Healing Through Deep Bodywork®: Advanced Back-work

Deep connective tissue techniques for massage and body therapists

As the demand for Deep Connective Tissue Work is increasing, Perry and Johanna Holloman have developed a series of Deep Bodywork courses which they teach at the Esalen Institute, California and worldwide. Each of these seminars focuses on specific body structures and segments and their functions and possible acute and chronic complaints. After participating in 5 Deep Bodywork courses, the Deep Bodywork Practitioner certificate can be obtained.

Perry and Johanna Holloman developed Deep Bodywork over 30 years ago and lead seminars in the USA, Europe and Asia. They look forward to showing you how you can easily incorporate Deep Bodywork into your existing bodywork practice!

Advanced Back-work: Working with Acute and Chronic Pain

Dealing with acute and chronic pain of the back is one of the most common, if not the most common, issue facing massage and bodywork practitioners. Providing our clients with both immediate as well as long-term relief from back pain is one of the most valuable services we can offer. Learning to do this while taking care of our own bodies and remaining injury free is the goal of this seminar. We will teach you, optimal body mechanics, allowing you to work with gravity instead of using muscle strength so that you can work effectively with less effort.

Some of the important soft tissue structures we will learn to work with are the erector spinae muscles, quadratus lumborum, psoas, piriformis, and deeper intrinsic muscles surrounding and stabilizing the spine. You will learn to work with clients lying prone, supine, and in the side-lying posture.

Deep Bodywork is a presence-based approach designed to engage our clients’ innate capacities to self-organize and heal. The most common theme we teach our students is the value of slowing down and giving our clients’ nervous systems a chance to "work with our work" from the inside. When we successfully do this, our work becomes more effective and long-lasting because our clients learn how to self-heal using the energy provided by our touch.

Each morning will begin with awareness-based movement and breath practices designed to help participants embody presence in a manner supporting this work.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites for participation in this seminar are a basic training in massage comprising 150 hours and experience as a massage therapist.

Remarks

32 hours of training, EMR/ASCA compliant.

Please bring

Neutral, plant-based massage oil and a fatty massage cream (thicker consistency such as shea butter, cocoa butter etc.).