A Pediatrician’s View of Bodytalk

As a practicing pediatrician and holistic physician, I have had the privilege of evaluating and treating many children and families over the years. BodyTalk continues to be one of the primary treatment modalities I use in my practice because it is effective, gentle, without dangerous side-effects, and because IT WORKS!

I have come to the realization that medicine is about communication and the ability (or inability) of the body’s energy system to transfer information.

I have found this to be very clearly evident in the field of pediatrics. In the BodyTalk system we have the concept of the family matrix. This has importance from an energetic and consciousness based perspective for all members of the family, including parents, children, siblings, pets, etc.
BodyTalk provides a method or a means to elucidate the primary factors contributing to a child’s current state of function on the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual levels of being.

I use the family matrix concept during many BodyTalk sessions in my practice to enable the information transfer required for the child’s energy system to rebalance as well as for the coordination, functioning, and understanding of all of the family members affected by or contributing to the imbalances.

The beauty of the BodyTalk system is that it continues to evolve and grow, providing multiples avenues of communication for a child’s system to learn and respond. What I mean is this: it does not matter if you are a beginner, an advanced practitioner, a specialist with a medical degree, or an interested parent – if you use BodyTalk for your child, the information will find its way into your child’s consciousness and start to make positive changes.

I have witnessed many examples of these changes in the course of my career in pediatrics, and I must say that it is very gratifying to have a system which works so well and fast in kids. I believe we have a tremendous opportunity to influence, improve and accelerate the learning and rebalancing required for the next generation to grow and develop in amazing and meaningful ways.

The process of BodyTalk, that is, the asking of innate and the intention to get in synchrony with the underlying system of intelligence at work in the child’s system, is important to demonstrate to the child themselves. In other words, the practitioner’s focused attention, the gentle tapping on the head and chest, the holding of quiet space and the willingness to spend the time required for the child’s system to respond; these are all opportunities for the child to really get that the practitioner or parent is offering help in a most unique and powerful way. This kind of interaction is hard to come by in our modern medical environment and I believe it is crucial for children and young people to have this kind of experience before they are thrown into the stress-filled world of adulthood.

If you are a BodyTalk practitioner reading this, I invite you to look for a course I will soon be offering called Pediatrics for BodyTalkers. It will help you better understand the unique needs of children and parents and the practical applications of the BodyTalk system so that you will feel more comfortable and confident using BodyTalk for kids of all age groups, including infants.

If you are a parent, I encourage you to locate a certified BodyTalk practitioner near you and receive treatments for yourself or your child so you can experience the benefits directly. Additionally I highly recommend taking the BodyTalk Access class so that you can use important balancing protocols to help your child (and other family members) on a regular and as-needed basis.

To gain immediate access to more practical tips and useful information about BodyTalk for kids and parents, go to: http://bodytalk.principlesforparents.com/community

Thanks for coming back to visit my blog. If you like the content I have here, let all your friends know and make sure you send me your questions and comments.

BodyTalk and Your Child

This video is an introduction to the BodyTalk system and your child. I have been using this technique with my own patients for many years now. I want to give you some background information as well as some examples in this video that I think all parents need to know.

My goal in making this video is to describe how the evaluation and treatment of your child can be enhanced by using energy medicine and consciousness based methods. This is the type of discussion I have with parents in my own practice, and I want to share some of this perspective with you.

Click below to listen to audio only:

If you’d like to watch more videos on similar topics, go to the video library page on the Principles for Parents website.

If you’d like to find a BodyTalk practitioner in your local area, you can search for one on the International Bodytalk Association’s website at www.bodytalksystem.com

As always, please leave your feedback and comments below.

Energy Medicine Book for Parents Published

After the release of my ebook called Energy Medicine Principles for Parents, several people asked if I was considering publishing it as a softcover book. I looked into it and I’m happy to say it is now available in my office, on my website’s online bookstore, and even at New Renaissance Bookstore in Portland, Oregon!

I’d like to say a special thanks to those of you who encouraged me to undertake this project and to those of you who have given me feedback.

I also took the step to make an audio version of the book which is available on 2 CD’s, as some people prefer to listen rather than read. I have some copies of the audio CD’s in my office as well as available to order through my online store here.

I also want to let you know that I recently teamed up with the International BodyTalk Association (IBA) to raise awareness of this energy medicine/consciousness based modality. I have a special page where visitors can buy my ebook and contribute 50% of the proceeds to the IBA to help with the funding for the many projects and good works they are doing throughout the world. Here’s the link to this special page here:
http://www.principlesforparents.com/pfp-and-iba.html

As always, please feel free to give me feedback and comments on my blog or through the contact form on the website.

Thanks,
Peter Hanfileti, MD

Heart Coherence

I had the opportunity recently to talk with Dr Rollin McCraty who is the Director of Research at the HeartMath Institute in California. They have been investigating the concept of heart rate variability and coherence for many years now. You may have seen Dr McCraty’s appearance in the movie I profiled in a previous post called The Living Matrix Movie. It is a wonderful exploration of energetics in healing, and I think well worth your time to watch it. You can check to see if there is a screening in your area by checking the Living Matrix website.

Our hearts beat with a pattern that most of us don’t recognize and really don’t think much about. Most of the time the pattern is somewhat chaotic and goes up and down in a random fashion. However, there is a pattern called physiologic coherence where the heart rate actually increases and decreases in an orderly, smooth way. On a computer screen it shows up as undulating waves going up and down, which is very different than most people’s baseline heart wave pattern. How is this important to you and your child?

It turns out that this state of coherence is strongly correlated with improvements in health status and one’s ability to deal with stress. It has been found that most people are not in coherence except in very specific circumstances or only after having been trained in certain techniques. The HeartMath Institute did a study several years ago which documented improvement in school age kids’ ability to handle anxiety prior to and during test taking in school. This is a remarkable finding which showed that kids could be taught a few simple self calming techniques and this actually translated into improved subjective feelings on the part of the students, as well as improved objective findings pertaining to their test scores compared to a control group. The full reference to this study called TENDS, which stands for Test Edge National Demonstration Study, is available on the HeartMath website.

I am very interested in exploring this concept of heart rate variability and coherence as a way to document what’s going on with kids in particular when we are using techniques like BodyTalk and other non-invasive, natural approaches to pediatric problems. The heart itself is much more than a muscular organ that pumps blood circulation throughout the body. It has amazing energetic qualities as well, in keeping with the multidimensional aspects of all of our body’s organs and systems. For example, in the Chinese medicine system, the heart energy is in charge of such things as sleep cycles, creativity, dreaming and speech patterns. I believe we must expand our understanding of what it means to have this remarkable body and system operating on different levels of experience and awareness.

Stay tuned for more information coming about the HeartMath Institute and their dedicated researchers. Their work is truly exciting and it is on the cutting edge of natural medicine and healing modalities available to us now and coming in the near future.

Constipation in Children

Constipation is another common digestive system condition that affects many children. As parents, your job is to try and alleviate this frustrating situation and I want to help you to accomplish this. I have a different perspective on childhood problems compared to other practitioners. This comes from my clinical experience as a pediatrician and from my current private practice in alternative/energy medicine.

I rely heavily on the Chinese medicine system to help explain conditions and particularly the timing of when and under what circumstances symptoms develop. In the case of constipation occurring in childhood, parents often ask why is this happening to my child? I think this is a very valid question, especially because most kids have had normal bowel movement habits at some time in their lives.

For example, babies whether they are breast fed or bottle fed, generally have multiple stools per day. The question should be asked then, as to why constipation develops in a child who previously had no problems with bowel regularity. I have learned that the Chinese medicine system of organ and meridian energy pathways can explain much of these changes that happen, using energy as the term used to describe what is going on.

The large intestine or colon is the organ responsible for passing stools and eliminating wastes from the digestive process. If we only focus on the physical organ itself, we will miss a significant proportion of the causative factors at play in the child with constipation. There are very few cases which are attributable to physical problems like blockage, abnormal formation of the digestive tract, or inherited disorders like Cystic Fibrosis or Hirschprung’s Disease. These conditions generally present early in life and fortunately can be diagnosed and treated when found. However, in the vast majority of cases, children develop constipation with no known obvious cause and then we are left to recommend symptomatic care.

There is nothing wrong with treating the symptoms of constipation to provide relief, but we should not mistake the temporary alleviation of symptoms with actual resolution of the problem. It goes without saying, that prune juice or mineral oil is not the “cure” for constipation, although they can be helpful along with other measures like keeping well hydrated with fluids or avoiding too much dairy products. My point is that no child is “destined” to have constipation as part of their natural pattern of existence. We must be much more diligent in looking for and uncovering the cause, not limiting ourselves to a few diagnosable conditions only.

This graphic depicts the inter-relationship between the large intestine, the spleen, the stomach and the lungs in the Chinese medicine system.

I have found that in the Chinese medicine system there are multiple correspondences with the large intestine energy circuit that can readily explain many of these cases of constipation in children. For example, if your child has had any respiratory illness in the past like a pneumonia, bronchitis, upper respiratory infections, ear infections, etc., this will predispose them to preferentially send more of their available energy to the lung circuit instead of the large intestine. You can ask yourself the question, which do you think your child’s system deems as more important to take care of, the lungs and breathing or the large intestine and regularity of bowel habits?

As they say, this is a “no brainer”. There would be no problem with this energy redistribution if it was just temporary. However, in young children especially, these energy changes can become a set pattern which is difficult to unwind. Fortunately, kids are very amenable to energy inputs like the BodyTalk system which I use extensively in my clinical practice. Often it only takes gentle energetic encouragement, focus and awareness to help your child’s system to revert back to its more normal and balanced settings.

You can read more about the large intestine energy circuit on my website and more general information about how I use the Chinese medicine system and the energy medicine paradigm as part of my practice. As always, I encourage you to find the approach and modalities that fit with your child’s individual needs, not some ready-made formula. And finally, be open to new ideas and new information. This strategy has worked well for me as a doctor and I’m sure it can work for you, too.

Stomachaches in Children

Stomachaches occur in children quite commonly and over the years I have seen many kids with this condition. I have a different perspective on the causative factors that need to be taken into account and I feel this is an important topic to discuss with parents.

In my practice I like to use the saying, “The more information, the better”. What I mean is that we can gain a lot more ground by being open to different systems, interpretations, and models of explanation, rather than just relying on one single description.

If we are evaluating a child with stomachaches, we must address the symptom and condition and try to elucidate the likely causes. However, often there is no discernible cause from a physiologic or anatomic standpoint. Then what do we do? I have stated in other places how I am in agreement with doing testing to make sure there are no obvious or hidden physical problems, like blockages, ulcers, growths, appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. In the vast majority of cases, however, none of these are identified as the cause and we are left with no answers.

This is the situation where I believe a broader more holistic and energy derived description and evaluation comes in very handy. On my website I have given more information about the Chinese medicine system and how it addresses conditions found commonly in kids. There are specific groupings which bring together body organs and energy pathways in a coherent and clinically significant way, which I find extremely useful as a physician and I think can be very insightful information for parents to know.

In the Chinese medicine system, the stomach organ and channel are grouped with the large intestine, the lungs and the spleen. These four organs and channels essentially work together on the same circuit, and your child’s energy system must distribute or parcel out its energy in the most efficient and beneficial manner that it can in the context of your child’s daily life and experience.

I have found that when we open up the breadth and scope of our questioning and increase the potential topics of inquiry, our chances of finding the right causative explanation for something like stomachaches goes up dramatically.

So, the bottom line is this: Get an evaluation done to look for treatable and serious problems that could be going on with your child. But don’t stop there if those lab tests and procedures don’t reveal anything. It is important to keep looking for the causes, even if it takes you beyond the physical realm and into the arena where energy becomes the more useful explanation.

In my practice, I use a consciousness based system called BodyTalk which allows us to have access to those things which are only accessible through the energy medicine or consciousness based paradigm. I discuss these concepts in more detail in my ebook called Energy Medicine Principles for Parents and you can read more about the Chinese medicine system and your child on my website called Principles for Parents.

BodyTalk: Consciousness Based Healthcare

Dr John Veltheim, the founder of the BodyTalk system, presented a full weekend workshop called Finding Health: Mapping the Healing Process in Portland, Oregon which I found fascinating and awe inspiring. He also gave a public lecture and I was asked to say a few words before the presentation. I have included my remarks below.

“8 years ago, I received a handwritten letter in the mail from someone I had never met, the letter said that a speaker was coming whom I had never heard of, and he was to discuss a technique known as BodyTalk which I never imagined could become part of my daily clinical practice as a physician. I followed an inner prompting to follow the directions in that letter and I showed up for the talk just like you all have done tonight. That night 8 years ago, I listened to an interesting Australian named John Veltheim, and afterwards my pathway was set, I enrolled in the first BodyTalk class I could find and my learning which started back then continues to this day.

This curious twist of fate or what I can call a synchronicity happened when I was in the middle of transitioning from a conventional pediatrics group practice to the complementary or holistic medicine practice I have today. I had always wanted to treat kids with non-invasive approaches whenever possible, and in my opinion, BodyTalk is the ultimate system when it comes to natural, gentle, respectful techniques used in the treatment of children.

Let me just back up a little bit and tell you that I was trained in the conventional way as a physician. I graduated from medical school, went through a 3 year residency program in pediatrics at the University of Michigan, I joined a pediatrics group in Vancouver WA and practiced for 6 years as a primary care pediatrician. My duties included seeing newborns in the hospital, performing well child check ups and school physicals, putting in sutures for lacerations and cuts, and spending time with parents trying to give them the best advice I could.

At that point in my career, I didn’t have the faintest idea what energy medicine was or even how it could be useful to me or my patients. I was on track to put in my 30-35 years and retire along with my colleagues. That was my assumption and I had planned to stick with it.

However, something was pulling me toward new ways of thinking. I was gradually exposed to the energy medicine paradigm which included fascinating fields like acupuncture and Chinese medicine. And then when BodyTalk came along, my mind was really expanded.

What I now realize is that a consciousness based system like BodyTalk is able to embrace the simple notion that we as human beings are much more than what our anatomy and physiology reveals. What I learned in my conventional medical training was no doubt useful and necessary, but I did not realize how incomplete it was until I became exposed to these concepts. Seeing kids in my practice over the last several years has taught me even more about the energy dynamics that play a role in all aspects of health and wellbeing for children and their families.

Before I finish, I want to express my personal thanks to John Veltheim for writing the foreward to my recent book called Energy Medicine Principles for Parents. I wrote it with the intent to make it available to my own patients and families in my practice, but then it became clear that it could be useful to the larger community of parents who are looking for answers to help their kids.

Even though it is our job as practitioners to help alleviate problems and prevent them wherever possible, I have found that it is the awareness of parents and kids themselves that is the first necessary step. It is my hope that this book will serve as an introduction and a resource for parents who are exploring this new realm of medicine called BodyTalk.

I know you will enjoy tonight’s presentation by Dr Veltheim. Thank you.”

-Peter Hanfileti, MD

You can find more information about my ebook at www.principlesforparents.com

You might also want to visit the International BodyTalk Association website at www.bodytalksystem.com.

Energy Medicine Principles for Parents Radio Interview

A few days ago I had the honor of being interviewed by Andrea Tannouri on her blog talk radio show. We spent about one hour talking about my new book, the history of how I came to be a holistic physician using alternative medicine when I started out as a conventionally trained pediatrician and practiced that way for several years. We also touched on various topics relevant to the choices parents are called upon to make when it comes to their child’s health care and the navigation required to choose among all of the sources of information out there.

As I have reflected on our conversation over the last few days, a new question has surfaced with regards to what I like to call “the middle ground” which is in between the conventional medical establishment and the alternative medicine wing of our society which includes a number of physicians in the mix besides myself. I believe we have become stuck on semantics and statistics and rules to the detriment of our understanding and seeking of common ground.

For example, it dawned on me after the interview that what I refer to as energy includes the conventional definition as well as the alternative. The only difference seems to be in what is focused on and named, and what receives the bulk of our investigation and quite frankly our belief. Energy in the conventional physical viewpoint of the body involves something called ATP, or adenosine triphosphate which is produced at the cellular level by the powerhouse of our cells, the mitochondria. Now, every physician has learned this and knows what ATP and mitochondria are. However, when it comes to our patients, parents and their kids, I have never been asked by them about this. Is it because mitochondria and ATP are not important? No. It is simply because nobody thinks or speaks using these terms except doctors and researchers.

When we use the term ‘energy’ in the alternative or holistic medicine viewpoint, we are referring to a concept that everyone can relate to, even though technically it is not measured. If someone is low on energy, we say they are tired out or exhausted. We don’t say their mitochondria are low on ATP production. This doesn’t mean we are right and everyone else is wrong, it just means that the description of energy is more understandable and useful for families looking for answers and explanations for their kids.

I believe that we can use both strategies to give parents the best information possible, depending on the situation at hand. In the realm of physical disorders and imbalances, there is no question that a hormone like insulin for diabetes is necessary and is an example of matching a physical deficiency with a physical or chemical/hormonal/substance replacement. In the category of energy imbalances, we must use energy inputs to match and correct the energy patterns that lead to problems and not assume that drugs or surgical interventions are the only valid choices. The BodyTalk System and the Chinese Medicine and acupuncture systems are examples of modalities whose intervention is largely energy based. As a physician, I have no problem accepting this as a concept because it makes sense, and I have seen the energy medicine approach work time after time with all age groups for many different energy associated conditions.

We owe it to ourselves, our families, our colleagues, and especially our succeeding generations, to find common ground and creative solutions, rather than prolonging the competitive stances that keep us in grid lock over who has the right answer for everyone and everything.

That’s more than enough of my ramblings, how about I give you a link to the audio file on my website where you can listen to the interview I did with Andrea Tannouri on Energy Medicine Principles for Parents.

This may be the first of many interviews where we explore topics that are important to you and your kids. Be sure to send me your feedback after listening to the interview.

Energy Medicine Principles for Parents Ebook Released

My new ebook called Energy Medicine Principles for Parents was just released this week. I am very grateful to all those who contributed to the completion of this project. Even though it took me a little over a year, I feel very satisfied with the outcome and the final product. I want to say a special thank you to Dr John Veltheim, the founder of the BodyTalk System, who graciously wrote the foreward to the book, and who has paved the way for many people to understand and utilize energy medicine in new and exciting ways.

My goal with this book is to provide parents with an introduction and a working understanding of what I define as energy medicine and why I think it is so important. As a pediatrician and holistic physician, I have spent the better part of the last 10 years devoting myself to learning and putting into practice the energy medicine modalities I mention in the book. They are: The BodyTalk System, acupuncture point stimulation techniques (with and without needles), essential oils used mostly topically, and other supplementation strategies.

Many people wonder why a board certified pediatrician like me would choose to change his practice into one of holistic or alternative methods only. My response is that I do not reject the western medical model or its utility, I simply prefer to practice in such a way that I am able to provide what I think is the best, most comprehensive approach for my patients and families. My opinion is that ideally, all families have access and an openness to all modalities which may be of benefit to them. I generally see my role as an adjunct or a complement to a person’s healthcare team, not as a stand alone substitute.

I believe that the energy medicine paradigm provides an extremely useful framework to discuss and manage those aspects of pediatric symptoms and conditions that are outside of the diagnostic parameters available today. When I practiced primary care pediatrics in the past, there were many times when no diagnosis could be given, and no treatment offered, simply because the child’s condition or presentation was outside of what conventional medicine could categorize and differentiate. This does not mean that conventional approaches are all bad or all wrong, it just means they are incomplete.

With energy as our common currency and as a way to describe and interpret what’s going on with a child and their family, a whole new vista is opened and made accessible and workable to me as a doctor, and to the families I am working with to try and help.

Getting back to the book, there are 4 parts and a final section where parents can get into action right away.
Part 1: Energy Medicine Principles – ten energy medicine principles I think all parents should know about
Part 2: The treatment process and the BodyTalk system
Part 3: Pediatric applications discussed by age range
Part 4: Energy Medicine Synthesis – 3 case studies of different conditions and age groups
The last section is called “What you can do for your child right now!”

If you would like to read a short excerpt from the book, you may download it from my homepage on PrinciplesForParents.com.

If you would like more details about the contents of the book itself and the bonus materials, you may read more about my Energy Medicine Principles for Parents Ebook here.

As always, I welcome your questions or comments on the book or any other topics.

What is energy medicine?

What is energy medicine? This is a very valid and timely question. I would say most parents don’t really understand what energy medicine is, and this is one of the reasons I am trying to get the word out. In my experience, energy medicine techniques work particularly well on children and babies because they are so energetically sensitive to begin with.

I believe, along with many other doctors, scientists, researchers, philosophers, teachers, and physics experts, that energy medicine is and will be the dominant player in our collective health care future. Energy medicine includes such diverse fields as Chinese medicine, naturopathic medicine, homeopathy, chiropractic, light and sound therapies, infrared and other subtle energy modalities.

I came across this short video highlighting Dr James Oschman as he gave a presentation at a medical conference. He gives a very concise, compelling description of what energy medicine is and why it is destined to become such an important force within the field of medicine. Watch the 5 minute video below and then I will add some comments relating to energy medicine and kids.




In my practice, I see kids and babies of all age groups and I use the BodyTalk System, founded by Dr John Veltheim. There are many energy based modalities in use today, but I think BodyTalk is one of the easiest for younger age groups and it can certainly be taught to parents so they can do the tapping protocols at home. Who is better positioned than parents to perform ongoing energy based interventions for their kids? In reality, parents are contributing greatly to the energy dynamics in the home for their kids regardless of whether they are aware of it or not.

I recently wrote an ebook on this very subject, and it is called “Energy Medicine Principles for Parents: A Pediatrician’s Perspective on How Energy Medicine Can Help Your Child”. You can read more about it on my website, PrinciplesForParents.com.



As you heard Dr Oschman say in the video, we cannot even have a discussion or look around or move our bodies without engaging the principles and actions of energy, both within and outside of ourselves. What are your thoughts on what energy medicine means for your kids and your family? I look forward to getting your feedback.

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