Carl Arnold
February is Heart Month, so we interviewed IWC craniosacral therapist Carl Arnold, whose work supports heart health on many levels (including his own).
How does the work you do nourish the heart emotionally/spiritually?
I know other people benefit from it, but it’s just what I do in the world. I don’t know that I can be myself without doing it. It feeds my soul. Feeds my heart. Helps me better understand the human condition… Of course we’re all entitled to our own self-imposed limitations, but my work is all about introducing people to their best selves.
How does that work?
Sometimes when we look at the “issue in the tissue,” we understand that that limitation came about, not because of what was self-imposed, but what was placed on us when we were too immature to recognize what was going on. Somebody we think was in authority said in our formative years, “Oh you’ll ever amount to anything.” Or a friend on the playground says, “You poopy head.” Later that shows up in the tissues.
I think we live on four planes: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Any problem in the nonphysical planes will find expression on the physical plane. So you have the client that is always self-sabotaging and they continually have problems with their lower back. Sometimes when we get into that “issue in the tissue” in the lower back, it’s because of something that happened way back when. Something somebody along the way said: “You can’t do that,” or “You’ll never amount to anything,” so when you recognize you are achieving, you self-sabotage to make that happen.
How do you work with those emotional/mental/spiritual planes?
I am always going for the physical. I work on the physical plane that sometimes takes me into those other realms.
How does this work nurture your heart?
For a long time, I worked in a job that didn’t have much heart. It didn’t give much credence to anything beyond numbers on a paper. This job allows me to look beyond that.
And yet it is still quite tangible, what you do, isn’t it?
Yes, I can feel the tissue move. It all has to do with that craniosacral rhythm. It’s a guidepost. We all have that inner physician, that higher self, that part of us that knows what’s going on—that we may not be able to tap into consciously. Craniosacral rhythm is directly tied to that. We can ask, “Is it a physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental problem? And if emotional, is it yours or someone else’s?” The craniosacral rhythm will give the answer.
Do you ever see clients who only have issues on the physical level?
Yes. Rarely.
What kind of physical heart trouble did you have in recent years?
In September of 2018, I had a heart attack. It’s a good thing I always have an AED defibrillator in my car; that’s why I drove myself to the hospital (I don’t recommend it). If you also want to purchase AED, visit their website at https://aedadvantage.ca/shop/aeds/. They told me after all was said and done that I’d had a big heart attack. I had four stents put in. The following April I had some of the same symptoms…I had 75 to 80 percent blockages that required bypass surgery. It was kind of a surprise, but also I had developed a murmur because the aortic valve had not shut all the way, and that was replaced by a bovine valve. Now every me I hear someone chanting ommmm, I think they got it backwards. And I salivate at salad bars.
Note: Carl is known for his quirky humor.
Can you talk about the emotional roots of the heart attacks?
It goes back a long ways. For many years I was secondary in my mind. In the relationship I was in, because my wife was so ill for so long and I was primary caregiver…I ignored me. I certainly don’t blame her, but I realized what damage I did to myself. So it was time to change that.
How have you used craniosacral work on your own heart?
I did a lot of cranial work on myself in recovery. They almost sent me home from the hospital vs. sending me to rehab because I was doing so well, but then they did send me to rehab. Usually it takes four to six weeks to release (a bypass patient) to drive. I did it in three. And it’s continuing, I’m treating myself all the time.
We continue to work on ourselves as we all should, because nobody’s perfect. And when you work on people you realize you’re working on layers: What layer is being presented today?
Can you say more about that?
So that client who’s lying down has their higher self which is taking the measure of me and my higher self. “What can you do? I’ll give you this to work on. Ok next time: See what you can do with this.”
How has the experience of undergoing heart surgery changed you?
It drives home the idea that we all have a mortality. And I’ve been playing with that, but it’s time to stop playing around. Knowing how close I was gives a deeper appreciation of the vitality and the care and compassion for others. I’ve gone through a lot of trials and tribulations, but we all do and even those people who have that smile on their face all the time are working on things.
Having this heart problem, maybe it opens up the work to compassion even wider.
How do you support others’ hearts?
I always try to make sure my client realizes they are appreciated. That there’s nobody else in the world like them. And the world would be different without them.
What would you say to people who have not checked out IWC yet, who are hesitant or thinking it might not be for them?
Look at us as a resource. With the work that Laura Lea does, with the work that Teresa does, that Shawndra does, and that I do, we can pretty much either help someone directly or refer them to the right place.
What else do you want people to know about you?
Continuing education is important to me and even with taking off two months (for medical issues), I still took five new classes last year and I was a TA at a few more. So whether or not I’m learning new things or relearning things I’m already familiar with, continuing education is something I continue to do as part of being true to myself.
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Carl Arnold began working as a massage therapist 30 years ago, and since he took his first CST class in 2003, he’s continued to seek out more training to enrich his practice. Every year he participates in advanced courses to add to his toolbelt for client needs. His great joy is supporting the body’s innate healing mechanism as it works miracles.
Carl sees clients at Irvington Wellness Center on Tuesdays.