First thing to know is that this is a very gentle hands-on form of bodywork that uses sustained pressure, light stretching of the fascial fibers, and gentle traction.

During your session, you will wear the least amount of clothing as possible, preferably a bathing suit, (2-piece for women). This is for 3  reasons:

• First of all, your session will begin with your therapist observing your standing posture to see where tightness, misalignments, restrictions, and scars may be presenting themselves.

• Secondly, MFR is a skin-on-skin approach, meaning it is important for the Myofascial Release practitioner to work with their hands directly on the recipient’s bare skin.

• Thirdly, the body will often respond to the fascia releasing with different areas of the body flushing, or turning red, becoming warm, or various body movements and it is important for the therapist to be able to observe these signs.

During your session, your therapist will use various hands-on techniques to release fascial restrictions such as sustained pressure, cross-stretching of the fascial fibers, tissue manipulation, and gentle joint traction.

No harm can come from an MFR session as the therapist never pushes the body, but rather works slowly and gently with the body, holding a position until the tissue “melts” into a release. Most clients experience the sessions to be deeply relaxing, often falling asleep during a session. However, because so many of our fascial adhesions are related to trauma, whether emotional or physical, the releasing process can bring about a variety of responses. As fascial adhesions are worked on, the energy from the experience that caused that scar or adhesion to form will also be “unknotted” and released. This can cause an emotional release that may bring up feelings of sadness, grief, fear, guilt, shame, unworthiness, pain, etc. Your body may want to release energy through tears, vocalizing, coughing, twitching, shaking, twisting, stretching, etc.

Know that it is not necessary to analyze or even understand what is happening, the important thing is to stay out of the way as much as possible and allow the body to “unwind” or release in the way the body’s inherent intelligence knows it needs to do.

Releasing and processing can also continue to happen after your session has concluded. It is possible that you may leave your session feeling light, refreshed, and freer in your body. However, you may also find that you feel tired, emotional, or your body may experience some discomfort, or your “symptoms” may feel worse than before the session. These are all just a part of the healing process. Healing is not an “event”, nor does it occur in a straight line, it is an unwinding process. Be gentle with yourself and do things that will support your healing process – most importantly being, do not inhibit or try to shut the process down. Feel the feelings that come up, and allow them to pass through. Spend some time in nature, even if it’s just standing with your bare feet in the grass in your back yard, allow your skin to be exposed to the sun, drink lots of healthy water (either clean spring water or filtered water with some lemon, lime, cucumber, or a small pinch of sea salt added to remineralize your water), get as much rest as your body needs, eat light, natural, whole, unpackaged/processed foods, and love yourself

If you have been experiencing chronic pain or disease, have postural misalignments that have set in, or have trauma that you are releasing, it is most effective if you can start off with an intensive of sessions, receiving sessions 4-5 days/week (you may be even receive multiple sessions/day), for several weeks, then tapering off, and then establishing a maintenance program. Your therapist will also give you self-release techniques to do at home so you may further your myofascial release work between sessions and on your own.