Hi Marsha …. I am glad you had a good experience with Myofascial Release.  It doesn’t take long with Myofascial Release to take one into the deeper dimensions of life.

I have a visual “photographic memory” so that I remember everyone’s face, body and the felt/sense of their essence, but I have had the opportunity to train so many that I can’t remember all the names and their locations.

What would help you is to go to my web site (www.myofascialrelease.com) and find the Myofascial Release directory or go to MFR-talk on the home page of my web site and join the Myofascial Release chatline.  The Myofascial Release chatline has therapists and physicians that I have trained from around the world from beginning level to advanced level.  There is no cost and ask for a therapist in the area you are interested in to respond.

 I hope  this helps you and look forward to meeting you in the future.

 John

John F. Barnes, P.T., LMT, NCTMB

Hi Bob.  Nice to hear from you.  Bob has had a successful Myofascial Release practice in Dubois, PA for over 20 years.  Bob brings up an important point i.e.:  the client lying there passively wanting to be “fixed” that rarely achieves their goals.

We were taught that we should be able to “fix” our clients.  The problem is that we can’t “fix” anybody.  The other word that I have problems with is “healer.”  We can’t heal anybody.  But with Myofascial Release and other forms of manual therapy, such as massage, energy techniques and bodywork,  we assume the role of facilitator or guide to enable and empower our clients to tap into the awesome healing power within all of us.

As you know, we need to continually educate our clients on the value of them moving out of the passive mode and into being a more active participant that is responsible for their own health.

The reason that I just developed the new “Fireside Chat” DVD (www.myofascialrelease.com)  is to deepen the therapist’s and client’s understanding of my Myofascial Release principles and how to enhance the clarity of their mind, achieve emotional tranquility, achieve their goals and deepen their healing potential.

Bob is a highly talented Myofascial Release therapist and if you are having problems and would like to experience Myofascial Release contact Bob at : bobmfrptx@atlanticbb.net

John,

John F. Barnes, PT, LMT, NCTMB

Rich is a very talented Myofascial Release therapist that has extensive experience in mental health.   Rich combines Myofascial Release with the Monroe Institutes’s  “Hemi-Sync sound” which synchronizes the neural activity between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

Rich is about to open a new Myofascial Release practice in the beautiful mountains of Payson, AZ .

Best of luck, Rich!  Please let us know your new address and Grand Opening date.

John

John F. Barnes, PT, LMT, NCTMB

Dottie is a very courageous woman who suffered debilitating pain for many years and was getting progressively worse.  She was to the point where she was about to look into purchasing a wheelchair to get around.

She discovered a therapist that did Myofascial Release and her life was turned around to the point where she has been pain free for over a year, has become a massage therapist and now has a successful Myofascial Release practice that is full with a waiting list.

To answer your question “what is a quick, concise way to describe Myofascial Release to a new client?”

“I hear and understand your frustration you have had, test after test, medicine, surgery and years of therapies and yet you have had only temporary results.

Through the Myofascial Release visual analysis and tissue texture analysis I can feel and see that you have Myofascial Release restrictions.  The fascia is a tough, 3-dimensional fibrous web of connective tissue that surrounds, infuses with and profoundly influences every structure, system and cell of your body.  Trauma, surgery and inflammation responses can cause myofascial restrictions that can produce crushing pressure of up to approx. 2000 lbs per square inch on pain sensitive structures that can be creating and perpetuating your symptoms of pain and tightness.

Myofascial restrictions do not show up in any of the standard tests, (x-rays, cat scans, mylograms, blood work etc.) so they are unfortunately ignored or misdiagnosed.  Myofascial Release is safe, gentle and highly effective in helping to relieve pain, headaches and restoring motion”.

For more detailed information, please refer to my article “The John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach - Part One” in Massage Magazine December 2006 issue.  Go to www.massagemag.com/Magazine  scroll down to “Industry Expert Showcase” click on “John Barnes” then click on “Myofascial Release Approach, Part One”.

Hope this helps Dottie.  Continue on your journey!

John

John F. Barnes, PT, LMT, NCTMB

Scott, thanks for the nice words.  Scott is a highly skilled Myofascial Release therapist that has a very successful Myofascial Release practice in Brewster, NY.    His website is www.wholisticphysicaltherapy.com. 

 Scott oversees a Myofascial Release study group once a month.  If you are interested in watching Scott perform an actual treatment, along with other YouTube videos he has created, you can go to his website as well.

John

John F. Barnes, P.T., LMT, NCTMB

Carol Davis is a professor at the University of Miami where in addition to other therapies, she teaches Myofascial Release and has written an excellent book “Complimentary Therapies”, which is now going into its 3rd edition.  For information on this comprehensive book, which has approximately 50 references to research that validates Myofascial Release, you can email at cmdavis@miami.ed.

Dr. Davis has a wealth of knowledge on the research that has been done on Myofascial Release.  As she has stated, the vibration of thought, emotion, and information flow through the fluidity of the micro-tubules of the fascial system.  Trauma, surgery, and thwarted inflammatory processes dehydrates the fascial system’s fluid, creating the environment for pain, restriction of motion and disease.

I hope Dr. Davis will share more of her insights on the vibratory, energetic aspect of the fascial system.

John

John F. Barnes,  P.T., LMT, NCTMB

Dael,

Massage Magazine prefers that I not answer specific treatment questions relating to a person’s diagnosis or symptomatic complex and I fully agree.  From the Myofascial Release perspective one must see and touch the individual to be accurate and effective. We do not use protocols or formulas for symptoms or diagnosis’s.   Remember, “Find the pain, look elsewhere for the cause!”.  Rarely are the symptoms anywhere close to the actual cause of the problem.

In general, it is best to use the more gentle techniques with the fibromyalgia client. Utilize visual analysis, tissue texture analysis, motion testing and checking for energy flow blockage or chaos.  Fibromyalgia is the latest “buzz word” for unrecognized and improperly treated Myofascial restrictions.

Myofascial Release can be very helpful for those diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  Dael, take your time and be soft with them.

John

John F. Barnes, P.T., LMT, NCTMB

Thank you all for your kind words. Yvonne, I am sorry to hear about your recent whiplash accident. Myofascial Release can be very effective in both acute and chronic pain. As long as there aren’t any fractures, extensive tissue damage, or unstable medical signs, the gentle Myofascial Release techniques are safe, soothing, and can help the individual return to function quickly.

Dan is a very successful, intelligent, and courageous man, who went through hell for years.  He tried every form of therapy, medication and surgery to no avail.  For those that would like more in depth information on his inspirational journey, visit his website,  www.getwellhealed.com.

Dan, you deserve a lot of credit.  You never gave up!

Jackie, best of luck in starting your new Myofascial Release practice.  Initially keep your costs down and have a small “nest egg” until things pick up.

People need to know who you are and what you can offer them, so do some advertising to get started.  The word of mouth about the effectiveness of Myofascial Release is enormous.  Be patient, for it takes a little time for the momentum to build.  Then your satisfied clients refer their friends and loved ones due to the quality results Myofascial Release can provide.

Visit orthopedic surgeons, family physicians, chiropractors and TMJ specialists.

Women’s Health is very important and neglected, so visit the gynecologist with information of how Myofascial Release can help their patients.  Also, treat the physician’s office manager for free.  He or she will then start to refer copious amounts of patients.  As you know, Myofascial Release can only be truly understood by experiencing it.Set up a small booth at a local health fair and give out information on you and offer free 5 minute treatments.  You will be swamped and will generate a lot of new patients in good will.
Therapists with a Myofascial Release practice are very successful and all started out small.  Keep a positive attitude and you ,too, will be very successful!
John

I have always admired the quality of content and visual beauty of the “Massage Magazine”. So I was pleased when they asked me to share my philosophy, theories and musings on my approach to Myofascial Release on this BLOG. 

I was a good athlete competing in football, competitive karate and weight lifting. My injury, lifting over 300 pounds and resultant long-term pain led me to discover the theories and principles of my approach to Myofascial Release that is considerably different than other forms of massage or other seminars called Myofascial Release. 

What is now being discovered is that all medical, dental and therapeutic education is based on obsolete information. I am not being critical for I was guilty of much of what I am about to say for much longer than most of you. However, the time has come in healthcare to be honest. We all need to step back and take a very serious and comprehensive look at what we were taught. 

Max Plank, the father of quantum physics, has said that, “science progresses one death at a time.” What the vast majority of scientists have not done is to consider the metaparadigm that the traditional paradigm is based upon. A paradigm is a set of shared assumptions that states our perceived model of reality. Our decades of experience with Myofascial Release have shown the metaparadigm of traditional therapy is incomplete and terribly flawed. When the fundamental concept of the metaparadigm is erroneous, then all of the other concepts that emanate from this fundamental flaw, may be logical but incorrect. This then leads to techniques that only produce temporary results. 

Those that have yet to experience Myofascial Release think that our whole focus is the fascial system. Nothing could be further from the truth! 

I view the fascial system as a powerful handle to access the totality of the human being. As we release the fascial restrictions, we are also create a positive and profound effect upon the golgi tendon organs, the spindle cells of the muscular component, the vascular and lymphatic systems, the osseous structures, the brain and neural system, the neuropeptide system, the acupuncture meridians and the mind. 

Our experience is that there is wisdom, emotions and memories in every cell of the body, which can be released in the most gentle, compassionate and effective way with Myofascial Release. I have had the opportunity of training over 50,000 therapists and physicians who are successfully using Myofascial Release with over 1 million clients per month. Myofascial Release is the “missing link” that will greatly enhance everything you do. 

My intention is to share with you what my intuition, instincts and 48 years of experience treating people from all over the world has taught me.  

-Are you tired of your body hurting?-Are you tired of being tired?-Do you want to achieve emotional and mental tranquility?-Are you frustrated with temporary results, no matter how hard you work?-Do you want to reach your full potential? 

Please ask what you are curious about and I will do my best to express my perspective clearly to you. 

Sincerely, 

John

John F. Barnes, P.T., L.M.T., N.C.T.M.B., is an international lecturer, author and authority on Myofascial Release, and an acknowledged expert in the areas of massage therapy and physical therapy. John graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1960 with a degree in physical therapy. He has taught over 50,000 therapists worldwide in his Myofascial Release Approach.

John F. Barnes, is the president of Myofascial Release Treatment Centers in Paoli, Pennsylvania, and Sedona, Arizona. Clients are referred to his treatment centers from around the world when traditional therapy, medicine or surgery have failed.

He is the author of Myofascial Release, the Search for Excellence (Rehabilitation Services, Inc., 1990) and Healing Ancient Wounds: the Renegade’s Wisdom (MFR Treatment Centers and Seminars, 2000). John is on the Council of Advisors of the American Back Society and the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies; and is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association. For more information call 1-800-FASCIAL (327-2425) or visit www.myofascialrelease.com