Maya bonesetters believe they have an innate ability and that their vocation is a divine calling; that their hands “work by means of dreams” and they use sacred objects in their work called “baq”.
“Baq” can be bones from small animals, obsidian, pieces of old ceramic, or pieces of antique jade. The bonesetter uses these objects to realign the bones and then uses his hands on the area to finish the treatment. Trusting in divine assistance as well as the innate skills of their hands, they are able to diagnose and treat lesions and injuries, using a combination of intuition and experience. The Maya bonesetters practice what is primarily a manual art, characterized by the ability of their hands to inquire and obtain access to information about the body.
The bonesetters say that their hands can directly detect problems of the body. They often refer to their hands as simply “knowing” the body, not only on the surface but below it, and that when they place their hands over a body which has an illness, their hands act of their own accord and locate the problem areas. The bonesetters don’t “guide” their hands to an injury or around it; it is the hands which guide them. Furthermore, they claim that this ability grew inside of them and that there it has remained.
The corporal empathy revealed through their hands is of fundamental importance for the Maya bonesetters, and the majority of these healers trust in this skill alone for diagnosing and treating human illnesses. Their method could be described as a somatic form of attention, an ability of one body to assist other bodies, including those who are suffering, at an unconscious level.
When an injured person visits a Maya bonesetter, the bonesetter begins by asking the patient to relax and explain what is bothering them. The bonesetter is interested in the type, severity, and length of time the problem has been present. The visible bodily signs, such as deformities, redness, swelling, and bruises, suggest the type of injury in question and help the bonesetter to locate it more easily.
The bonesetter can also control the range of movement of the injured member or torso, if possible. Then the bonesetter can prepare the patient for the massage of the area, applying a lubricating and/or heating agent over his own hands and the body of the patient, such as a pomade, oil or cream. The Maya bonesetters need their hands to move freely over the patient’s body without obstacles, allowing them to get more information about the injury they need to treat. The bonesetter moves his hands around the injury while pressing softly into the flesh, trying to locate indications of pain or irritation.
When he locates and massages the problem area, his hands detect irregularities and changes in the swelling, softness, and temperature of the affected area. I can assist you to contact a Maya bonesetter.
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