Myofascial Release


    Our stuck feelings are often embodied in the myofascial tissue. It is through John Barnes' Myofascial Release approach to healing that we can uncover these embodied feelings and let them go. We are literally learning to let go the issues in the tissues. As the saying goes, "We must feel it to heal it". 
      It is felt that each time we experience a trauma, undergo an inflammatory process, or suffer from poor postures over time that the fascial system becomes restricted. These restrictions act like the concentric layers of an onion. These adaptive layers slowly tighten until we begin to lose our physiologic adaptive capacity (our margin of error). Therefore, we slowly tighten, losing our flexibility and spontaneity of motion, setting us up for trauma, pain or restriction of motion. These powerful restrictions begin to pull us out of our three-dimensional orientation with gravity. 
     The goal of Myofascial Release is to help return the individual's physiological adaptive capacity by increasing space and mobility and restoring three-dimensional balance and returning the structure to as close as potentially possible to its vertical orientation with gravity. This equilibrium allows the individual's selfcorrecting mechanisms to come into play and alleviate symptoms and restore proper function.

            The fascial system is a whole body’s system. It is a system of dense irregular connective tissue running from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head.  It is the immediate environment of everything in the body.  Electron microscopy has shown that the fascial system even penetrates into every cell of the body.  

     The ground substance of the fascial system is fluid in nature, and over time, due to physical trauma and nonphysical trauma the ground substance will lose its hydration and become solid. This is how we get restrictions in our facial system. So, just like a spider web, where you can pull at one end of the web and see a reflection of that pull transmit to somewhere else in the spider web, the same thing happens with our fascial web. Restrictions in one part of the body can be felt as symptoms somewhere else in the body.          

      Over time, we get new restriction on top of new restriction pulling within the body.   Now symptoms begin to surface. It is noteworthy that these soft tissue restrictions do not show up in conventional standard testing. Patients then go to the MD and get a nice label for those symptoms.

     As a myofascial release therapist, I do not use any lotions or oils, it is bare hands on skin. I apply gentle but firm pressure into the myofascial restriction and wait for the tissue to release.  After it releases, I follow the tissue barrier upon barrier until the tissue takes me to another restriction. 

    To you it may feel like butter melting or taffy being stretched under my hands, or, if you are good at feeling your body, you may feel it somewhere else in the myofascial web. 

     I encourage you to feel your body as I treat and allow the body to do whatever it wants to do during the treatment. I will keep you safe. The main part of healing is feeling.

     I quiet down my mind, and invite you to quiet down as well, so we both can feel the body.  

     When we are done, I may share a self care routine with you (usually the Hanna Somatic Cat Stretch). 

     The work continues to work after the session and your body will continue to shift.  

     You will want to drink lots of water after the session to flush out toxins.  You may also feel a work out soreness after the session. We call this the "therapeutic soreness" and it should dissipate with 24 to 48 hrs.

To learn more about myofascial release check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWRuS9xAbMo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4QrvlwtBOU