The Science of Presence, Touch and Movement: A Deep Dive For Bodyworkers

Join us for a transformative three-day class designed to elevate your practice by integrating cutting-edge scientific principles with hands-on techniques. Emphasis on Neuroanatomy of Trager Approach.

Day 1: Presence

• Explore the critical importance of presence in bodywork.
• Learn how to cultivate and deepen this essential skill.
• Practice presence with different focal points to enhance client outcomes.
• Dive into the science of the nervous system, biotensegrity, and the forces of gravity and ground reaction, understanding how weight distribution in your own body impacts your client’s experience.

Day 2: Touch

• Delve into the art and science of touch, examining why we touch and who is really touching whom.
• Prepare your hands to deliver therapeutic touch
• Become familiar with sensory receptors, mechanotransduction, and the pathways that shape our touch experience, from the somatosensory cortex to the insular cortex.
• Differentiate between gnostic and pathic touch and explore the unique qualities of soft matter in bodywork.

Day 3: Movement

• Navigate the existing and emerging paradigms of movement science.
• Understand joint mechanics, proprioceptors, and the role of mechanotransduction in movement.
• Discover the importance of novelty in movement
• Learn about motor unit recruitment, central pattern generators, and the importance of full joint excursion for balanced and effective bodywork.

Elevate your practice by integrating these scientific insights with hands-on experience, and watch as your effectiveness as a bodyworker reaches new heights.

Instructor: Eileen Dickenson:

Eileen has been practicing physical therapy and the Trager Approach for several decades. Growing from her roots in Physical Therapy, she has been studying scientific information that is applicable to Movement and Manual Therapy, notably Trager, for many years. Biotensegrity, a rich and emerging field of science, is her most recent study. She loves sharing her current understanding of the anatomical and physiological correlates of Manual, Movement, and especially Trager principles, processes, and outcomes.