Is Myofascial Release the same as massage?

No.  The only similarities are that you will be lying on a massage table, our hands are in contact with your skin., and you want to drink a lot of water following the treatment. With Myofascial Release (MFR) the skin must be dry, free of any creams or lotions.  The practitioners’ hands remain in the same position for an extended period of time, until a Release occurs. The tissue is then followed, and so on.  In addition, MFR visually appears as a superficial hands-on body treatment when in fact it reaches deeply, to our cellular level, for long term effects. Massage affects the superficial facia, is heavy pressure superficially, whereas MFR affects the deep layers of the fascial system.

Is it painful?

Not the techniques I’ve learned from John Barnes (I’ve seen knock-off courses offered and can’t speak to what they’re doing-their course objectives were not identifiable to me).

Now with that said, mobilization/”deep tissue” work is intermittently used when needed, however it’s just a portion of the session at times.

What can I expect to feel during or after a treatment?

Being that MFR ‘opens the system up’, clients will express a wide variety of sensations/changes in their bodies.  These range from feeling a sense of calmness to having less pain.  They may experience deeper and more peaceful sleep, have an overall feeling of well-being, or feel more “open/spacious”.  In addition, clients have expressed changes in their bodily functions.  On the other end of the spectrum, it’s also possible to feel more discomfort prior to feeling less discomfort. Clients will explain it as “I felt sore the next day and then felt much better the day after”.  Sometimes it’s possible to find yourself in a “healing crisis”, in which your body is shifting and finding its balance again.  This is completely normal, and will subside as long as it’s encouraged, allowed, and not resisted.  The end result will be what you came to treatment for in the first place… for a shift!

Also possible is the unexpected: the awareness of the now absence of what one wasn’t even aware was there. Love that!

How many visits should I have?

One of the joys of MFR is that there are no set protocols. However, over the years I’ve found that having 3 visits within 1.5 to 2 weeks’ time has been the most beneficial. It both allows the client to experience what this modality has to offer him/her, and it’s within a time frame that allows accurate comparison of the clients’ progress.

Can I do anything on my own related to this work to aid in my body’s healing?

Yes!        Following every session, I recommend one or more self-treatment options. These come in many forms, for example the use of a tool such as a Thumbby or fascial ball, or education of other aspects of JFB’s MFR such as Unwinding or Rebounding. I commonly teach what I call Myofascial Softening.