The Thinking Practitioner

🎙In this special episode recorded live at the 7th International Fascial Research Congress in New Orleans, Til Luchau gathers conversations with leading researchers, educators, and practitioners from around the world. From collagen synthesis breakthroughs to fascia typologies, scar tissue management, mental imagery, and integrative perspectives on touch and movement, this episode captures the excitement and connections at the forefront of fascia research.

🔍Interviews by Time Code:

•01:04 — Robert Schleip: Conference spirit, collagen synthesis, ultrasound, and vagus–immune connections

•10:01 — Cathy Ryan: Scar tissue management, bridging research and practice, teaching with Healwell & Advanced-Trainings.com

•13:45 — Gavin Ruiz: A first-time attendee’s perspective, tendon insights, and applying research as a young therapist

•15:42 — Eric Franklin: The Franklin Method, mental imagery, body schema, and the role of touch

•21:39 — Sneha Krishna: Making fascia science more accessible, teaching biomechanics, and global connective insights

•25:53 — Miriam Wessels & Heike Oellerich: The “fascia code,” Viking vs. Elf body types, treatment implications, and emotional dimensions

•37:16 — Gil Hedley: People, embodiment, anatomy as metaphor, and uniting spirituality with embodiment

Sponsor Offers: 

• Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com. 
• ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking. 
• Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
• Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
• Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Use code “thinking” for $100 off: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/  

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com 

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites! 

• Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com 
• Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com  

About Whitney Lowe  | About Til Luchau  |  Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)

🎙In this intriguing episode, Til and Whitney dig into a recent study that tested the effects of pressure in myofascial release—comparing a traditional pressure-based technique with a light-touch "sham" version. The study measured changes in pain sensitivity, neck mobility, and proprioception.

What did the study find? And what can that teach us about technique, touch, and the therapeutic encounter? Join us as we unpack the design, outcomes, and broader implications of this fascinating study—and reflect on what really makes manual therapy effective.

🔍 Key Topics:

• 00:47 - Study Introduction - Exploring immediate effects of suboccipital myofascial release on pain thresholds, range of motion, and proprioception
• 04:38 - Research Design - Comparing pressure-based technique vs. "sham" light touch treatment in 30 healthy adults
• 08:45 - Sham Treatment Challenges - Why creating control groups is particularly difficult in manual therapy research
• 12:18 - Measurement Methods - Pain pressure threshold, cervical range of motion, and proprioception repositioning tests
• 14:58 - Surprising Results - Both pressure and light touch groups showed similar improvements with no statistical difference
• 18:14 - Contextual Effects - Everything beyond technique that influences outcomes: environment, expectations, touch quality, practitioner skill
• 19:44 - Technique vs. Context Debate - Does this prove technique doesn't matter, or highlight the importance of how we deliver treatment?
• 26:16 - Anatomical Considerations - Suboccipital muscles, proprioceptors, and precision-oriented treatment approaches
• 30:00 - Research Limitations - Small sample size, no follow-up, immediate effects only, practitioner experience factors
• 34:12 - Clinical Takeaways - The "magic" of touch and importance of human connection in therapeutic outcomes

 

Sponsor Offers: 

• Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com. 
• ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking. 
• Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
• Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
• Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Use code “thinking” for $100 off: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/  

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com 

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites! 

• Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com 
• Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com  

About Whitney Lowe  | About Til Luchau  |  Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)

🎙What does it mean to find balance—when the world around us feels anything but balanced? Til and Whitney explore the many meanings of “balance,” from physical coordination and structural asymmetry to emotional regulation, interoception, and life rhythm. Drawing on neuroscience, somatics, and their own experience as bodyworkers, they reflect on how balance isn’t a fixed point—but a dynamic process of continual adaptation.

Whether you’re a practitioner looking to stay grounded in caregiving roles, or just navigating modern overwhelm, this episode offers practical insights and embodied metaphors to help you stay centered.

✨ Inspired by Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Sign up now with a $350 deposit, and use code “thinking” for $100: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/ 

🔍 Key Topics:

•00:00 – What “balance” means in the body and beyond

•04:20 – Balance as movement, not stillness

•08:00 – Vestibular systems and the emotional brain (Hitier et al., 2014)

•12:15 – Why imbalance is fertile ground for growth (Kelso & Engström, 2006)

•15:30 – The body as metaphor for internal regulation

•18:05 – Interoception as a compass for emotional balance (Mehling et al., 2012)

•22:40 – Is symmetry the goal—or functional asymmetry?

•26:50 – Giving and receiving: how practitioners stay balanced

•31:00 – Tech vs. touch: what really heals?

•34:20 – Work/life balance and showing up for clients

•37:10 – Micro-practices: balance in everyday moments

•40:30 – Retreat as a reset: what stepping away reveals

•44:15 – Closing reflections + details about the Thailand retreat

📚 Resources Mentioned in This Episode 

•Hitier, M., Besnard, S., & Smith, P. F. (2014). Vestibular pathways involved in cognition. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 8, 59. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2014.00059 

•Slomo – A short documentary about Dr. John Kitchin’s journey toward balance and meaning. https://vimeo.com/channels/5pointpicks/90655826 

•Adachi, Kendra. The Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Rest, Peace, and Purpose (2024) – A practical and compassionate approach to designing a life that works for you. https://www.amazon.com/Plan-Step-Step-Guide-Purpose/dp/0593578502

Sponsor Offers: 

• Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com. 
• ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking. 
• Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
• Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
• Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Use code “thinking” for $100 off: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/  

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com 

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites! 

• Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com 
• Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com  

About Whitney Lowe  | About Til Luchau  |  Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)

Rebroadcast: One of our most popular episodes (Ep 45), shared again in honor of the upcoming Fascia Research Congress.

🎙In this lively and far-reaching conversation, fascia researcher and manual therapy pioneer Robert Schleip returns to talk with Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe about the newly expanded second edition of Fascia in Sport and Movement. They explore what’s new in fascia science, how manual therapy and movement are evolving, and how fascia functions as a sensory and fluid-regulating organ. Along the way, Schleip shares stories, research, and a few surprises.

🔍 Key Topics:

•0:00 — Til’s choice to publish with Handspring (and Robert’s role in that decision)

•2:02 — Introducing Robert Schleip: Rolfing, Feldenkrais, and fascia science

•5:46 — Relevance of Fascia in Sport and Movement for manual therapists

•8:36 — From bodywork to movement: integrating motor learning and fascia fitness

•12:47 — Fascia fitness origins and the shift toward bounce, play, and variety

•18:15 — Fascia as a sensory organ: 250 million sensory nerve endings

•22:10 — Surprising differences in innervation between skin and fascia

•26:58 — Free nerve endings, pain perception, and autonomic connections

•29:41 — Sympathetic regulation and its role in fluid dynamics and recovery

•35:25 — Balancing sympathetic and parasympathetic input through varied movement

•40:18 — Resilience, trauma, and adaptation (with nods to Porges and Levine)

•45:19 — Can we really change fascia? Revisiting IT bands and foam rolling

•50:34 — Hyaluronan, hydration, and viscosity: another mechanism for change

•57:36 — A story of facial nerve recovery, social engagement, and baby therapy

•1:01:31 — Touching water: fascia, sponginess, and inspiring clients to move

•1:06:54 — Elegant stair dancing and everyday movement integration

•1:10:30 — Resources, shoutouts, and where to learn more from Robert

📚 Resources Mentioned in This Episode 

• Book: Fascia in Sport & Movement at Handspring (Get 15% off with coupon code TTP) 
• fasciaresearch.de
• somatics.de
• Fascia Research Society 

Sponsor Offers: 

• Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com. 
• ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking. 
• Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
• Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
• Fascia Research Congress: save $100 when you use the coupon code "THINKING" at https://www.frscongress.org/ 

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com 

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites! 

• Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com 
• Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com  

About Whitney Lowe  | About Til Luchau  |  Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)

🎙In this episode, Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe speak with renowned neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges, originator of Polyvagal Theory. Together, they explore how our nervous systems respond to cues of safety, how touch can support regulation and connection, and what all this means for bodyworkers and manual therapists.

Dr. Porges shares the latest thinking on co-regulation, trauma, attunement, and the science of feeling safe—along with practical insights for practitioners working with the body.

🔍 Key Topics:

• 00:00 – 02:00 Intro, ABMP welcome & framing the Polyvagal lens for bodyworkers
• 02:00 – 07:00 Early research with Peter Levine and John Cottingham: how structural shifts (pelvic tilt, fascia work) alter autonomic regulation
• 07:00 – 12:00 Evolutionary foundations: fascia types, diaphragm function, and the hierarchy of autonomic response
• 12:00 – 17:00 Facial expressivity, voice prosody, and breathing as channels of co‑regulation
• 17:00 – 22:00 Identifying autonomic states (“tightly wrapped” bodies) and choosing when—not just where—to touch
• 22:00 – 27:00 The Body Perception Questionnaire: a tool for mapping clients’ interoceptive awareness
• 27:00 – 32:00 Trauma, autonomic reactivity, and parsing traumatic events vs. responses
• 32:00 – 37:00 The Safe and Sound Protocol: acoustic interventions for nervous system safety
• 37:00 – 42:00 Vagal “hacking” misconceptions: why rhythm and safety signals matter more than stimulation
• 42:00 – 47:00 Feedback loops: tissue ↔ nervous system ↔ fascia → chronic pain
• 47:00 – 52:00 Therapist intuition: physiological co‑regulation, broadcasting accessibility, therapist self‑state
• 52:00 – 57:00 Finding safety in a chaotic world: why therapists need safe colleagues and co‑regulation too
• 57:00 – 60:00+ New resources: Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety, the Norton-edited somatic therapies volume, Safe & Sound Protocol book, Our Polyvagal World

📚 Resources Mentioned in This Episode

 • Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety

Stephen W. Porges (2022)

A foundational, peer-reviewed article exploring how our nervous system detects safety and threat.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2022.871227

• Somatic-Oriented Therapies: Embodiment, Trauma, and Polyvagal Perspectives

Edited by H. Grassmann, M. Stupiggia & S. W. Porges (2025)

A rich collection on body-centered therapy approaches and trauma healing through a Polyvagal lens.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1324052724

• Safe and Sound: A Polyvagal Approach for Connection, Change, and Healing

Stephen W. Porges & Karen Onderko (2025, Audiobook)

A warm, practical guide to healing and connection through nervous system regulation.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Safe-Sound-Polyvagal-Approach-Connection/dp/B0DGGZLJ3J

• Our Polyvagal World: How Safety and Trauma Change Us

Stephen W. Porges & Seth Porges (2023, Audiobook)

A father-son conversation exploring how trauma and safety shape our bodies, brains, and relationships.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CW5CPPFP

• Polyvagal Perspectives: Interventions, Practices, and Strategies

Stephen W. Porges (2024, Audiobook)

Hands-on insights for bringing Polyvagal ideas into therapy, education, and everyday life.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D9PJQC55

Sponsor Offers: 

• Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com. 
• ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking. 
• Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
• Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
• Fascia Research Congress: save $100 when you use the coupon code "THINKING" at https://www.frscongress.org/ 

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com 

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites! 

• Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com 
• Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com  

About Whitney Lowe  | About Til Luchau  |  Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)