7 Exercises Of The Trager Method To Release Tensions

A message to the unconscious

The professional invites the person to draw attention to their own body. A connection is established between them through the body of the receiver. Once in tune, the professional transmits a message of lightness and freedom to his hands, thanks to which he contacts the recipient’s tissues to ultimately reach his unconscious mind, where the sensations of his life experiences are recorded and in whose origin there are tensions and blockages.

That is why it is said that the Trager method is not a massage, but a message. With curiosity, the professional looks for a comfortable, effortless movement that adjusts to the body rhythms of the receiver. At the same time, he will find a way to move into his own body with the same qualities that the professional uses.

Through attention, the brain and nervous system are activated, a new space is opened and a movement is recorded in the unconscious memory, alien to the tensions that previously produced pain. The body and mind are thus freed from discomfort.

Dr. Trager argued that connection (openness to bodily sensations) is learned not with words, but with experience. And he claimed that connection is so important that someone not connected who knows the technique will not get good results, while someone well connected who does not know the technique will.

As practiced

Part of the session is done lying down: the person rests on a stretcher, dressed in comfortable clothing. The professional, through a warm, respectful and trust-inspiring contact, applies subtle wave movements, tractions, elongations, compressions and vibrations that, tuning in to the receiver, reverberate through his body, transmitting the free to his central nervous system and brain. and lightweight you can feel.

The muscular system relaxes and the joints respond with a freer, more fluid and more complete movement. From time to time, the professional abandons physical contact: they are refreshing pauses that he needs to return to the presence, to feel the weight of his hands or the contact of the earth under his feet. In them, those who are lying on the stretcher also recover their body impressions and verbalize them.

As the professional does not have to make an effort, it is not transmitted to the person either. Instead of being created by the professional, the work of the Trager method flows through it. The art of movement used in the Trager method differs from other techniques that force the tissues, and even go as far as pain.

According to Trager, these techniques block the body and mind more: when an area of ​​tension is found, it should be approached gently and lightly to help the person evoke how free of resistance feels.

The second part of the session is made up of the Mentastics exercises (a word created from the terms “mental” and “gymnastics”). It is a gentle creative gymnastics directed by the mind to relieve the body of its tensions and find greater well-being. It serves to reinforce and prolong the effects of the new movement patterns that are released in the treatment on a stretcher and is practiced between sessions. A session lasts between 60 and 90 minutes, and no oils or lotions are used.

Mentastics consists of vibratory movements or that take advantage of gravity to free the body and give it greater relaxation and ease of movement. The person does not imitate the professional but creates the movement that he suggests. This movement should be effortless and as comfortable and gentle as possible. The mind guides the movement wondering about the ideal qualities of body movement: softness, lightness, freedom, ease, fluidity …

They must be questions asked with an open, curious, patient and relaxed attitude. With confidence in the wisdom of the body, the answer comes in the form of a sensation. “Let the movement happen spontaneously, don’t try it,” Milton Trager said. Attempting involves effort, and every effort creates tension. Instead of trying to do something, you have to let it appear.

If you want more information about the method, you can visit their website.