Fascia (Connective Tissue)

Fascia was most talked about at massage school, and has been a hot topic in the bodywork field.  Fascia is connective tissue forming a continuous, three-dimensional matrix, and has different forms and many functions.  It surrounds all organs, nerves, blood vessels, muscles and bones.  It also supports the body against gravity, protects, separates and connects structures of the body, enables all movement to happen, communicates, delivers nutrients, and eliminates waste.  Here is a video showing how fascia looks like.  

When you have chronic contraction, repetitive use, emotional distress or poor nutrition, fascia becomes restricted, adhered, or dehydrated.  Since the whole body is connected with fascia, one part of the body may affect other parts as well.  It is like pulling one section of a knitted sweater changes the balance and tension of the threads of yarn of the whole sweater.  The notion of fascia is important for massage therapists because it brings your attention, not only to specific muscles, but to a whole body.

To understand what fascia feels like, we had an experiment at massage school using cornstarch.  You need a small paper cup (for mouthwash), water, and cornstarch.  Put cornstarch in the cup and add enough water to cover the cornstarch.  Wait until the cornstarch is settled at the bottom of the cup.  Then, stick your finger into the cornstarch quickly with force.  The cornstarch gets hardened, so your finger stops on the surface and cannot get it through.  Next, try to stick your finger into the cornstarch slowly and gently without resisting.  This time, your finger can get through the cornstarch and touch the bottom of the cup.  Cornstarch is the fascia.  You can sink into the fascia slowly and gently, but not with force. 

Fascia is the fundamental component in the Connective Tissue Therapy I learned in school.  It touches into the whole person through addressing fascia and the connections to the entire body.  Continue to read “FAQ: Is Deep Tissue Massage painful?”

Power of Touch with a UFO Ball

At massage school, we had an experiment using a UFO Ball. It was a very simple demonstration, but it made a profound impression on me.  The instructor didn’t tell us what was for, so I’m also going to explain the procedures first and the point later.

The UFO Ball is a size of a ping-pong ball, and it has two metal strips embedded.  The instructor held the ball touching one metal strip and asked one of the students to touch the other metal strip with a finger.  Nothing happened.  Then, they held the other hands together while still holding the ball.  Voila!  It lit up and started beeping.  The electricity (or electrons) encircles the two people through their hands, which closed the circuit and activated the battery-operated device in the ball.  

Next, about 20 of us sat in circle on the floor and held hands with the people sitting next to us.  Two of them sitting next to each other in the circle release their hands (still the other hands held) and held the UFO Ball.  One person held the ball touching one metal strip and the other one touch the other metal strip with a finger.  Can you guess what happened?  Yes, it lit up and started beeping.  Why?  Because the electricity traveled through everybody’s hands in the circle and closed the circuit.  And, suddenly, the beeping stopped. The circuit was broken. Somebody in the circle let the hand go. We played with holding and letting go of hands so that light and beeping turned on and off.  

I was excited like a kid.  This can be just a science tool to teach electronic circuits, but it did show that we were connected by touch.  I knew that touch had power to influence the body and mind, but it is easier for me to really “get it” when I can actually see or visualize it. To me, it was amazing to even imagine that electrons were traveling through everybody’s body in a circle and united us. Other than electrons, you never know what else touch facilitates to transfer to other people.  I am re-visiting the power of touch now that I am interested in Craniosacral Therapy.