The Trager approach is a form of somatic education. Proponents claim the Trager approach helps release deep-seated physical and mental patterns and facilitates deep relaxation, increased physical mobility, and

mental clarity Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

.Trivieri, Larry, and John W. Anderson. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Berkeley, Calif:

Celestial Arts Ten Speed Press is a publishing house founded in Berkeley, California in 1971 by Phil Wood. Ten Speed Press was bought by Random House in February 2009 and is now part of their Crown Publishing Group division. History Wood worked with Barnes & N ...

, 2002.

History

The founder, Milton Trager, called his work Psychophysical Integration. He was an athlete, dancer, and bodybuilder. He began doing bodywork with no training and later worked under a variety of practitioner licenses, including an MD earned in Mexico followed by 2 years residency in psychiatry. Trager wanted western medicine to accept his proposed mind-body connection in treating challenging conditions such as postpolio, Parkinson's, and other neuromuscular conditions. Doctors reportedly referred patients to him and were surprised by the results, but "none seemed to consider his drugless treatments as effective as surgery or medication" and the medical approach to these conditions did not fundamentally shift away from them as he had envisioned. Late in life, at the

Esalen Institute The Esalen Institute, commonly called Esalen, is a non-profit American retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California, which focuses on humanistic alternative education. The institute played a key role in the Human Potential ...

, he was encouraged to begin teaching, which he did for the last 22 years of his life.

Practice

At the beginning of a session, the practitioner enters into a state of

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

that Milton Trager originally termed "hook-up". From this state of mind, the practitioner uses gentle

touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...

and a combination of passive and active

movement Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

with the intent of teaching the recipient how to move with less effort. The contact is gentle in a sense; it may be quite firm but is without strain or resistance. Regarding pain, Trager practitioners avoid causing pain, and attempt to contact the body in a way that allows the client to have decreased fear of pain and increased willingness to be present with the full range of sensations. Practitioners are taught to allow a tone of curiosity, playfulness, and effortlessness to guide their work. In addition to hands-on bodywork, clients are taught a series of movements called "Mentastics" to be performed with a certain mental attention. While doing these movements, the client is asked to explore how to move with the least tension and effort possible.

References

External links

Official Trager International site
{{Alternative medicine Massage Mind–body interventions Somatics Alternative medicine