Think up, Lean Forward
Runners and Ancient Healing
An exchange on rec.running, a user group that existed before the World Wide Web and where I served as the Maintainer of the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). It is where I originally went to have my answers questioned, especially about my championing ball/heel running since the late 70s. They were a wonderful group of runners from around the world that I had never met personally except for a few. They shared freely and participated in excellent dialogues on every possible aspect of running. Much of my folklore of running came from my reflections and sharing of what I had learned and experienced over my years as a runner, Marathoner running coach, and, last but not least, Running Therapist.
When DejaNews.com ran the user groups before it was purchased by Google, there was a line that I could add to the message being sent to the listserv that allowed the article to be threaded but not archived. Much of what I wrote was: X-no-archive. I wanted to answer the question or query and wanted to keep some sense of control over what I had written. So, for those who participated in rec.running and know that they had seen something by me but in their searches came up empty-handed, the reason is that I X-no-archived many of the responses I shared over more than ten years.
Some of what you will read here will allay your concerns about whether you read it or dreamed you read it. Also, for some, it will bring back memories of a time when running information was shared with minimal noise and interference.
Rod Lawson wrote:
My wife is just reading "The Histories" of Herodotus, and came to me with this quote about the way of the Babylonians. I must admit I immediately thought of Ozzie's approach to 'running folklore', and decided that he must be a born-again-Babylonian, with rec.running as his street!!!!!! "They have no doctors but bring their invalids out into the street, where anyone who comes along offers the sufferer advice on his complaint, either from personal experience or observation of a similar complaint in others. Anyone will stop by the sick man's side and suggest remedies that he has himself proved successful in whatever the trouble may be or which he has known to succeed with other people. Nobody is allowed to pass a sick person in silence, but everyone must ask him what is the matter".
Mike Tennent added:
I like it. Maybe we can institute that system at road races. Injured runners will lie down in an area next to the registration lines. Healthy runners will not be allowed to register until they've given advice to each. Mike "No begging allowed, tho" Tennent
Mike,
I like the idea of helping injured runners as a prerequisite to entering a race. It makes sense.
I posted the following to a listserv that is made up of people who are interested in Milton Erickson's work(s). Milton Erickson was a psychiatrist and hypnotist who did much to alter the way in which hypnosis was delivered. He respected each person's individuality and whose approach was "the creation of a unique therapy for each client."
My work has dealt with the trance states brought on by running especially the marathon and the long-distance training in preparation for marathons and ultras.
The Greeks realized that it was the individual him/herself from which the healing came in relation to their healing dream. Only when it became politicized did the priests and then doctors do their interpreting and diagnosing. That's why George Sheehan told people to first talk to other runners about their injuries before going to see a doctor. While I agree that doctors need to be seen in certain cases, in his Lore of Running, Tim Noakes's 10 points concerning running injuries outline very well when a doctor should be seen.
Ron,
Thanks for the kind association!
I remember a psychic telling me in a reading that I had lived in an ancient time. She thought it was Atlantis. I think I like this period of Babylon better. Living on Rec. Running Avenue is truly a place that resonates with the healing rituals of both Babylon and Greece. I like their traditions and folklore.
Ozzie
The post I was talking about was on Aesclepian healing centers and the processes involved:
At the Aesclepian healing centers in Greece (e.g., Epidaurus, Kos, and there were hundreds of others), the therapists were those who attended the individuals until they were ready to have their healing dream. It is interesting to note that the Greek verb from which therapist derives means "to attend, to listen to, to tend the sick, to serve." Basically, the theraps were the people who attended and nursed those who were accepted into the healing centers. When the individual was ready and after ablutions, purifications, and other sacrifices had been made, he or she would go into the "abaton" (the sanctuary could be a cave or a room prepared for the incubation where the individual would have their healing dream.) The dream itself was the healing.
An inscription at one Aesclepian healing center lists Aesclepius, Hygieia, and Hypnos (the god of sleep) together. At Epidaurus, Hypnos was mentioned in many of the inscriptions dedicated to him.
The Ericksonian approach resonates well with the Aesclepian view, in that the Theraps or the "operator/experimenter" is there to attend to the individual so they can utilize their dream—which brings healing. Dream interpreters were not needed, nor is it likely that the priests in the Aesclepian centers interpreted the dreams.
What I have taken from Dr. Erickson and Aesclepius is the great respect for the individual's healing that takes place from within.
The role of the therapist is to attend and listen well so that the individual can draw upon that which heals them—from within.
(cf. Ancient Incubation and Modern Psychotherapy, C.A. Meier; trans Monica
Curtis. Evanston, Northwestern University Press, 1967 "Incubation Ritual
in the Sanctuaries of Asclepius" pp. 53-74)