Life in Motion: The Osteopathic Vision of Rollin E. Becker, D.O.
Edited by Rachel E. Brooks, M.D.
ISBN 978-0-9675851-8-5 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-0-9675851-0-9 (Hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-9675851-4-7 (eBook)
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Life in Motion: The Osteopathic Vision of Rollin E. Becker, DO opens a door into a way of healing that is both practical and profound. Throughout its existence, the science and art of osteopathy has been passed on from hand to hand and heart to heart. Dr. Rollin E. Becker and his teachings represent a vital link in this continuity. He was both an inspired student and a compelling teacher.
Dr. Becker was following in the path of Drs. A.T. Still, the founder of osteopathy, and W.G. Sutherland, who was the developer of "osteopathy in the cranial field" and Dr. Becker's great mentor. And, true to his faith in the fundamental principles of osteopathy, Dr. Becker did not focus on simply relieving symptoms in his patients. Instead, he recognized the health within the patient and facilitated the release of whatever impediments there existed to free and full, healthy functioning within them.
This book includes Dr. Becker's view of the philosophy and principles of osteopathy as well as many aspects of their clinical application. While Dr. Becker practiced what is called "cranial osteopathy," he never limited himself to treating just cranial problems or, for that matter, to treating just musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Becker used osteopathic treatment to treat countless patients suffering with everything from hypertension to pneumonia to neurological problems to whiplash and every sort of pain condition. Not every condition could be cured, but so many could at least be helped, sometimes surprisingly and profoundly so.
Life in Motion serves as a thorough presentation of his work for anyone studying osteopathy. In fact, anyone practicing a healing art will find within these writings a deeper understanding of the nature of health and healing and the practitioner's role in bringing this about.
Table of Contents
Foreword – Anne L. Wales, D.O.
Preface
Introduction
Chapter One: To Study And Practice Osteopathy
Chapter Two: Understanding The Mechanism
Chapter Three: The Cerebrospinal Fluid Tide
Chapter Four: Palpatory Skills
Chapter Five: Diagnostic Touch
Chapter Six: Principles And Methods Of Treatment
Chapter Seven: The Nature Of Trauma
Chapter Eight: Clinical Considerations
Bibliography
About The Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation, Inc
About The Editor
“Rachel Brooks, M.D., has edited a remarkable collection of Becker’s best writings and lectures. . . . She has artfully brought together the essence of Becker’s philosophic vision within the greater field of osteopathy.
Life in Motion is one of the top five books that, in my opinion, must be included in an osteopathic library. However [it] must not be purchased and utilized as a reference text. You are obliged to read this book cover-to-cover and then re-read it periodically to gain deeper and richer insights.
. . . For those who have never studied directly with Dr. Becker, this book gives us the teachings of a master in the comfort of our living room. Becker’s ability to see beyond codes, formulas, and dogma gives us a guide to expanding our own work as osteopaths.”
About the Author
Rollin E. Becker, DO (1910-1996) was a remarkable practitioner and teacher of cranial osteopathy. He was born into an osteopathic family--his father, Arthur Becker, DO, at that time was a teacher under the guidance of osteopathy's founder, Andrew Taylor Still. Rollin, after practicing for a decade, deepened his study of Dr. Stills writings, and also met and became a dedicated student of cranial osteopathy's founder, William G. Sutherland, DO.The guidance of both Still and Sutherland led Dr. Becker to learn from the most authoritative source available – the living forces present within the living body. He became a ceaseless observer, continually seeking an answer to the question: What is "health" and what is the most efficient and effective way to help bring it about? In his lectures and writings, Dr. Becker taught in a way that encouraged his students to seek and observe those same living forces of health within the body that he had learned from. Dr. Becker lived the osteopathy that he taught-it being both simple and profound. His understanding of health and healing, and his capacity to apply it for the benefit of his patients and students, were profound. Yet this great depth of knowledge and skill were always delivered in the simplest and most direct way possible. He met the needs of each person who came to him as best he could and strove to learn something more about Life from each encounter.
about RACHEL E. BROOKS, MD
Dr. Brooks’ lifelong dedication to osteopathy began in 1975 when she met Rollin E. Becker, DO. He was a great practitioner and teacher of cranial osteopathy who had been a close student of Dr. William G. Sutherland, the founder of that osteopathic approach. She also had the opportunity to study closely with Anne L. Wales, DO, another close student of Dr. Sutherland’s.
Dr. Brooks teaches cranial osteopathic courses and served on the board of trustees of the Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation for sixteen years. She teaches across the US and internationally and is sought for her personal and historical insights regarding the practice and foundations of osteopathic practice. Her current series of courses is titled, “The Power of Presence.”
Dr. Brooks has also undertaken many publication projects. In the 1980s, she assisted Anne Wales, DO in the editing of Teachings in the Science of Osteopathy by William G. Sutherland, DO, and she helped edit the second edition of Sutherland’s Contributions of Thought.
In 1997, she founded Stillness Press, LLC. Rachel E. Brooks, MD is the editor of these Stillness Press books: Life in Motion: The Osteopathic Vision of Rollin E. Becker, DO, The Stillness of Life: The Osteopathic Philosophy of Rollin E. Becker, DO, and Three Great Teachers of Osteopathy: Lessons We Learned from Drs. Becker, Fulford, and Wales