The Basics of Myofascial Release

The John F. Barnes approach Myofascial Release was developed over fifty years ago. It remains a gold standard for the treatment for chronic and unexplained pain. It bridges all aspects of the human experience- Mind, Body and Consciousness. It effectively can restore whole body awareness and relieve pain long term.

The principles of John F Barnes approach Myofascial release are the gentle and sustained pressure into the fascial system.

Why so gentle? Glad you asked! I get alot of people ready for the grand "beatdown" often associated with the only way to "break up the knots." Well, there is no such thing as "knots." The centered therapist will start very light and gently sink into what we call the "barrier." The barrier is the point at which the fascia will no longer give or elongate. If one goes past this barrier, you stand to activate the elastic component of the tissue (muscle fibers) and this creates drag or resistance in the system. This brings in the importance of a centered therapist. We are trained to feel even the slightest change and sense the most subtle alteration in mobility around a joint or a structure.

The time component is also one of the cornerstone's of John's teachings. By exerting pressure to the barrier and holding it for a period of time up to 5-8 minutes, the fascia will start to go through the different phases of release and long term change. A trained therapist will recognize when the system starts to release and elongate.

Get out of your head!

John speaks on the Channel 5 and Channel 3 experiences. Most of our waking life has us in Channel 5 (the intellect and ego). It is separate and, often, suppresses and dismisses the signals from Channel 3 (the intuition, subconscious and unconscious mind). The body is a reflection of the Channel 3. Tapping into this allows for deeper integration and sensitivity to the changes happening in the body. This takes practice!! We live in a society there Channel 3 has atrophied.

For this reason, I usually encourage the client to center themselves with me. Asking the client to take their awareness to the area where I am working and softening. This allows for the mental chatter, the unconscious bracing that may be happening to release.

Here are some more descriptions of both states:

Channel 5- focuses on the outcome, hyperviligent, assigns a story to everything, intellecualizes feelings and emotions, avoids difficult feelings and emotions, looks for certainty, assigns a timeline/deadline, associates productivity with success, thinks healing is a linear process, overloads the mind with information.

Channel 3- open to new ideas and experiences, centered, lets go of the outcome and trusts the process or journey, is present, grounded, experiences quietude, is curious within the experience, can express feelings and sensations in the body, allows movement/unwinding to occur, allows body's innate wisdom to lead the healing process, patience with the non-linear nature of the healing process.

In a session, the client will be in workout clothes, bathing suits or the like. There is no gliding on the tissue and clients are asked to hold off on putting lotions on the skin the day of treatment. This helps your therapist connect in and manipulate the tissue effectively- without glide. No lotion or oils are used for the same reason.

I will go more into depth on the more extensive information about Myofascial Release soon. Stay tuned! Glad you are here.