Kr#stal Cout,re


PT5
Zero Balancing

Inner Bridges Book Report

Inner Bridges shares a deep look into Zero Balancing through the eyes of its creator, Fritz Smith. Smith was on the
foreEont of linking energ# and stF,ct,re within the human body. He was deterIined to share this concept far and
wide. Smith referFed to the connections within the body as “bridges”. Smith was unique in that, in a time, when
stF,ct,re was the priorit# of medicine, he t,rMed to the energ#. He believed that the “bridge” betOeen stF,ct,re and
energ# could shiſt our view of nat,re and thus directly aid in maintaining and achieving health and wellbeing.

Smith was an MD, tFained in WesterM Medicine. He exUlored cranial osteopathy, Rolfing, hyUnosis and other healing
modalities in search of what he felt was missing in his education and his practice. His life changed when he met JR
Worsley and began learMing Classical Five Elements Acupunct,re. The foundations of his medicine began to exUand
and came to life. He began to integFate stF,ct,re and energ# into his practice and in 1973 forIulated Zero Balancing
as a means to evaluate and balance the relationship betOeen stF,ct,re and energ#.

Smith has a way of sharing his writing and work such that he stimulates the mind of the reader to decide about the
medicine they believe, rather than pu_ing the medicine upon them. He believed that our belief system is continuously
being challenged and to move forOard, we must evolve. Adapting to challenges and assimilating new inforIation is
necessar# in order to achieve health of the mind, body, and spirit. The beliefs we held in the past were beliefs that fit
that time in our lives; living in presence requires beliefs aligMed with the now. This is how we access the potential of our
own healing abilities.

Smith uses the idea of fire-walking to describe the potentialit# that we can achieve voluntar# contFol over an
involuntar# f,nction through altering our own vibration to match or exceed the vibration of burMing coals. Within the
human body, energ# can take on many qualities, forIs and flows, f,rcherIore it can become blocked, deficient or in
excess. The body is not unlike nat,re. Smith uses the example of a cyUress tFee gFowing in the direction the wind
moved it. Even our thoughts are vibrations.

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Smith describes his Working Energ# Model which includes 1. BackgFound Energ# - the perjasive field without forI
representing potential, 2. Vercical Energ# Flows - the energ# that connects us with Nat,re and organizes us as
individuals, and 3. InterMal Energ# Flows - the energ# that flows within us, the deepest of which relating to the bones
and bone marFow, the middle to the soſt tissue and meridians and the most superficial relating to the Wei Qi level.

Resonance serjes as the way we connect to each other and Nat,re through our vibrations. HarIonic resonance is a
concept that exUlains how when one dr,m, t,ning forI, gong, etc is sounded, another will vibrate in harIony without
being stimulated. Humans can resonate in the same way. Healers, teachers and leaders share their giſts by aligMing
with the vibration. Communication and connection are borM within vibration. Vibration can serje, but it can also be a
burden to those who are ver# sensitive to the energies. We must recogMize that we are in a space of responding to a
vibration and offering a parcicular vibration. It seems this concept may have led to the idea of Interface: tOo energies
touching each other knowing exactly where one ends and one begins.

In Zero Balancing, the skeletal system is of gFeat imporcance. Smith exUlains the way he first felt the energ# of the
chakras and was convinced they were real. He went on to connect the placement of the chakras in direct relation to the
changing curjes of the spine. It is imporcant to note that the center of gFavit# of the body is located approximately tOo
inches anterior to the second sacral segIent. Ancient yogic tFaditions believe that the chakras give us access to
awakening the body’s energ#.

When Smith begins talking about the Foundations for Energetic Bridges, he makes a notion to the four nat,ral giſts
that allow us to perceive the unknown. These giſts, he lists as int,itive knowing, visionar# seeing, prophetic foreseeing,
and sensitive feeling. These are giſts we all have, but it takes commitIent to consciously and deliberately use them.
Smith g,ides us through the ways we perceive energ# through hands-off scanning, hands-on palpation, and essential
touch. FurcherIore, he discusses the idea of f,lcr,ms within the body, which are the balance points, one creates and
uses to apply Zero Balancing.

Fulcr,ms can be applied as direct pressure, stFetching, tOisting, pressing, tOisting or sliding. Fulcr,ms in essence
must have enough tension to take up the slack in the tissue, which intFoduces us to the interface. Aſter this point, we

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are in a state of creating a f,lcr,m, meaning that any movement we create will be felt by the client in their exUerience.
We touch the energ# body of another. This is the bridge Eom which we can assess and tFeat the body. The body will
respond in a number of ways including: elongation, excension, contFaction, rebound, anchoring, and stFeaming. These
are the ways in which we perceive what happens when we engage with the body and develop the essential energetic
connection.

When assessing the subtle energ#, Smith refers us back to the flows of energ# previously discussed. The skeleton is the
recipient of the Universal Life Force Energ# that enters our being through GV 20 and moves through the skeletal
system. There are parallel flows of energ# that enter at the top of the shoulder. These are the vercical flows and they are
assessed at the foundation (deal with tFansmission and balance of mechanical and energetic flows in the body) and
semi-foundation joints (similar to foundation joints, but with gFeater range of motion). Foundation and semi-
foundation joints serje as a bridge betOeen the physical and subtle energ# bodies. The joint play (passive range of
motion) gives us inforIation about the deep level of interMal flow. We assess the middle level of interMal flow through
the soſt tissue, like the muscles of the body. Traditional DiagMosis - Color, Odor, Sound and Emotion as well as Pulses
of TCM assess the middle level of interMal flow. The superficial level of interMal flow is assessed by the soſt tissue, the
layer of diff,se energ# just below the skin, the Wei Qi. The depth of touch is much lighter than the middle level,
despite that they both deal with the soſt tissue. Finally, the backgFound field, the energ# that perIeates all levels and
excends outOard Eom the physical into the surFounding space, is assessed.

To assess energ#, we must do tOo things: 1. Quiet the physical body so that we can feel the energ# pa_erMs and 2. Take
up the slack, so that we can perceive any dominant wave forIs. In Zero Balancing, emphasis is placed upon our sense
of touch, practitioners tF,st what they can feel though their hands and thus feel a tangible connection to their
assessment and the exUerience of the client in the physical and subtle realms.

Smith acknowledges specific principles he uses when working with the subtle energ#. Split Level Awareness is the idea
of spli_ing our focus: parc of our a_ention upon the essential touch of the work we are doing and the other parc,
secondarily on sensing any reaction of the client. WitMess State of Obserjation is the practitioner remaining in a state
of objectivit# while witMessing the unfolding. The Working State is the state of interMal realigMment to an energetic
shiſt, the body recalibrating. Altered States of Consciousness are the distorcions of time/space where the client may feel

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like they are out of the body. Smith shares tOo paradoxical laws of nat,re that he includes in the principles: 1.
“Ever#ching is in a state of change.” 2. “something will continue to move in the same direction until acted upon by an
outside force.”

Smith discusses the notion that our bodies are in a constant state of change and movement and defines a Working
State as a period of interMal rearFangement to an energetic shiſt, which occurs as one adjusts and establishes a new
equilibrium based on the physical and energetic bodies coming into harIony. As practitioners of ZB, we can obserje
working states through the major landmarks: eyes, breath and voice vitalit#. Minor landmarks such as color, sound,
odor, emotion, body response and environmental shiſts may also be noted, but are considered secondar# to the major
landmarks. The changes that occur are sigMs that the body is finding homeostasis in most sit,ations, however, we
must be aware of what Smith calls “Depletion”.

Depletion is when the energ# drains Eom the person and they lack vitalit#. It can be obserjed through diminished
voice vitalit#, paleness, cold sweats, st,ff# nose, yawning, lang,idness, and cold excFemities. Smith believed that
depletion occurFed more Eequently in vegetarians, meditators and those with a histor# of dr,g abuse. Depletion
happens when a person’s field is finer. Energ# appears to move rapidly through finer fields and does not a_ach to the
body. These persons may be used to altered state of energ#. Smith believed that the goal of the work is to create a
higher energ# field vibration and to g,ide a person’s response in the opposite direction Eom which they are
accustomed. “By conserjing the high vibrations within the physical body and its interMal energ# field, stFengch, vitalit#
and roundedness will be augIented…” When it appears that someone is becoming depleted, we want to offset that
exUerience by moving faster and creating a more physical than energetic environment for the body to process the
inforIation.

As any good practitioner would, Smith outlines the “Red flags” of the work he shares. These red flags include
unexUected weight changes, bleeding Eom any orifice of the body, change in body f,nctions, physical changes
(swelling, rashes, migFator# joint pains, etc), tFauma, pathologic Eact,res, infections, unexUlained fevers,
inflammation, medical dr,gs, pain and general illness. He reminds us that he is not promoting allopathic care as
superior, however acknowledging that our job is to be of maximal serjice and to do no harI when tFeating a client.

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Smith also uses this chapter to discuss the role that health care practitioners play with their clients, parcicularly
related to communication. By nat,re, the client’s authorit# over their own health is oſten challenged by societ#, legalit#,
family members, etc. Smith nudges us to recall as health care practitioners that we are able to empower the client as
the authorit# of their own health. The interMal exUerience of the client can be deeply touched and penetFated by our
words and g,idance. Thus, it is of the utIost imporcance for healthcare practitioners to be consciously aware of the
content and deliver# of what and how we share with clients. Our simple words or energ# can have a positive healing
effect for the client, or quite the contFar#. Being a healer requires us to consciously acknowledge the responsibilit#
bestowed upon us.

Smith concludes the book with the topic of the homeostatic relationship betOeen the physical and subtle bodies. The
physical body needs calories Eom food and ox#gen Eom air. The subtle body needs vibration Eom food and air. “The
body has four different requirements, all of which are homeostatic relationships, any of which can stimulate body
response.” Smith talks about molecular vibration and breath and molecular vibration and food. They provide different
characteristics to the vibration, but are both vital. Breath provides our more immediate and spontaneous needs, while
food provides our backgFound sustaining vibration. The energ# sources are interconnected and continuously
interacting with one another. Smith discusses HerFing’s Law of Cure which is a foundational principle of Classical Five
Elements Acupunct,re. The law states “A person heals Eom deep to superficial; Eom more imporcant to less
imporcant organs and systems; old syIptoms ret,rM in reverse order of their occurFence; and we heal Eom the top of
the body toward the feet.” FurcherIore, he goes on to quote JR Worsley, who states, “nobody can be cured of a problem
without a healing crisis.” The healing crisis is a sigM that the body is ret,rMing through the pa_erMs of dysf,nction to
homeostasis and potentially a cure. Smith arciculates that the acknowledging the subtle body opens us to a new
perspective of healing, a new realit#, a process rather than ba_le against. Balancing the physical and the subtle body
brings us to the universe of possibilities of healthf,l living for ourselves and our clients.

Inner Bridges paints a metaphorical bridge betOeen the physical and subtle body, betOeen the East and West of
medicine. Smith’s technique, Zero Balancing is meant to be much more than a bodyOork technique; it is meant to be a
way of balancing the physical and subtle bodies through physical aligMment and energetic awareness. Smith believes
in our inherent nat,re to heal Eom within and shares that with his readers and practitioners. Smith reminds us of the
serjice we can offer to our own selves and our clients by being aware of the inner bridges.

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I really enjoyed re-reading this book and writing a book reporc on Inner Bridges. I was brought back to the moment
when I met Fritz at Esalen where he was teaching and I immediately thought of his own nat,re. It is clear through his
writing that Fritz is an intelligent, thoughtf,l and visionar# man. It is also clear that he is t,ned into the energ# of the
universe in a gFand manner. He is humble and effective at sharing his perceptions. FurcherIore, he’s quite convincing.
I found myself feeling that what was wri_en in Inner Bridges rang tF,e within my own hearc, though it was a slightly
different perspective than that which I hold within, in that, I’ve not thought so much about the idea of bridges, yet I
find it to be the perfect metaphor.

LearMing ZB and then re-reading the texcs has given me gFeater understanding of the essence of Dr. Smith and what
he really wanted to share with the world. I felt a sense of tF,th, peace, and resonance with what was wri_en, the way it
was wri_en and the idea behind it. Many healing modalities challenge my own belief system and I have to spend time
with both the system and my beliefs before tF,ly interUreting the inforIation. The content of the ZB classes and the
books by Fritz, didn’t challenge me in this way, but rather led to an almost instantaneous exUansion. Perhaps, it is the
bridge betOeen energ# and stF,ct,re that serjes as a foundation of our connection.

The book had many components of Classical Five Elements Acupunct,re that ring tF,e with my learMing, at this time,
as well. While ZB looks at the body differently than CFEA, there appeared to be a profound respect for both schools of
thoughts and forIations of tFeatIent that I respected deeply. The underlying principle that I appreciate most, as I sit
in reflection, is that the body heals itself and practitioners supporc the nat,ral processes of healing. Whether applying
f,lcr,ms or needles, we make a physical and energetic offering to the body with the intention of balance.

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