Dear Community,
I am sending love your way and hoping you are taking time to sense into your body and into each precious moment. I am grateful for you and for this community.
This month I wanted to share in detail about Tensegrity Medicine™ (TM), the framework and methodology I am now using in my private practice. My hope is that for current clients this newsletter will clarify some of your questions about this work. My hope for those who are not clients is that this information will help you decide if working together is right for you.
What is Tensegrity Medicine™ (TM)?
This is a description adapted from Kelly Clancy’s writings.
TM was developed in 2011 by my mentor Kelly Clancy, OTR/L, CHT, BCSI, LMT. It was created as a way to comprehensively treat clients as well as educate bodyworkers, therapists, and other learners about the emerging research and ideas related to fascia and biotensegrity.
TM is a person centered approach to healing and rehabilitation focused on the relationship of the individual and their interactions with both internal and external environments. TM uses the concept of biotensegrity as its foundational principle. This approach considers the bodymind as a biologic organism comprised of ‘equal forces of tensional compression and distraction’.
This is a unique form of therapy that considers and applies information gathered from the latest research on connective tissue science, neuroscience, trauma informed care, and neuropsychoimmunology (the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body). This information is applied to the TM approach in a relational way and helps to guide the practitioner and client in better understanding global patterns within the individual’s system.
Before treatment commences, a holistic evaluation is performed taking into consideration physical, mental, and emotional components as well as individual life experiences, and perceptions of such, in order to better understand the clients stressors, coping mechanisms, and belief systems.
A variety of diagnostic tools and assessments are used in this model. An emphasis on connective tissue evaluation via biotensegral testing is utilized to determine restrictions that may be contributing to altered tension patterns in the connective tissue system. Using these assessments, the therapist is then able to create a customized treatment plan addressing each client’s unique patterns.
A TM therapist utilizes light-touch manual techniques targeting the abnormal tension patterns in the system that may be hindering optimal joint, muscle, ligament, tendon, or nerve functioning. During sessions, an emphasis is placed on the client’s awareness of the unique restrictions in their body-mind as well as sensations, core beliefs, and emotions that emerge during treatment. This inner-awareness serves as a basis for inquiry and to allow tension patterns to shift and expand. All of this is held with compassion and is explored in a safe space in order to allow for full discharge and integration. Typically during or after a treatment, movement re-education is incorporated as a way to integrate the body’s response to the hands-on techniques.
If you are curious to learn more, I welcome you to be in touch by email: Jaharasara@wildradiance.net
If you are not yet a client and would like to schedule an evaluation and treatment session, you can visit my work together page here.
I look forward to the possibility of being a part of your healing team!
Photo credit: Griselda Servin