neuromuscular therapy (NMT)

I attended an NMT class and the results are amazing.

Finally a bigger picture is emerging.

A lot of massage therapists just basic Swedish massage, as relaxation massage, or some light version of therapeutic massage. Yeah, it can feel good, but when you get up, you are the same old you.

Rolfers seem to know the "canned" 10 sessions that remold the whole body. Many of them do not know how to work with someone in smaller more focused chunks, e.g in case of injuries and pain. I love rolfing for its ability to remold the body. That is the way to go. Make real, true change. But how to do that for each person individually.

Chiropractors typically yank bones around using high velocity, high impact. When muscles are tight, they pull those bones right back out again. Very often we feel pain in area X but the problem is in area Y, and yes, often the pinched spinal nerves are a problem, BUT the nerves are often pinched because muscles are tight. Just working on the spine is often not enough, there are LOTS MORE muscles and connective tissue that can be related. So, a chiropractic adjustment will typically not work on someone who is full of trigger points.

Bowen therapy also doesn't work on people full of trigger points. I tried it. After one day in Bowen intro class, my neck was feeling better, but my old foot injury was hurting. If one day of learning Bowen can do that to someone, then it is not really a safe technique. Also, my neck didn't really change at all structurally, it just was more relaxed. I use Bowen to relax people whose muscles are really really tight. Then I use some more deeper, structurally changing technique.

Cranio sacral therapy also doesn't get rid of trigger points and tightness. WHen there are trigger points, the CST cannot really fully work. It sort of assumes a body that is relatively ironed out to begin with. Again, sometimes it is makes a wonderful relaxing entry into deeper, structurally changing work.

The way I was taught shiatsu didn't include injuries and pain much. Lomi practitioners and teachers are often the same way.

NMT seems to work, because it changes things deeply. It is dangerous too! Therapists can exert pressure to wrong places and hurt people. Therefore, this line of work requires a lot more training, like rolfing. It is more along medical lines. People who will seek such treatments are more likely to be in pain and thus more vulnerable to being injured.