Paul Turner, Osteopath

CEO of Turner Publications and practising Osteopath.

Paul graduated as an Osteopath in 1993 and has had many years of experience in Cranio-sacral and Biodynamic Osteopathy as well as multi-dimensional healing methods. From his early years in practice he spent many years studying many texts on healing, self development, spiritual wisdom, philosophy and yoga. He then explored ways to test and then integrate this information into his personal life as well as his osteopathic studies and practice.

Initially, he tried exploring these ideas in his own life and practice and then, upon discovering that they significantly enhanced the healing process and recovery of many clients, he started sharing this information with others through running his workshops, doing talks, presentations and also when supervising students through his lecturing or on volunteer events working with other practitioners and students treating the participants.

While studying Osteopathy and trying to see how the whole picture comes together he began to realise that there was an essential element missing  from (or it seemed little understood within) the teaching programs.

This missing element in developing “integrated awareness” in students was further emphasised when he began teaching in 1996 at Massage and Natural Therapies colleges and over the years since. He discovered that no matter where he taught that students confidence in understanding how the various components of the whole fitted together in order to be able to treat more effectively was generally speaking, poor.  An understanding of symptoms and treating tissues causing symptoms and pain was often present (as was a regional knowledge of anatomy, physiology and clinical conditions, etc) but when it came to actually understanding of the patterns of dysfunction predisposing and setting up the symptom picture (cause to effect), in an actual living client, wholistically speaking – i.e. the RELATIONSHIPS between the various aspects of anatomy involved and understanding the meanings of these relationships – as guided by the tissues in need – (rather than simply educated hypotheses based upon book learning) – the feedback was generally one where practitioners and students felt they could definately improve.   It is the learning about methods of how to listen to and trust the tissues to guide us, as to where the important patterns are setting up the problem pattern, that needed to be developed and then, to learn when to work on the involved patterns and areas, as guided by the intelligence within the body (and in what order), that needs developing rather than just developing an intellectual understanding of the various body of knowledge (such as anatomy, conditions, regional assessment and treatment technique approaches, etc) on their own.  Without this inner developed sence of how to PRACTICALLY READ and understand the tissues, one’s knowledge doesn’t get converted into WISDOM and thus students and practitioners alike, due to this lack of understanding, often fall back to the usual symptomatic (pain focused) or regionally based approach to diagnosis and treatment.

It was because of this missing element that Paul wrote his first book “Bridging the Gap in Health Care – An Integrated Osteopathic Approach” (now subtitled “The Basics of Wholistic Assessment”). Because he observed this same struggle in others (and still does today) he thought that writing a book may help students piece the puzzle together a little better.