The 7 Elements of
Myofascial Energetic Release
Touch
Research has established that touch calms our nervous system and slows down our heartbeat. The production of peptides and hormones promoting well-being and bonding are enhanced and stress hormones are lowered. In order for this to happen, the quality of your touch and your presence is important. In MER we teach you to establish a safe therapeutic space where healing can happen.
As you touch your client, you will also touch her on an emotional level. Being attuned to how your client feels will help guide your hands in your therapeutic work and create an atmosphere of safety and trust, helping your client connect with the emotions held in the physical tension. Combined with effective verbal cuing, healing takes place on both a physical en an emotional level.
Knowledge of the anatomy and the biomechanics under your hands will guide you in how you contact your client, how deep you work and how long.
Movement
Conscious movement and the development of sensory awareness are important components of the MER treatment. The body’s innate wisdom to regulate itself can express itself through spontaneous unwinding movements of the fascial tissues during a session. As a practitioner you also invite the client to move in order to help the work go deeper and to help integrate the changes happening in the body. The client does not just receive the treatment but has an active part in it.
The result is more body awareness and lasting improvement. Through his own participation your client will be more able to ‘own’ the transformation taking place and be able to move with more grace and presence.
As a MER practitioner you will learn to stay balanced and aligned throughout the session. That way you work effortlessly and help your client to relax in the process. Even after working with a number of clients you will feel at ease.
Emotions
Our posture is part of defining our emotion and vice-versa. As the myofascial system plays a fundamental role in the body’s mechanics, it also has a link to psychological factors. Rober Schleip and others have determined though research that stiff and inflexible myofascial tissue helps maintain depression and the focus on negative memories, creating a cycle of increased stiffness and negative feelings.
MER deep bodywork helps to break that cycle. Emotional awareness and growth is nourished by conscious release of emotions and trauma held in the body and in the nervous system. The client gets support to express emotionally and to allow spontaneous behaviour. Rather than focusing on problems the client is encouraged to give meaning to his new awareness. Acknowledging, experiencing, expressing, understanding and completing are all a part of the clients’ healing process. The result is greater emotional and physical maturity and more ability to respond to the here-and-now.
Breath
Awareness of how we breathe is an essential element in MER. Through conscious breathing the client takes a pro-active role in the session and helps the practitioner work deeper and more profound. Soft tissue spasm is released, allowing the flow of blood and oxygenation to take place. Homeostasis is restored in the body and feelings of tension, pain and numbness relieved.
Your breathing is intimately connected with your autonomic nervous system, which is part of regulating your stress-level. The combination deep bodywork and conscious breathing will trigger your ‘rest and digest’ state. By relaxing the muscles restricting your breathing we help the diaphragm take on its role as the ‘thoracic pump’ and ‘second heart’ of the body. The result is being able to breathe more fully and efficiently and your body becoming more balanced and relaxed. Your emotional well-being and mental clarity will improve.
Pain Relief
Chronic muscle tension, soft tissue contractions and “muscle knots” are the main factors in most people’s aches and pains. All of us have rigid holding patterns throughout the body but we don’t even always feel this as pain. Our nervous system shuts down to sensation and what is left is just numbness and immobility.
Sometimes lifting something or making an unusual movement will contract the muscles to the point where you start to feel physical pain. A sudden emotional conflict or psychological problem in your life can have the same effect.
MER works through the targeted release of these soft tissue contractions as well as their related emotional issues. Rooted in the latest physiological and psychological knowledge MER offers a transformational experience, enabling you to live a life without chronic pain and with more emotional grounding and awareness. MER also includes natural movement and self-care exercises to support pain-free living.
Meditation
Meditation is the art of putting the mind aside and accessing an inner space of silence, stillness and peace. A state of pure presence is the gateway to true healing, beyond the limitations of ordinary human consciousness. By incorporating meditation in the MER practice we are able to tap into these powerful universal healing energies and direct them to where they are needed, restoring our natural flow in life. A present touch is a true gift to be
experienced.
Connection
The experience of deep interdependent connection is the beating heart of the MER system. The experience of MER through a skillful practitioner empowers the Pro-Active Participant (recipient) to develop a greater understanding of his body, true needs and authentic expression. MER facilitates the Pro-Active Participant to be fully met by the Self in turn and relating with others with choices fostering nourishment, self-care, respect and compassion. Trusting yourself and your body is the foundation of trusting in life.
