The human body is comprised of 4 cell types:

• Epithelial Cells

• Muscle Cells

• Nerve Cells

• Connective Tissue Cells (The Fascia)

All cells have “traits”. Some of the characteristics that make a muscle cell unique are responsiveness, conductivity, contractility, extensibility, and elasticity. These traits are explained in further detail below:

• Responsiveness: The ability of a cell to respond or react to stimuli. For example, a muscle cell may respond to chemicals/hormones in the bloodstream by increasing the intracellular production of certain proteins.

• Excitability: The ability of a cell to change in membrane conductance as a response to stimulation. Although all cells are “excitable”, muscle cells are specialized to react to a change in membrane potential with contraction.

• Conductivity: Stimulation results in more than a local effect. For example, the stimulation of a motor endplate results in a change in cell membrane polarity that rapidly propagates along the entire length of the muscle cell (origin to insertion).

• Contractility: Muscle cells are unique in the amount they can shorten when stimulated. This is due to the highly organized arrangement of myofilaments.

• Extensibility: This is the ability of a cell to be stretched or lengthened without damage. Most cells would rupture with even a modest stretch, but muscles can stretch up to 3 times their contracted length.

• Elasticity: Although this term is often confused with extensibility; elasticity refers to the ability of a cell to return to its resting length after being stretched.

Working directly with the fascia plays an integral role in my approach to somatic body work.

I chase the physiological pain stored within the connective tissue

I intuitively search the body to find tension in the fascia, contraction and tightness in the muscles, consciously feeling my way around the body to pinpoint inflammatory biomarkers, trigger points and connect the pain referral points. I work on manipulating, stretching and manoeuvring the fascia to release the tension, stress and pain that is held stagnant in your vessel. This process is not enjoyable. It is painful, and can bring up many memories, feelings, thoughts, emotions, sensations and reactions. Many clients feel highly discomforted through this, but they will also tell you that, in releasing the physical pain it has been absolutely transformative for them. 

Our connective tissue (fascia) is a fibrous web that extends into every structure and system in the body. With superficial and deeper layers, it surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fibre and muscle in place. The tissue does more than provide internal structure; it has nerves also. Recently proven, the entire fascial network counts approx 250 million nerve endings (Schleip, 2020). It is the richest sensory tissue of the human body. The reason being, it houses 3 times as many sensory neurons as motor neurons. It has a primary role in transmitting information from the body up to the brain via the vagus nerve. (The vagus nerve is out bi-directional information highway between the brain and body that helps regulate the nervous system). It’s common among clients that I’ll work on releasing the fascia in a particular area and an old memory which may have been blocked/numbed out, will resurface. 

The tissues of the fascia expand and contract. However, when we experience traumatic events we move into sympathetic stress state which restricts and contracts movement to ensure our survival. If left stuck in this state (and I’d we enter a dorsal shut down) the fascia hardens and builds up various trigger points (tiny nodules of biochemical waste) in the muscle fibres. Trigger points are painful “knots” in your muscles that can be very sensitive to touch and pressure. They may form after acute trauma or by repetitive micro-trauma, leading to stress on muscle fibers. It causes the muscle fibers to be stuck in a contracted state. Sometimes you can feel these knots when you rub your muscle

And this is where I come in, to help you release and restore the relationship with your body. True embodiment means being in brain-body coherence, having interceptive awareness and a deep inner felt sense of self, including the narratives of the fascia that innervates your whole internal structure