On Winning a CST course in Grand Bahama – Sheila Hoy

Sheila Hoy 

This is a huge ‘Thank You’ to Kat and Chas Perry for giving such a wonderful raffle prize to the Upledger Community Programmes prize. (They run these programmes via Integrative Intentions – find out more at www.integrativeintentions.com) Sheila Hoy was the first name to come out of the hat at our prize giving draw last September – here is what happened after that… 

At the symposium in London when my ticket was the first to be drawn, a few of you spotted my hesitation in picking up the prize for the BAEC course (BioAquatics Exploration with CST) in Grand Bahama the following summer. This was not because I didn’t want to meet a dolphin. But I am a poor swimmer and WAS terrified of putting my head under water or getting in a boat, especially if the sea is rough. In the few seconds I had to decide, I concluded I had won the prize for that very reason!

In August, flying to Miami and even getting on the smallest plane I had ever been on for a 25 minute flight, didn’t bother me, there were greater worries for my brain to deal with. Anyway I was too busy watching the poor cabin attendant rushing to serve us all a drink and a packet of pringles, plus clear up before the plane landed at Grand Bahama.
My BAEC course was taught by the fabulous Miranda. With me on the course were Maia, Kat’s assistant, Jen, who runs a clinic with Miranda, John (for those who knew Calum, his dad), Jordann, Calum’s fiancé, Stacy, Sarah and Michelle. What a wonderful group of people!

The BAEC course, for those who haven’t tried it YET, consists of: 
DAY 1: meet and greet and dividing into groups for the day. Multiple hands on treatment in the pool. My body immediately wanted to tip me under the water, my brain said firmly “ No!” So my whole nervous system went into melt down and I started shaking. 

Adding insult to injury I was poorly equipped with suitable sun screen for the face, as the one I had applied decided to slide into my right eye. My kind fellow team mates sorted me out with eye drops and from then on made sure I had the correct sun screen for the face. Troublesome Brit!

That afternoon we got on the boat to head out to the UNEXCO site for a dolphin swim; the sea seemed quite rough, so I clutched onto the boat railings for a white knuckle ride. Arriving at UNEXSO we were fitted out for flippers. I have never worn flippers and treading water in them seemed to propel me backwards instead of keeping me in the same spot. Tricky! 

Anyway then I met Kayla. I learned later, Kayla is the therapists’ favourite dolphin and she loves Kat. Lucky Kat! Anyway I was lucky enough to swim with her. She instantly gauged my level of fear, so as I swam alongside her, stroking her, she very quietly squeaked to reassure me. We all left with the ‘dolphin grin’ on our faces. Back in the boat, back in the pool, my head was still firmly out of the water!

DAY 2: We all reported back our feeling from the previous day, then signed into UNEXSO for a days excursion on a boat, (another white knuckle ride), to a quiet beach. Here we treated in our groups in the ocean all morning, had lunch on the boat and treated again in the ocean all afternoon. A group of wild dolphins came in on the other side of the boat and before we left a manta ray came and observed us. The sea was quite rough but I only seemed to notice it when I was treating not being treated. During my treatment I spent a lot of time trying to work out how to breathe and then did an SER about being ship wrecked and dying, but not drowning, in a previous life. I spent a lot of the afternoon feeling I was dead, so the waves and water didn’t bother me. But conveniently, I was dead floating face up!  I felt much calmer for the returning boat trip.

DAY 3: After our morning meeting we signed into UNEXSO for the Dolphin Therapy. I set the intention with Maia, my partner that day, that I would like the dolphins to calm my nervous system so I no longer had an irrational fear of drowning. If my nervous system could calm down I also felt I was less likely to inherit my fathers CMT. Although I would have preferred Maia to hold my head, I was aware that to benefit the most from the dolphin therapy I needed to have my head nearer to them.

We had two dolphins working with us that day Kayla and her daughter Coral. With my ears under the water, I could hear the dolphins’ clicks and squeaks much more clearely. 

Then I noticed my head was starting to pop, tiny explosions were occurring all over my head but particularly in the centre of my brain around my amygdaloid area. At one point I thought it was going to set my head on fire! After an anatomy debate with myself I concluded these explosions in my head must be neural pathways breaking!
It was then my turn to be Maia’s therapist; floating her out into the deeper water, barely holding onto her feet, I marvelled at the dolphins working. They would swim under people, splash, prod with their rostrum (nose), sometimes quite firmly, or direct their ‘melon’ towards someone’s head. The melon is the part of a dolphin’s head that contains oil and allows them to omit their sonar waves – this seems to have the effect of changing a humans nervous system. It has certainly done something to mine!

That afternoon we treated each other in groups in the pool. My head was still making small explosions and twanging noises. Then, suddenly, I ‘got’ how to hold my breath, which allowed my body to unwind under the water – I even did a somersault! If any one had told me that would have been possible a few hours before I would have been flabbergasted.

DAY4: After our morning meeting we got in a mini bus, driven by the lovely Hayward, to Banana Bay. Here, we again treated each other in our groups in the lovely warm ocean. In the morning we were observed for some time, by a curious pelican and another manta ray. I floated with my face in the ocean, like a piece of drift wood, which I now found was an extremely peaceful experience!

For me the BAEC course filled a big missing part in my own CST healing. Obviously my healing process was individual to me, but I can highly recommend experiencing this course for yourself – SO START SAVING!!

Sheila Hoy CST-D MCSS 2017