'If you can balance something to neutral, without judgment or comparison, by holding it in its own space, it will naturally move to its highest possible benefit.'- Fritz Smith MD
The founder of Zero Balancing, Dr ‘Fritz’ Frederick Smith, was born into ‘a world of touch’ in Ohio in 1929. His father was a noted chiropractor who understood the healing potential of skilled touch, and worked full-time in a busy practice into his 90s. Receiving touch from his father and watching his father work were invaluable experiences for Fritz, and significantly contributed to his development of Zero Balancing in 1975.
Fritz Smith became a doctor of osteopathy in 1955 and a doctor of medicine in 1961. After pursuing a career in medicine, he was drawn to study at the Esalen Institute, in Northern California, to explore ‘new’ ideas in the field of integrative medicine that were then emerging into a wider consciousness. There, he studied with Ida Rolf and became a certified Rolfer®, practiced yoga and meditation and read extensively about the principles of Eastern philosophy and quantum physics. His travels took him to India, where he studied with Swami Muktananda, and later with Sai Baba. In the early 70s, Dr Smith met J R Worsley, founder of the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture in Leamington Spa, England, during a trip to America to teach acupuncture.
This meeting with J R Worsley changed the course of Fritz’s life, challenging his conventional, Western medical model and prompting him to travel to the UK to study acupuncture with Worsley. There, Fritz successfully graduated as a licensed acupuncturist and a Fellow of the Chinese College of Acupuncture. He then went on to earn both BA and MA degrees in this subject.
Dr Smith’s extensive journey of exploration afforded him a unique insight into the relationship between energy, as a force in the body, and structural anatomy. His desire to integrate both principles into a single therapeutic system culminated in 1975 with his developing the innovative form of bodywork called Zero Balancing (ZB) – the name first coined by a client who described her experience of a session with him “as being brought back into balance, back to zero.”
The unique touch of Zero Balancing actively supports the positive release of held vibration and tension from the body and mind of a client, inducing significantly improved physical and mental function and a profound sense of well-being. Fritz explains: “The focus on balancing the underlying foundations of the body-mind puts Zero Balancing in a special category of healing. Zero Balancing allows clients to evolve on all levels and more fully to realize their own health and potential”.
Since retiring from active practice in 1990, Dr Smith has dedicated his life to teaching Zero Balancing to students all over the world. In the past three decades, almost 1000 practitioners have successfully completed the Zero Balancing Certification Programme. He is married to Dr Aminah Raheem, who often accompanies him on his travels. Dr Raheem is a Zero Balancing teacher and an active member of the Zero Balancing Health Association Faculty in the US. She is also the founder of Soul Lightening International and a body/mind system of healing, Process Acupressure.
Fritz Smith MD has written many articles and several books including Inner Bridges: A guide to Energy Movement and Body Structure and Alchemy of Touch.