The Trager Approach
What Is Trager?
The Trager Approach is a gentle way to let go of stress, lose pain caused by areas of habitual tension and to rediscover relaxation.
The gentle rhythmic movements allow the body to let go and move easily. Even people in chronic pain have reported they can find relief and the unique feedback contract between the practitioner and client means that if you feel any discomfort, we can find a different way to approach that area.
The session is a partnership between us and you, and together we will work to bring comfort and ease to body and mind. More importantly you can learn simple interventions, in the form of self-care movements, to improve your situation on a daily basis.
Will I enjoy it? Yes, but don't take our word for it - read some of the testimonials on this web site!
Milton Trager
The Trager Approach was developed by Dr Milton Trager MD over his lifetime. In his practice he worked with a wide range of people, but had a particular interest in neuro-muscular disorders such as MS, Parkinson's and Stroke.
This led him to believe that the most important part of the work was reaching the unconscious mind and helping people to become aware of the mind body link.
Increasing Awareness
Increasing awareness of feeling is an important part of the work.
What could be easier?
What could be lighter?
What could be softer?
How does it feel?
As Trager practitioners we ask you these questions in a quest to restore a comfortable range of movement in your body. We use soft, fluid and rhythmic movements. Each gentle sculpt, extension or small wave like intervention, reminds your body of how it felt before it met the stresses and strains of life and will help you to recall what being relaxed feels like.
The Benefits
- Increased ease of movement
- Letting go of habitual areas of tension
- Improved posture
- Mental calm and peace
- Relaxed energy and vitality
- Releasing chronic job stress
- Expanding you comfort zone after being hurt
- Trusting your body
- Pleasurable awareness of self
The Main Elements
Tablework
This takes place on a wide massage couch without using oils and lotions. Light clothing can be worn or underwear. There are also options for working from sitting or standing to accommodate those that find lying difficult.
The body is more than the sum of its parts; it is a complex integrated unit, so we work on the whole body.
The movements involve: elongations, sculpting, waves, rocking light bouncing and gently taking the weight of a muscle group to allow passive release.
Sessions can last from 1 to 2 hours but 90 minutes is the usual amount of time. It is a pleasurable process and clients often report feeling taller, lighter, relaxed and energised after a session.
Mentastic - Self care Movements.
We don't want you to have to rely on us to feel good, we want you to be able to carry any improvements into your everyday life. Mentastics is learning a number of simple movements for unlocking the body to help recreate the freedom found during the table work.
Pausing
Pausing can be both the simplest and the most difficult skill to develop. It is a technique that allows you to check-in see how you are feeling and take some action if necessary.
So for instance, if you habitually get tension in your neck muscles from working at the computer, pausing occasionally allows you to monitor how you are feeling and use an appropriate mentastic to release the tension.
Pausing is also important emotionally as it can enable you to connect to how you are feeling, find your feet and choose your reaction.
Feedback and Recall
During the session we will ask for your feedback such as:
How does that feel?
Is there any discomfort?
What could be softer?
We want you to feel comfortable about speaking your "truth". If something doesn't feel good - say so, if you really like something and want a little more time on that area, we want to know. It is important to us that you get the best from your session so listening and asking is part of the process.
In order that the mind can begin to integrate what has changed we will ask you at the end to explore and recall the feeling. This is an important part of the session and that recall can be used when perhaps you are not feeling so relaxed or you body isn't working quite as you want it to.
What happens in a session
Why not watch the video to see a summary of the whole process.
We will start by taking take a medical history to ensure that you are ready for the session.
Afterwards you may feel a little "spacy" at first and sometimes sleepy, so drink plenty of water and perhaps have an early night.
Occasionally you may get a little transient soreness in muscles that have been tight, but that usually goes with 24 hours.
Practicalities
- You can wear light clothing such as shorts and singlet. It is better not to wear something with a collar or thick or shiny material. Underwear is also OK
- Please don't wear jewellery, particularly earrings
- The session is usually about 90 minutes and for a first session I would recommend 2 hours.
- We will ask for feedback and the session will include self care movements and table work in any combination that suits your circumstances.
How Often Should I have a Session
There is no set time frequency and it depends on the reason for your visit.
Most people like to have a few regular sessions to start with and then a monthly "MOT" to keep the feeling of relaxation. You won't be asked to book and pay for a number of sessions in advance - it is entirely your personal choice.
What can Trager help with?
Trager can be useful in a wide range of conditions for symptomatic relief and as a support to conventional medicine. If you have a serious problem we would always recommend that you consult your own Doctor.
- Neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain and postural discomfort
- Headaches, muscular tension
- II can also help to relieve pain from injury and illness.
- Postural misalignment and restricted movement
- ME, MS, FM
- Parkinson’s and Cerebral Palsy
- Stroke
- RSI, Sports Injuries, occupational health problems,
- Post accident recovery
- Trager can help you to control and manage symptoms of stress.
- Keeping fluid movement
Session Prices
Our session prices vary with the amount of time and whether it is a home visit. However the average cost is £50 - £70 a session.
For home visits an amount will be added on for mileage and journey time.
Workshops and Demonstrations
We are happy to give talks and demonstrations and we also run self-care Mentastics workshops. If you would like a Trager talk and demonstration for your group then please contact us.
Corporate Work
