Sensory challenge and visualisation -Article published in 'Directions'

Working with Aliens

By Mika Hadar-Borthwick

Eli is an alien; so is Rose, his silly sister. They both come and play their cheeky games with Simon and help him with the Alexander Technique. Simon is seven years old. He cannot walk. When he was three, he contracted a virus in the lower part of his spine. One of his kidneys was badly damaged, and the other is rather sensitive and prone to infection. He cannot sense his lower pelvis, buttock muscles, or legs. Simon gets around by crawling.

I met Simon about six months ago when he came to our clinic to have some healing work on his kidneys. From an Alexander Technique point of view, I was shocked when I first saw him. As a result of compensating for his disability, Simon's lower back was so arched that when lying on his back, you could get both your arms under him and still not touch him. This, of course, put a lot of extra strain on his kidneys. Because Simon relied so much on his head and neck for compensation, they had become one stiff unit.

I have to admit that I "fell for" the kid—so bright-eyed and wise in his way. I thought to start work on the table since Simon didn't have a strong sitting base. In each session, Simon would lose interest very quickly, as any little boy would. Lying quietly for any length of time was problematic. Simon was fidgety and restless. He was fed up with all the therapists and doctors he'd met in his short life.

The Breakthrough with Eli

The breakthrough came when Eli arrived. One inspired morning, I said, "There is an alien in the room. He is called Eli because he is an alien. Can you see him?" Simon's eyes lit up. "Yes," he said in an excited whisper. Well, I was on the right track at last.

"Simon, Eli is our imaginary friend. Do you know what he is here for?" I asked. "What?" Glowing, excited eyes looked up at me. "He is here because he wants to learn about us humans and our planet. Would you like to be his friend and help him?" "Yes." A deep breath followed. Something had released in Simon.

Throughout our conversation, I had my hands under Simon's head. "Well, Eli says that he is going to teach you all sorts of things about mind power because that's what we're really dealing with, you know. And the first rule is: 'Let your neck be free,' which means not holding it." Simon's neck at that time was so stiff that his body, let alone his mind, had no concept of not holding.

Progress Through Imagination

In the sessions that followed, Eli became a part of the therapy and set Simon tasks. I'd put my hands under Simon's buttocks, in touch with his lower back, and Simon would be told to think of "sucking pads" that would cling to the table. From these sucking pads, he would send "aerials" all the way to the center of the planet to bring up energy for Eli to sense.

This was a slow process. Simon got very tired after a minute or two. He would yawn and fall asleep at times. This was very hard work for his mind and body. Very slowly, Simon's ability to think into his body increased. Now he sends sucking pads into his feet—he can't sense his feet—and brings energy to them. He sends energy from his lower back and aerials, and he sends aerials from his feet into his knees (which he cannot physically sense). I can feel his "directions" becoming more and more present in his legs and body.

Eli and Rose's Role

Eli is an old friend now. He brings along his little sister Rose. Rose is very much like Simon's younger sister, Claire. She does all sorts of silly things and nice things that Simon describes. Eli and Rose have special powers. They can change their color. They can change into anything they like. They can go anywhere.

At one point, Rose turned into an ice cream, and Eli started to lick her. Eli is a "cheeky chump," and Rose is a very cheeky girl. They teach Simon lots of tricks to do with "mind power."