| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺東大學 === 體育學系碩士班 === 93 === A Research on the development
of Father Josef’s Foot Reflexology in Taiwan
（1979~2005）
【Abstract】
The purpose of this research is to study the historical development of Foot Reflexology, which was evolved by Father Josef in Taiwan. In order to understand its developments, information drawn from literal documents were adapted and his historical background was included. The historical development of Fr. Josef’s Foot Reflexology can be divided into three periods.
Since 1979-1981, Fr. Josef used the name: “Foot Massage” during the “Initial Period”. The “Formation Period” was during 1982-1993, when the news of Fr. Josef’s method was reported by the broadcasting stations and media. Foot Reflexology had reached nearly every household. In this period the idea: “the more painful the better”, was predominant. The third period from 1994-2005 was called “Fr. Josef’s New Method of Reflexology”. This period brought forth the concept of “Sequential Zone Therapy, Comprehensive Treatment and the Breaking Up of Reaction Material”. The correction of the old ideology (“the more painful the better”) and the use of tools were also encouraged. He also integrated the Chinese Philosophy of Yin and Yang and The Five Elements and the concept of Meridians into his health method.
In the initial period the reflexology work was limited to the feet only. The formation period extended the work up to the knees. The main goal of the work in the early stages was to eliminate the waste and poison in the body, therefore the treatment started with the reflex-zone of the kidney. However, later in the formation period it became clear, that the brain is the directing center of the whole body and therefore the treatment should begin with the reflex-zone of the brain. In the initial period the number of reflex-zones grew to 59 and further increased to 83 in the formation period. In the beginning the treatment was mainly manual work using the tips and joints of the fingers and gradually the use of a stick was later introduced. In the early stages the pathological reaction material was seen as uric acid, but later on Fr. Josef realized that this was the crystallization of the uric acid found in the bone joints and was not identical with the detected reaction material in the reflex zones. Therefore through the first and second period of research, the method gradually developed to what we now recognize as “Fr. Josef’s New Method of Reflexology”.
Keywords: Foot Massage , Foot Reflexology , Fr. Josef’s New Method of Reflexology , Reflex-Zones
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