06/29/2026
There’s a ton of value in hands-on work, and work to do to in properly understanding the how and why these things matter.
I don't think we are finished with fascia, and I don't think we should be.
Fascia research has been valuable for touch therapists because it helped many of us move away from seeing the body as separate muscles and joints that could be pressed, stretched or corrected in isolation. It gave us a way to think about connection, movement, load, scarring, sensitivity, adaptation and the living quality of connective tissue, and I still think that matters.
Where I think we have to be more honest is in the jump between fascia research and some of the claims made in hands on therapy.
We can value fascia without claiming that we can isolate one fascial layer under our hands and release it in a precise mechanical way. We can value Myofascial Release without needing to say that every change a client feels is because fascia has unwound, remodelled or let go of stored emotion.
That doesn't make the work less valuable. For me, it makes the work more interesting, because when someone responds to slow, skilled touch, there may be several things happening at once, including local tissue responses, changes in sensation, attention, threat, movement confidence, breathing and safety, along with the effect of being listened to and touched with care.
I don't think we need to pretend we know more than we do, and I don't think we need to throw away everything we learned because some of the older explanations now need updating.
There is a middle ground here, and it is probably where the profession needs to grow. We can stay curious about fascia, value touch, respect the clinical skill involved in MFR, and still be willing to look again at the explanations we use.
For me, that isn't a rejection of fascia or touch therapy. It is a more honest way of saying that the body is complex, people are complex, and good hands on work doesn't need inflated claims to be meaningful. 🌿
