The pain triggered by the therapeutic grip in an afflicted zone is a distinct feature of RTF. This might give rise to the fear that RTF treatment is unsuitable for babies and young children but experience confirms the opposite.

In my experience, children have a more natural relationship to pain than adults and their sometimes over-anxious parents might have us believe. Probably they still have an innate knowledge of the positive significance and purpose of pain of this kind.

Babies and children have particularly rapid powers of regeneration, as their inner self-healing capacities are not yet, as often in later years, blocked and weakened by too many pharmaceutical medications.

In the treatment of babies and children the interpersonal relationship plays a particularly important role. Good personal contact is therefore crucial for the efficacy of the treatment. If the child likes the therapist, they will happily return for each treatment session even if they know that it may sometimes involve a certain amount of pain.

There is often a perception that such small zones cannot be palpated precisely. Practical experience will spontaneously convince the therapist otherwise, even one with large hands.

When treating children’s feet we are often touchingly rewarded with affection, trust, and cheerfulness. This should convince us that it is worthwhile adopting a natural and impartial attitude to treatment of the feet early on, so that the naturalness of touching the feet can also be retained in adulthood.

It is not possible to perform an extensive initial assessment of babies and small children as they usually want to move about after a time. Depending on their age, they sometimes prefer to sit up and “help” with the treatment or to lie on their stomach, and should be granted this freedom.

Babies feel happiest when they are held and supported by their mother or another known caregiver. With older children, however, it is usually better if their relatives wait in the adjoining room because then the atmosphere becomes more neutral and the children are not distracted.

As the treatment of babies and small children usually only takes a few minutes to a quarter of an hour, it can be performed daily or, in acute situations, even several times daily.

When treating children, the painful phases should be frequently alternated with playful and harmonizing ones. Stabilizing grips can be included more than usual.

As soon as children can express themselves verbally, at around 2 or 3 years, we should listen to their remarks with regard to the correct dosage.

With babies, above all, the symptoms of the autonomic nervous system (moist hands, restlessness, and discomfort) indicate the limits of grip intensity. Even if a baby starts crying, it can easily be calmed down again with a brief stabilizing grip and is rarely resentful.

The following childhood illnesses can be successfully treated with RTF, in part exclusively and in part as an accompanying measure.

These babies are usually tense and irritated. They respond very well to treatment when their little feet are first held with warm hands and gently mobilized. Stabilizing grips should be applied frequently.

Sedating grip in the zones of solar plexus, stomach including cardia and pylorus, liver, lower thoracic spine, and ileocecal valve. The anus, the important sphincter muscle at the end of the digestive tract, is also treated with the sedating grip initially.

Gentle tonifying of the diaphragm, spleen, and small intestine.

Constipation, Meteorism

Gentle tonifying of the stomach, intestine, and pancreas. Sedating grip in the solar plexus. As the anal sphincter is often very tense, the sedating grip is suitable in this zone initially. The zones of the cardia and pylorus should also be examined and, if necessary, likewise sedated.