If you’ve read my previous blogs, you know that I have a strong passion for bodywork and it’s far-reaching positive effects on the holistic health of our bodies. I vehemently believe that releasing emotional traumas from our tissues is an important step to achieving full health and eliminating symptoms or reversing disease. And as you know...that is always my plight!

So how did I come across Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR)? MFR was my most recent exploration in healing. When I became more physically active and started taking figure skating lessons, I noticed that I had many restrictions in movement. I could twist more to one side than the other side, one arm went higher than the other, my hips were very closed off. As I got better and wanted to achieve more in figure skating, I started to explore ways that I could self-correct after practice so I didn’t have to suffer until my next chiropractor or Visceral Manipulation appointment. Icing, stretching, loosening up in the infrared sauna were all part of that plan.

I also started to use the fascia blaster and foam roller. I was mainly focused on my very tight calves. I noticed that I would feel loser and more stable after fascia blasting or foam rolling, but I may end up with a more serious restriction in another part of my body, such as my lower back. At one point, my calves were very loose but I developed a sort of duck walk! The chiropractor was becoming less and less effective for me. It may help for 24 hours, but the rewards were never lasting and usually, once again, I would develop a tweak in another area of my body.

Then I remembered my biological dentist preaching to me the importance of what he called “structure” to the overall health of our bodies. When we study the physical component of healing, many people focus on diet and supplements and not much in the realm of how our body is physically structured. As life has gone on, where are our aches and pains? How has the physical location of our organs and limbs changed as we age?

Knowing that the fascia blaster and foam roller had some positive impact on how I felt, I did an old-fashioned Google search on fascia. “Treatments that help fascia,” “How to heal fascia.” And then I stumbled upon the work of John F. Barnes and Myofascial Relief Therapy. I searched my area for a practitioner and called Elena Gournelos of Whole Healing Myofascial Release Therapy. After speaking with her about her philosophy, I made an appointment with Elena. 

I have been receiving Myofascial Release Therapy monthly for about 8 months now and I can honestly say it has given me an enormous leap forward in my healing. It has helped my progress in my PTSD treatment dramatically. I have more overall mobility, less body-wide pain, less fatigue and am more empowered overall. I feel I have been able to work on aligning all the areas of myself that needed healing.

I wish this for everyone, so I wanted to share some of Elena’s philosophy and expertise with you today. She shares some amazing insights so please be sure to read and share this Q & A’s with others who might benefit!

 

          

A: Elena Gournelos - First let’s talk about fascia. Fascia is a continuous web of connective tissue that surrounds every cell of your body. It is the “scaffolding” which supports your cells, skeleton, brain and all internal organs, giving your body its shape. Without fascia, you would just be a puddle of cells on the floor! Moreover, it is a self-contained biotensegrity structure. In addition to keeping your body upright, it has both elastic and structural functions, which allows it to act as a shock absorber and to protect the body from injury. In addition, it transmits information throughout the body in the form of electrical, mechanical and chemical signals (more on that later!); this unique property of fascia is part of what makes Myofascial Release therapy so profoundly effective.

In cases of injury, surgery or acute trauma, fascia hardens and solidifies to protect the injured area while it heals. In cases of repetitive trauma, such as poor posture, chronic illness or emotional abuse, the fascia develops bracing patterns to protect us from potential injury. All these types of trauma result in fascial restrictions which wreak havoc on our bodies and health, causing chronic pain and dysfunction. In fact, unless they are released, they often grow worse over time. Those of us who have experienced chronic pain are all too familiar with this pattern; the dysfunction gets more and more complex and painful until we feel like we are living as strangers in our own bodies, stuck in our own internal straightjacket of chronic pain and tightness.

So then, what is Myofascial Release? MFR is a whole body-mind-spirit therapy that uses slow, gentle, sustained pressure and stretching of the fascia to release these painful, sometimes debilitating restrictions. Just like untangling a knotted bundle of string, an MFR practitioner slowly untangles and unwinds the fascia of the body, restoring fluidity and elasticity to the tissue and allowing full mobility and proper functioning to return. And remember that fascia is everywhere and surrounds every cell of your body, including your brain! This unique physiological characteristic of fascia is what makes MFR so powerful, and what gives and MFR the ability to affect all body systems, including the neurological, endocrine and immune systems. It is what allows for powerful emotional release and deep spiritual transformation.

 

       

A: Elena Gournelos - Myofascial release as it is currently practiced was first developed by John F. Barnes around 50 years ago. The practice is still evolving and deepening. However, the truth is, this work has ancient roots. The power and healing potential inherent in “hands on” fascia work has probably been used for healing in ancient cultures across the globe for millennia.

 

    

A: Elena Gournelos - Because MFR is a very holistic approach, the benefits are vast a wide-reaching. Of course, most people come for relief of chronic pain, and it is extremely effective for this in every part of the body, from the head to the pelvis to the feet! However, it is also useful for treating other more elusive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, urinary incontinence, prostate problems, vertigo, tinnitus, scar tissue formation, even lupus or multiple sclerosis. Since fascial restrictions are not detectable by any medical tests, including MRIs, many fascially related problems are often misdiagnosed as more serious illness such as lupus or MS.

Beyond the medical applications, however, is the beneficial effect on the whole being and spirit. In addition to the physical, myofascial release is deeply transformative both on an emotional and spiritual level. As clients progress through MFR therapy, many people find themselves happier, more energized, more alive. They make better life decisions and set better boundaries, sometimes even making very positive and deeply meaningful life changes they never would have considered possible before.

 

 

A: Elena Gournelos - I actually have a medical background, with a BS is neuroendocrinology and women’s health. I was on the track to becoming an MD/Ph.D., but before I made the full commitment, a little voice in my head said, “why don’t you work in the medical field for a while, both in research and clinical applications, before you commit?” And that’s what I did … thank goodness! I experienced first hand how limited conventional medicine really is both in its understanding of chronic illness and in its treatment options. I also realized that conventional medicine had little understanding of the importance of the spirit, and despite centuries of scientific research still couldn’t really explain what being ALIVE really means. So I began exploring other healing systems and treatment options myself, traveling the world as I did so. I eventually found everything I was looking for in myofascial release… a therapy that combines the physical, the energetic, the emotional and the spiritual, that is highly effective and scientifically sound. My inner scientist had finally found a way to harmonize with my heart and spirit.

 

 

A: Elena Gournelos - I see a wide range of clients, from top athletes to people suffering from chronic pain or even terminal diseases. What they have in common is a deep desire to live a full life, to be happy and pain-free. Most of them have already tried many other therapies with limited success, but they don’t give up. They WANT to heal, and they want to be their best possible selves. The clients who receive the most profound benefits are the ones most open to complete transformation of the body, mind, and spirit. One of my favorite quotes from John Barnes is “mediocre goals create mediocre results.” They may not believe it when they first walk in the door since they have been fighting pain for so long, but my clients all have the capacity for deep healing. Over time they discover this and their own power, and they do heal, in so many profoundly beautiful and unexpected ways.

         

 

A: Elena Gournelos - We have been taught by conventional medicine that we are just a big bag of cells and chemicals. I am no exception … with my background in biochemistry, I was taught the same thing. But it’s simply not true! We are fascial beings, and fascia has been ignored for decades simply because there’s no test for it. As soon as you start working with the fascial restrictions that put so much pressure on our internal structures and organs, chronic pain starts to melt away.

 

 

A: Elena Gournelos - Again, the bag of chemicals fallacy is extremely prevalent when it comes to autoimmune diseases. From personal experience, I know that neuro-immuno-endocrinology is a fascinating field, and comes closer than any other chemical based system to explaining the wholeness and integrated nature of the biological human being, but it still falls short when practical issues of diagnosis and treatment, and thus the lives of real human beings, are at stake.

Unfortunately, autoimmune disorders such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and lupus are often over diagnosed and are tragically used to label people with health issues that don’t quite fit into neat little boxes. These individuals are offered little insight into the cause of their symptoms and even less in terms of viable treatment options, and the result is often frustration, stress, anxiety, and depression. It is heartbreaking to witness and even more difficult to live with, as anyone with an autoimmune disorder can tell you!

Here is where myofascial release can help... you are not just a bag of chemicals, you are a fascial being, and two of the most fascinating and cutting edge fields of medicine, mechanobiology, and biophysics, are utilized in myofascial release therapy. These fields study explore how mechanical and electrical forces affect our biological systems, and myofascial release works through two related scientific principles: piezoelectricity and mechanotransduction.

Piezoelectricity means that just like a crystal, applying sustained pressure to fascia creates an electrical current in the tissue, and therefore the whole body. In fact, acupuncture meridians are thought to travel through the fascia. Mechanotransduction occurs when mechanical forces (such as the sustained pressure of MFR) cause chemical changes via receptors located primarily in the fascia. These two principles combine in myofascial release to induce whole body changes. Myofascial release has been shown scientifically to affect the immune system by releasing interleukin-8, the body’s natural anti-inflammatory chemical. Since another word for fascia is the extracellular matrix or the “scaffolding” that holds our cells in place, MFR reduces the pressure on the whole system, therefore creating space in the body and freeing cells to function properly. Sustained pressure has even been shown to revert cancer cells to normal functioning.

The symptoms associated with autoimmune disorders are often alleviated with myofascial release because a whole body disorder that is difficult to define is often best treated by a whole body therapy that aims to balance the whole system instead of treating its individual chemical constituents. As advanced as neuro-immuno-endocrinology research may be, there are still many things as of yet undiscovered. Thus, treating the chemical component alone will always be an incomplete approach.

 

 

A: Elena Gournelos - If Myofascial Release is specific for anything, in particular, it is the treatment of trauma, both physical and emotional. When we have a traumatic experience(s), our entire being goes into a fight-flight-freeze response. Even if we survive, the trauma may not fully heal. It can actually get “frozen” into our bodies, into our fascia, creating chronic pain and mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD.    

Myofascial release unlocks the freeze response, allowing our bodies to fully heal an experience which was too traumatic to face at the time. The danger is past, and in a therapeutic MFR session a client is free to release the emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations it wasn’t safe to feel when the danger was present. Often this involves peeling back and healing the layers piece by piece… it is not necessary to face the trauma all at once. MFR never pushes or forces, and clients will only release what they are ready to release in each session. Sometimes memories may surface, but this is not necessary for healing. Often the trauma can be released through feeling alone, and it is not a “re-experiencing” type of trauma therapy. Trauma survivors often find that they reintegrate pieces of themselves that they lost during the trauma and they renegotiate the outcome, rediscovering their inner power, self-worth, and self-love. This creates a foundation for deep transformation in their lives, a life that they choose, not a life dictated by their past traumatic experiences.                                                                      

 

 

A: Elena Gournelos - Myofascial Release complements just about any therapy. Releasing the restricted fascia around muscles, joints, and bones make physical therapy, chiropractic, and even personal training easier and more effective, with quicker and more long-lasting results. It is also a great complement to psychotherapy because it helps to release trauma from the body and promote a feeling of active embodiment where the client can actually manifest the changes they are working to create in their lives. It helps them identify emotional triggers and feel safe, confident and powerful in their own bodies, perhaps for the first time in their lives.

 

 

A: Elena Gournelos - Most sessions last between 60-90 minutes. There is also an educational component in which clients are taught how to release their own fascia at home.

 

       

A: Elena Gournelos - Everyone is different. I always tell my clients that treatments are like snowflakes … we are all human, but everyone is a completely unique being, and in fact, no two sessions are alike - even for the same person! Benefits are often experienced after just one session, and the benefits build and grow with time and experience. Often clients may find that their initial issue resolved, but that they discovered many other benefits through the course of treatment, so they choose to continue therapy to address other issues as well.                                 

 

          

A: Elena Gournelos - True Myofascial Release training is available only through John Barnes. Manual therapists who are already trained and licensed can elect to study with John Barnes by attending his training seminars throughout the United States.

 

           

A: Elena Gournelos - Helping people come back to life!! Whether a person’s trauma is physical, emotional, sexual or medical, trauma shuts us down and cuts us off from our very essence. It keeps us from connecting to ourselves and others, keeps us from truly engaging in life. Myofascial Release changes all that. Watching my clients come back to life, reclaiming their power and their joy, is by far the most gratifying aspect of work. It is truly an honor to be a part of my clients’ healing process.

 

Q: Savvy Health Coach - What kind of responses do your patients share with you after their first Myofascial Release session?   

 

A: Elena Gournelos - For most people, it is a fascinating and eye-opening experience. You feel and experience your body in a way that you never dreamed possible. Sometimes there is an immediate positive change, but sometimes it can take a few days as the body begins to reawaken and adjust to a state of greater health. Sometimes clients experience an energetic detox in which they may feel fatigue, pain or discomfort for a brief period of a few days, but then feel much better after the detox period passes.

 

 

A: Elena Gournelos - Check the MFR directory (mfrtherapists.com). It’s important to find a therapist that is a good match for you, so pay attention to how you feel speaking or working with a therapist. It’s not just the number of courses a therapist has taken that makes him or her a good match, it’s also their personality, spirituality, and accumulated life skills that will help you gain the most from your session.

 

 

A: Elena Gournelos - My practice encompasses more than just Myofascial Release. It is a distillation of my entire being and everything I have learned in my life, including martial arts and meditation practices, other cranial therapies, life experience, and accumulated wisdom. My work in Myofascial Release is whole being therapy, and I bring my whole being into the treatment room to help my clients in every way I can. My mission is to help my clients become whole beings with powerful, integrated hearts, minds, spirits, bodies and souls. That’s the meaning behind the name of my practice, “Whole Healing Myofascial Release.”