As the fascial system becomes restricted from trauma, it begins to distort, twist and turn creating a straitjacket effect on the body. This pressure can amount to up to 2,000 pounds per square inch on the system (Katake 1961). The fascia twists and turns somewhat like a corkscrew pulling the body out of alignment and causing massive strain on the internal organs and bony structures. As fascial restrictions are released through MFR, the body spontaneously begins to move, untwist and unwind. This unwinding is the body’s self-correcting mechanism and the unconscious mind’s way of releasing fascial restrictions, which in turn releases the frozen memory that was creating the restriction (Barnes 1990). The body innately knows how to self-correct and will move through positions of both compression and stretch so that tension releases and the fascia softens and returns to its normal resting length.
As the body unwinds during MFR, the physical injury and emotional component of the trauma are released. The body does this by adopting the positions in space, symbolic and actual, in which the trauma occurred. It assumes the same position it was in when it was injured or became stuck in the fight-or-flight response (i.e., position-dependent
167
Myofascial Unwinding
memory). From this position MFR practitioners have witnessed clients spontaneously release the memory. It is theorised that bringing it to conscious awareness allows the client to process it and heal.
Dissociation is a normal, natural process and is part of our protective mechanism. When trauma becomes frozen in our bodies, we cannot heal properly and have to use other methods to protect ourselves from continually re-experiencing the trauma. Our protective mechanisms cause the tissue to tighten, somewhat like numbing the pain, which physically affects other structures. We also may unconsciously stop ourselves from going back into the position in which trauma occurred to avoid the emotional component and traumatic memory. This may create physical symptoms and can elicit the fear, tension and pain cycle (Barnes 2000; Upledger 2002).
As time progresses, symptoms and pain increase, further dissociating us from the thaw response necessary for healing. Basically, fear and pain detach us so far from the trauma that we require many protective mechanisms, many of which are subcon- scious, to enable us to exist in some kind of ‘normal’ lifestyle. The strongest protective mechanism we have is avoidance. When avoidance becomes habit, the self-correcting mechanism becomes lost in a barrage of defensive strategies. When fascia is released, the relaxed state allows the subconscious mind to tap into the physical, emotional and spiritual restrictions that have been frozen in time. The body can now elicit the long- awaited thaw response, and many clients physically shake; this is a normal process and completes the fight-or-flight response cycle.
We already know from research (Schleip et al. 2012) that certain movements stimulate fascia to return to, and maintain, optimal resting length and tone and that fascia needs to move in all directions in various ranges and amplitudes rather than simply being stretched from top to toe. Once the body’s fascia is engaged by pressure, it begins to move in a unique and individual way in response. Indeed, in his Fascial Fitness pro- gramme, Schleip promotes many movements to keep fascia healthy, and many of them are naturally present in the unwinding process.
Myofascial unwinding is a normal and natural process that occurs when a therapeutic connection exists between client and therapist. The healing aspect of MFR is mediated through the therapist’s intention to help and support, to connect and communicate and through the skill and art of the touch.
You can’t make myofascial unwinding happen; when the therapeutic setting is right for the client, it just happens. Although you can be taught the theory and techniques that support unwinding, no one can directly teach you how to unwind a client; you can only experience it, learn from it and allow it to happen. Once you have gained a sense and feel for myofascial unwinding, you can facilitate the process, which will enhance your technique application and treatments.
With time, experience, treatment and further training, myofascial unwinding will allow you to help your clients understand and process not just the physical but also the emotional components of any injury. Although the unique responses to myofascial unwinding are many, here are some general indications of the process:
■ Twitching, jumping, jerking of a limb or body part ■ Shivering or shaking
168 Myofascial Release
■ Changing facial expressions ■ Breathing changes
■ Full-body or local movement
■ Emotional release (crying, laughing, fear, anger, joy) ■ Surfacing of a memory of an event
■ Rapid eye movement
■ Rocking of the body (rebounding)
When you feel that your client’s body wants to move, you can help the process by gently lifting the limb, or body part, allowing it space to move if it needs to. As the limb begins to move, help it travel into positions in space to obtain a better stretch and release of the tissue. Unwinding is the body performing its own fascial stretching session as it moves into certain positions to optimise the release and reorganisation of the tissue.