
September (for booking details,
see page 34) and I am writing
an article about VRT nailworking for the next issue of IT.
as that is as high as it will go!
She has continued her
regular monthly VRT/
reflexology treatments for 11
years and now also takes an
active interest in nutrition.
She is an exceptional and
inspiring case.
There is no difference
between VRT and classical
reflexology in terms of
contraindications to
treatment. However, some
additional, commonsense
‘rules’ do apply when
carrying out VRT, i.e. if
the client is frail, prone to
dizziness or unsteady on
their feet, the therapist
should treat their semiweight-bearing feet (or
hands) while they sit down.
Whether working on
a client in a reclining or
standing position, therapists
must proceed with caution
while treating painful hands
and feet. The beauty of
knowing hand and foot VRT/
reflexology is that if the client
has a tender or swollen foot,
the therapist can work the
hand reflexes instead, and
vice versa.
period comprising one 15 minute VRT/
conventional reflexology treatment
per week, five of the participants were
found to have more mobility and a
decrease in pain. Two months later their
improved status remained constant
despite no further treatment.
Members’ offer
Lynne’s book, Vertical Reflexology,
which usually retails for £14.99, can
be bought for just £12.50 (including
p&p) from the FHT Members’
Catalogue. Please call 023 8062
4350, selecting option two, and
quote VRT offer.
Offer ends: 29 August 2008.
Lynne Booth has been practising reflexology for 17 years and
trained at the International Institute of Reflexology (Orginal Ingham
Method). She has a private practice, runs accredited one-day
VRT courses and frequently gives talks and demonstrations at
international conferences. For more information on VRT, training,
and Lynne’s books and new DVD, email: contact@boothvrt.com or
visit www.boothvrt.com
Issue 83 | July/August 2008