SPINAL ENERGETICS™

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 Your safety and wellbeing are important. Before booking a Spinal Energetics™ session, please review the information below and let me know about any relevant physical or psychological health conditions, medications, pregnancy, recent injuries or surgery, or other circumstances that may affect your participation.

Spinal Energetics™ is not suitable during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Sessions may be considered during the second trimester, provided no other contraindications apply.

Beginning Spinal Energetics™ for the first time during the third trimester is not recommended. If you are already familiar with the practice and are in your third trimester, please contact me before booking so your individual circumstances can be considered.

Following birth, suitability is considered individually, as recovery can vary depending on the birth, surgery, complications and general health. Please let me know if you are postpartum before booking.

Spinal Energetics™ is not suitable for children under 12 years of age.

Clients aged 13–17 require consent from a parent or legal guardian, who must also be present during the session.

Suitability for older adults is considered individually rather than based on age alone.

Factors such as mobility, bone health, recent injury or surgery, general physical health and the ability to participate comfortably may need to be considered before proceeding.

Spinal Energetics™ may not be appropriate when a person's current physical or psychological condition makes participation unsuitable or when their needs fall outside the practitioner's qualifications and scope of practice.

Contraindications include:

• diagnosed severe PTSD;
• psychosis or schizophrenia;
• an acute manic episode associated with bipolar disorder;
• recent significant physical injuries, fractures and/or surgery;
• epilepsy or a history of seizures;
• a history or diagnosis of aneurysm;
• significant cardiovascular or heart conditions;
• severe asthma; and
• psychiatric hospitalisation, acute emotional crisis or spiritual emergency within the previous three years.

Any other medical, psychiatric or physical condition that may significantly affect your ability to participate safely should be disclosed before your session.

Please disclose any relevant medications before your session.

Taking medication is not automatically a contraindication simply because the medication affects the brain or nervous system. Where medication may affect alertness, capacity, movement, psychological stability or another aspect of participation, this will need to be considered alongside your current circumstances and within my scope of practice.

Please do not attend a Spinal Energetics™ session while under the influence of alcohol, illicit substances or plant medicines where these may affect your judgement, ability to provide informed consent or ability to participate safely.

Illicit substances or plant medicines are not incorporated into Spinal Energetics™ sessions.

If you have a health condition, are taking medication, are pregnant or postpartum, have recently had surgery or an injury, or are unsure whether Spinal Energetics™ is appropriate for you, please contact me before booking.

Where your circumstances require assessment or care outside my qualifications or scope of practice, I will not proceed with the session and may recommend that you seek appropriate professional advice or support.

You remain fully clothed, usually lying comfortably on the treatment table. I work with areas around the spine and body using gentle touch, light contact and, at times, no physical contact. Your experience unfolds according to how your body responds in that session. 

  Yes. At the beginning of the session, physical touch is used as part of the assessment. This may include gentle contact with the feet and different areas of the spine — cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral.

During the session itself, the approach may vary. I may use subtle, gentle contact at different points along the spine, as well as work without direct physical contact.

 Our nervous system responds to stress, threat and overwhelming experiences through instinctive protective responses such as fight, flight or freeze. Sometimes, when an experience has been overwhelming or these responses could not fully unfold, patterns of tension and protection may remain in the body.

During Spinal Energetics™, we create an invitation for the body to respond rather than consciously directing or forcing movement. As the nervous system engages with the experience, spontaneous responses may emerge — such as stretching, trembling, shaking, changes in breathing, sound or changes in posture.

Within the Spinal Energetics™ approach, these movements are understood as the body exploring ways of releasing tension, reorganising protective responses and moving towards greater regulation.

The movement is not performed or consciously created. And importantly, movement is not the goal — the body may also respond through stillness, subtle sensations or internal shifts.

 That's completely okay. A session does not need to look dramatic to be meaningful. Some people experience visible movement, while others notice subtle sensations, emotion, deep stillness or internal shifts. 

 They can. Some people notice emotions, memories or sensations arising, while others do not. There is no particular response you are expected to have. 

I generally recommend beginning with 3–5 sessions to give you an opportunity to experience the work over time. Every person is different, so we can reassess according to how you respond. 

I recommend allowing at least three days between sessions, giving your body time to integrate the experience. 

 Just make sure you’re wearing comfortable clothes that allow you to move freely. If your body naturally decides to move during the session, you want to feel comfortable and unrestricted so you can allow that movement to happen.  

Spinal Energetics™ is a somatic wellbeing practice and is not a replacement for trauma-focused psychotherapy, medical care or other healthcare. It can be explored alongside appropriate professional support as part of a broader approach to wellbeing. 

Although it is increasingly being integrated into fields such as physical therapy, trauma work, mental health, and holistic care, offering a non-invasive and neurologically attuned pathway to whole-system healing,

 Spinal Energetics™ is a distinct modality developed by Dr Sarah Jane Perri, drawing inspiration from both Eastern and Western approaches to the body, nervous system, movement and energetic experience.

Although influenced by a variety of approaches—such as Network Spinal, Spinal Flow, Innerdance, Alpha Alignment, Craniosacral Therapy, Somatic Psychotherapy, and Pranayama—Spinal Energetics stands as its own distinct modality with a strong clinical foundation. Rather than reproducing any one of these modalities, Spinal Energetics™ brings different principles together within its own framework, working with the spine, nervous system and energetic field to invite greater awareness, connection and expression within the body.