Trager Perspectives with Resistance and Release Work, Treating the Jaw and the Pelvis

There have been so many times that I have been working on a clientÍs jaw when they said, Wow, I can really feel that in my pelvis, or when pelvis work has made palpable shifts in the tension patterns in their jaws. To me this has not been surprising, because the jaw and the pelvis are related to one another in a variety of ways:

• Skeletally, they are connected through the spinal column.
• Muscularly they are connected through the interweaving spinal muscles from occiput to sacrum.
• Neurally they are connected through the spinal cord.
• Their closely associated vertebrae (upper cervicals, lower lumbars) house the two poles of the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system, related to stress release and relaxation.
• They are connected by the entire length of the gut tube, from lips to anus.
• They are synchronized in the cranio-sacral pumping rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluids.

By coupling their treatments together, many profound changes–physical, physiological, neural and psychological–can be stimulated. As they unwind together, a whole new milieu is created for many bodily and mental functions.

Resistance and Release Work has been the most significant development in my practice and teaching since my 24 years of training with Dr. Milton Trager. It is based upon his sensibilities, and is an important extension of his work.

Muscles activate and coordinate in response to vectors of resistance. Resistance-Release Work combines relaxation (release) with the application of specific vectors of force (resistance) around which more functional movement can be reorganized. These vectors consist of tractions and compressions that challenge synergistic groups of muscles to exert their forces in a more complete and more coordinated fashion. As muscles are more consciously activated, their capacity for more complete relaxation is greatly enhanced. The results, as muscles learn to work more effectively in concert, are more strength and more ease, and a sense of personal empowerment for clients as they learn that their own consciously aware efforts can transform discomfort, pain and restricted movement.

The principles of the work are not difficult to learn initially, and their applications unfold endlessly as the practitioner becomes more familiar with them and with the holding patterns of their clients. Resistance-Release Work is a powerful addition to virtually any bodywork modality.

Please bring shorts and bra tops to wear for table work.

CEU: 16
Cost: $350