Meta means "to change" and Morphe means "form."

Change, as we all know, is an inevitable part of life. Nothing stays the same in this dynamic universe, nor should it. To change is to grow. To grow is to answer the soul’s call to become all that we are intended to be. We all have the potential to become far more than we are at present. The Metamorphic Technique facilitates this process of growth and change in the most natural way possible. It is non-invasive, self-directed, and about the gentlest technique you are ever likely to experience.

My first introduction to the Metamorphic Technique came from Sira Beaumayne, practitioner and teacher, at the annual fall conference of the Reflexology Association of Canada (RAC). I was immediately intrigued by the concept of aiding change by releasing trauma held at the cellular level. Genetic inheritance and the way we live are often put forward as the main factors responsible for shaping our personality, behavioural patterns and health traits. But the Metamorphic Technique takes this idea a step further by suggesting that our characteristics and even our illnesses are shaped in the womb; that our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual patterns can be traced to experiences during this formative prenatal period.

In the 1960’s English Reflexologist and Naturopath, Robert St. John, made some rather startling discoveries while working in a school for mentally handicapped children. He found that, instead of just working on reflex points all over the foot, many of the children could be helped by working along the spinal reflex area only (which follows the inside curve of the foot, from the big toe to the heel). He became convinced of the Technique’s validity when he taught it to the mother of a six-week old Down’s Syndrome baby. After a year of treatment the baby’s condition had changed–the extra chromosome associated with Down’s was still present but it had been made inactive. Through further study he found that a whole range of human conditions both physical and psychological could be cleared through specialized massage of this and other areas of the feet, hands and head. He concluded from his studies that he could trigger and release patterns of behaviour that had been set before birth.

St. John felt that humans are integrated living units, not a collection of parts; that we have both a cosmic and an earth bound consciousness; that we enter incarnation with a primary pattern–cosmic and genetic; and that during the nine-month gestation period we establish certain physical, mental and emotional structures. These structures become the patterns that can lead to physical, psychological or behavioural disturbances throughout one’s life.

Gaston Saint-Pierre, a student of St. John’s and director of the Metamorphic Association, suggests that it is not always possible to explain life in terms of cause and effect. He points out that most therapies treat the symptoms, get an effect, only to have the problem(s) return in the same or in a different guise. What a Metamorphic practitioner believes is that change must take place on the cellular level and that by creating an environment that allows change to take place it will happen. Earth provides the right environment for the seed but it is the life inside the seed, not the earth, that makes it grow into a plant. Likewise in the Metamorphic Technique a person’s life force does the work. Saint-Pierre says, "The life-force has an innate intelligence that always works for the good of the individual…the practitioner simply acts as a catalyst." Using the Metamorphic Technique to bring that formative womb-time period into focus, the practitioner works the points that relate to the development of our patterns. These are loosened, the holds that interfere with our present time released, and we have a natural and spontaneous transformative experience.

Each Metamorphic Treatment is a pleasing and relaxing experience in which the practitioner lightly touches the spinal reflexes on the feet, hands and head, working for a specified length of time on each. The feet are worked, as they express movement which is the primary function of the Universe, and working on these points encourages us to let go. Corresponding reflexes on the thumbs of both hands are worked because the hands express doing. The center and the base of the skull are also gently stroked and pressed because the head enables us to understand the purpose of change. As detachment is a key concept, it is not necessary that the practitioner know your background or do a case history. He/she is just a catalyst for you. It will be your life force and innate intelligence that will determine what is necessary for you. After your session your transformation will be unique as your life force brings about movement out of old physical and psychological patterns. Sometimes people notice immediate physical or emotional changes or changes in their environment and sometimes this change can take place at a subtle level, so that it is hardly noticed by the conscious mind. In general we notice that these changes happen automatically, unconsciously and in a natural way.

Anyone is a candidate for becoming empowered by a session of this technique. Its intent is not to "cure" anything, as it aims to help people realize their potential and deal with their physical or mental illness, disability or handicap. It can also benefit those who feel trapped in unhealthy circumstances or relationships. No one is unsuitable for treatment–adults, the elderly, those in institutions, the seriously ill. An expectant mother may have as many sessions during her pregnancy as desired. The transformation taking place in the mother will create a freer environment for the developing fetus. It is also a good idea for the father to receive sessions and he can also give sessions during labour. The baby will benefit from receiving a session immediately after birth. Children respond wonderfully to this technique. Sira taught us that autistic children, those who are hyperactive or have learning difficulties, and those who have an attention deficit disorder have benefited greatly from her sessions. Ideally, the Metamorphic Technique should be a family affair. Members work on each other at home and avoid the disruptions that can be caused when only one member of a family embarks on change.

Gaston Saint-Pierre states, "Metamorphosis is the movement from who I am to who I can be, which I am already in potential." The Metamorphic Technique is about transformation–personal, spiritual and emotional change. It is not a therapy but a technique that triggers your inner life force, enabling you to realize your potential, enabling you to create yourself anew.

References: The Metamorphic Technique, Gaston St. Pierre; Metamorphosis by Robert St. John.

Sira Beaumayne discovered the Metamorphic Technique in England in 1978 through its founder. She became fascinated by its potential to assist radical yet natural change in a client’s energy pattern and outlook, was trained and practiced there privately and through natural health clinics. She returned to Toronto in 1983 and set up practice. She says, "This therapy is so simple, so natural yet so phenomenally effective in helping both children and adults to become their ‘intended selves’ that I wish to publicize and teach it as widely as possible." To contact her: #2-116 Drummond St., Perth, ON, K7H 2K9, (613) 267-4439.

The Metamorphic Technique is now available in Saskatchewan. Contact the Regina Reflexology Member Services, Box 1431, Regina, SK S4P 3C2 for a practitioner in your area. Barb Purdie is a Reflexologist and Metamorphic Technique practitioner. To contact her: (306)565-8973, 1917 Toronto Street, Regina, SK S4P 1M9, E-mail: jbpurdie@hotmail.com.