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🎙 Recognizing & Touching Trauma (with Dr. Peter Levine)
By popular demand! Originally aired as Episode 108, Til’s conversation with Dr. Peter Levine quickly became one of our most listened-to episodes ever — and it’s easy to hear why. The developer of Somatic Experiencing®, bestselling author of Waking the Tiger, and student of Ida Rolf shares how trauma lives in the body, how hands-on practitioners can recognize it, and how we can be most helpful when it shows up on our tables. Whether you missed it the first time or you’re ready for a second listen, this one rewards a revisit.
✨ Topics:• How bodyworkers can recognize trauma as it’s held in the body — bracing, breath holding, and the “snapshot” of past responses• The vagus nerve and gut-brain feedback loops: why 80% of its fibers carry signals from body to brain, and how to send the “all clear”• What wild animals and NASA astronauts taught Dr. Levine about resilience and bouncing back• Why pushing too hard backfires: “talking to the shoulders” with patient, supportive touch instead of forcing change• Dr. Levine’s evolving view that Ida Rolf was “largely correct” about fascia — and how nervous system and tissue work fit together• The four women who shaped his work: Charlotte Selver, Magda Proskauer, Ida Rolf, and Mira Rothenberg• Trauma as “what happens in the absence of an empathetic other” — and how practitioners create relative safety• Scope of practice: where bodyworkers’ trauma work ends and psychotherapy begins• Healing rituals, shamanic traditions, and why community matters in trauma recovery• Practitioner self-care, burnout, and Dr. Levine’s end-of-day river ritual
✨ Resources:• Somatic Experiencing® International — trainings and practitioner directory: https://www.somaticexperiencing.com• Peter A. Levine, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma• Peter A. Levine, An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey• Mira Rothenberg, Children with Emerald Eyes
🌱 Sponsor Offers:• Jane – Try the Jane practice management app free for one month with code THINKING1MO at https://a-t.tv/jane• Deep Roots Massage & Bodywork – Save 10% on continuing education with code THINKING at https://deeprootsmb.com• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription with code thinking at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe | https://www.youtube.com/@whitlowe• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau | https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice. Rolfing® is a registered trademark of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute.
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🎙 Lateral Hip Pain: Stop Blaming the Bursa (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)
Til and Whitney unpack why the old “trochanteric bursitis” diagnosis is almost always wrong—and what that means for your hands-on treatment.
✨ Topics discussed include:• The shift from bursitis to tendinopathy: only about 8% of lateral hip cases involve true bursitis; the majority are gluteus medius/minimus tendinopathies compressed under the IT band• Why women are affected at a 4:1 ratio—declining estrogen, wider pelvis geometry, and IT band bowstringing• Why direct deep pressure on the greater trochanter can backfire—neural sprouting, pain prediction, and the GPR83 pathway• Smarter treatment: targeting gluteus maximus and TFL to reduce IT band compression, rather than trying to “loosen” the band itself• Simple assessment tools: the 30-second single leg stance, the shoelace test, and the bilateral night pain pattern• Stretching caution: why aggressive IT band stretching increases the very compression you’re trying to relieve
🌱 Sponsor Offers:• Jane App — Practice management built for health and wellness practitioners. Thinking Practitioner listeners get a free first month; enter code THINKING1MO at checkout: https://a-t.tv/jane• Deep Roots Massage & Bodywork — Carefully crafted, small hands-on CE workshops in Keene, NH. Save 10% with code THINKING: https://deeprootsmb.com• ABMP — Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. Thinking Practitioner listeners save at https://www.abmp.com/thinking• Books of Discovery — Explore their collection at https://www.booksofdiscovery.com and save 15% with code THINKING• Advanced-Trainings — Try one month free of Til Luchau’s A-T Subscription with code THINKING: https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/• Academy of Clinical Massage — Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet: https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe | https://www.youtube.com/@whitlowe • Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau | https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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🎙 The Most Skipped Step in Assessment and Why It Matters Most What if the most important part of your assessment never involves touching your client? In this solo episode, Whitney dives deep into the client history — the most critical yet frequently overlooked component of manual therapy assessment. While many practitioners rush straight into orthopedic testing or treat only where it hurts, the subjective intake holds the primary keys to understanding why a client is in pain, not just where.
Whitney walks through the OPQRST history-taking framework — a structured clinical checklist covering Onset, Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Referral/Radiation, Severity, and Timing. Along the way, he shares vivid clinical examples showing how tuning your ears and brain to a client’s story can dramatically refine your physical assessment, catch crucial red flags, and help you design safer, more targeted treatment plans.
✨ Topics discussed include:• The assessment illusion — why jumping straight to orthopedic tests or treating where it hurts undermines true clinical reasoning.• O is for Onset — distinguishing acute biomechanical tissue overloads (like sudden eccentric muscle strains) from chronic, nociplastic pain conditions driven by systemic inflammation or cumulative load.• P is for Provocation & Palliation — reading structural mechanical patterns, such as differentiating discogenic spine pain from facet-related pain and the “shopping cart sign.”• Q is for Quality — why you should let clients describe pain in their own words, and what neuropathic “electrical shocks” reveal versus deep, arthritic joint aches.• R is for Referral & Radiation — tracking diffuse trigger point patterns versus localized entrapments, plus a modern clinical look at lateral hip pain: bursitis versus abductor tendon compression.• S is for Severity & Functional Impact — shifting clinical focus from arbitrary 1–10 pain scales to objective functional indicators like sudden muscle inhibition or a joint giving way.• T is for Timing — deciphering the difference between early-morning stiffness that eases with movement and late-afternoon postural fatigue from a desk job.• Hands vs. head — why your ears and brain are just as important as your hands, and how this framework makes you more effective in less table time.
✨ Resources:• The OPQRST Clinical Assessment Protocol. Learn more in the Academy’s Orthopedic Medical Massage Specialist Program.
🌱 Sponsor Offers:• Jane App — Practice management built for health and wellness practitioners. Thinking Practitioner listeners get a free first month; enter code THINKING1MO at checkout: https://a-t.tv/jane• Deep Roots Massage & Bodywork — Carefully crafted, small hands-on CE workshops in Keene, NH. Save 10% with code THINKING: https://deeprootsmb.com• ABMP — Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. Thinking Practitioner listeners save at https://www.abmp.com/thinking• Books of Discovery — Explore their collection at https://www.booksofdiscovery.com and save 15% with code thinking• Advanced-Trainings — Try one month free of Til Luchau’s A-T Subscription with code thinking: https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/• Academy of Clinical Massage — Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet: https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe | https://www.youtube.com/@whitlowe • Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau | https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos, Fascia, and Pain (with Tina Wang) Listener Favorite
Why do people with extra-flexible tissues often hurt more, not less? What does fascia actually look like on ultrasound in someone with hypermobility — and why did the findings surprise even the researchers? Dr. Tina Wang — a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician whose research uses ultrasound to study fascial dysfunction in hypermobile patients — joins Til and Whitney for a wide-ranging conversation about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, the paradox of mushy tissue that won’t glide, and why the deep fascia may be where most myofascial pain actually lives.
This is one of our most listened-to episodes ever — a listener favorite we’re bringing back for those who missed it and those ready for a second listen. Dr. Wang also offers a 1-hour class on hypermobility in the A-T subscription library (get a free month with code thinking: https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/)
✨ Topics covered in this episode include:
• The hypermobility paradox: why people with EDS have tissue that feels “mushy” and spongy yet lacks fascial glide• The diagnostic framework for hypermobile EDS — Beighton scores, systemic manifestations, body proportions, piezogenic papules, and why 30% of the population is hypermobile without pathology• Dr. Wang’s ultrasound research: sternocleidomastoid fascia that was profoundly thicker in EDS patients than expected, and the surprising elastography findings about stiffness• Why the deep fascia — not muscle alone — appears to be the primary source of myofascial pain in 75% of cases• Ultrasound-guided fascial injections and the role of different tissue layers in pain• The connection between EDS, neurodivergence, autism, and ADHD — and Dr. Wang’s case that hypermobile EDS may be neurodevelopmental• Why some patients respond to treatment with fevers, catatonia, and autonomic dysfunction — and what that tells us about their nervous system• Interoception, exteroception, and why people with EDS often have heightened sensory processing• The fibroblast–nerve–immune cell crosstalk happening at the tissue level• Why “go slow and form the connection” may be the most important clinical advice for working with this population• Dr. Wang’s personal experience as a clinician with EDS and co-occurring autism
✨ Resources:
• Dr. Wang’s 1-hour course: https://advanced-trainings.com/product/hypermobility-for-hands-on-therapists/• Dr. Wang’s clinical practice: https://tupelopointe.com/• Dr. Wang’s neurofascial inflammation seminars: https://www.thebraincelledu.com/seminars
✨ Selected research:
• Wang, Tina J., and Antonio Stecco. “Fascial Thickness and Stiffness in Hypermobile Ehlers‑Danlos Syndrome.” American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics 187, no. 4 (December 2021): 446–52. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.c.31948• Wang, Tina, Roya Vahdatinia, Sarah Humbert, and Antonio Stecco. “Myofascial Injection Using Fascial Layer-Specific Hydromanipulation Technique (FLuSH) and the Delineation of Multifactorial Myofascial Pain.” Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) 56, no. 12 (December 20, 2020): 717. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina56120717
🌱 Sponsor Offers:
• Jane App — Practice management built for health and wellness practitioners. Thinking Practitioner listeners get a free first month; enter code THINKING1MO at checkout: https://a-t.tv/jane• ABMP — Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. Thinking Practitioner listeners save at https://www.abmp.com/thinking• Books of Discovery — Explore their collection at https://www.booksofdiscovery.com and save 15% with code thinking• Advanced-Trainings — Try one month free of Til Luchau’s A-T Subscription with code thinking: https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/• Academy of Clinical Massage — Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet: https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 Exploring the Anterior Neck: (with Walt Fritz)
Walt Fritz is a physical therapist who has been in practice since 1985 and has spent the last 30 years evolving from a traditional myofascial release (MFR) background into a collaborative, patient-led approach to manual therapy. He returns to The Thinking Practitioner to talk to Whitney about one of the most intimidating regions for manual therapists: the anterior neck.
Walt shares his transition from the "clinician-as-expert" model to one rooted in shared decision-making, where the patient’s input on pressure, direction, and duration isn’t just welcomed—it’s the primary driver of the intervention. They discuss the "metatherapy" of the therapeutic relationship, the physiological realities of treating deep neck structures, and how to safely navigate the "danger triangle" of the throat to help patients with voice and swallowing disorders.
✨ Topics discussed include:Walt’s "Counter-Culture" Evolution: Moving from the myofascial release "rabbit hole" to a more generalized, neurocentric manual therapy model.
The Clinician-as-Expert vs. Shared Decision-Making: Why we should stop pretending we know exactly what a patient is feeling.Metatherapy & Carl Rogers: How the relationship and context of the treatment can be as important (or more so) than the technique itself.
Navigating the Anterior Neck: Understanding the anatomy of the "danger triangle," including the carotid sheath, jugular vein, and vagus nerve.
Treatment for Voice and Swallowing: How manual therapy can assist with dysphagia (swallowing disorders) and globus pharyngeus (the sensation of a lump in the throat).
The "Emergency Exit Strategy": Empowering patients with the ability to stop or modify treatment at any second to ensure safety and comfort.
Platysma: The Forgotten Muscle: Why superficial structures deserve more love in our clinical assessments.
The Problem with High-Force Interventions: A critique of aggressive MFR techniques and the importance of patient-led pressure.
✨ Resources:Walt Fritz’s Website: https://WaltFritz.com
Leah Helou (University of Pittsburgh): Research on "Metatherapy"
Carl Rogers (1957): Landmark paper on the necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic change
Freedom to Learn: Book by Carl Rogers
Harry von Piekartz: Research and texts on craniofacial pain
Cochrane Review: Massage for Mechanical Neck Disorders
Walt's Google Drive folder with key papers🌱 Sponsor Offers:Deep Roots Massage & Bodywork: Save 10% on upcoming classes in Keene, NH, with code THINKING at https://deeprootsmb.comJane App — Practice management built for health and wellness practitioners. Thinking Practitioner listeners get a free first month; enter code THINKING1MO at checkout: https://a-t.tv/janeABMP — Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. Thinking Practitioner listeners save at https://www.abmp.com/thinkingBooks of Discovery — Explore their collection at https://www.booksofdiscovery.com and save 15% with code thinkingAcademy of Clinical Massage — Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheetAdvanced-Trainings — Try one month free of Til Luchau’s A-T Subscription with code thinking: https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/✨ Watch the video / connect with us:YouTube: The Thinking Practitioner Playlist
Whitney Lowe: Academy of Clinical Massage | Facebook
Til Luchau: Advanced-Trainings.com | Instagram
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙What if the key to resolving your client’s back pain isn’t loosening things up — but “adding” stiffness? Dr. Stuart McGill is one of the preeminent back pain researchers in the world, and in this conversation, he makes his case — passionately and controversially — for why biomechanical factors deserve far more attention than they typically get in back pain assessment and treatment. He argues that the label “nonspecific low back pain” masks what a skilled clinician could find with a thorough enough assessment, and that too many patients with real mechanical issues are being dismissed as psychosocial cases. Not everyone in the field agrees, but his perspective is fascinating, clinically detailed, and full of provocative ideas for manual therapists.
This episode originally aired as episode 97 and quickly became one of our most popular — a listener favorite we’re bringing back for those who missed it and those who are ready for a second listen.
✨ Topics covered in this episode include:
• Why Dr. McGill believes “nonspecific low back pain” doesn’t exist — and how he argues it undermines both research validity and clinical outcomes• The problem with averaging results across non-homogeneous groups in back pain studies• How a thorough assessment can reveal specific pain pathways — and McGill’s case for why a psychosocial diagnosis is too often a default when clinicians run out of ideas• Vivid clinical stories: a patient with a double pinch point, and the precise maneuver that resolved his symptoms• Why some patients need more stiffness, not less — and the “paradigm clash” this creates for manual therapists trained to mobilize and loosen• The prone instability test and other hands-on experiments for distinguishing when to stabilize versus mobilize• Dynamic video fluoroscopy of whiplash patients: the mid-range “clunk” that correlated with their symptoms• Fascial connections and trauma: how a physically traumatic event can produce bizarre-seeming symptoms that are mechanically trackable• Disc bulge mechanics demonstrated on a biofidelic model — how flexion drives nucleus posteriorly, and how traction with gentle motion can vacuum it back in• The Scannell study: why prone breathing may be just as effective as McKenzie press-ups for reducing disc bulges — without the facet joint cost• Inflammation and disc herniations: why the immune response to extruded nucleus may actually be helping, and why oral anti-inflammatories could prolong recovery• Distinguishing radiculopathy from peripheral neuropathy using creative clinical tests• Why the best manual therapists probe, feel, and adjust — and how that kinesthetic hypothesis-testing cycle is what separates good outcomes from poor ones
✨ Resources mentioned in this episode:
• Dr. Stuart McGill’s website and clinician directory: https://www.backfitpro.com• Back Mechanic by Stuart McGill• Low Back Disorders by Stuart McGill• Dynamic Disc Designs (spine models): https://www.dynamicdiscdesigns.com
🌱 Sponsor Offers:
• Jane App — Practice management built for health and wellness practitioners. Thinking Practitioner listeners get a free first month; enter code THINKING1MO at checkout: https://a-t.tv/jane• ABMP — Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. Thinking Practitioner listeners save at https://www.abmp.com/thinking• Books of Discovery — Explore their collection at https://www.booksofdiscovery.com and save 15% with code thinking• Advanced-Trainings — Try one month free of Til Luchau’s A-T Subscription with code thinking: https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/• Academy of Clinical Massage — Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet: https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙Dr. Joi Edwards is a physical therapist with nearly 20 years of experience specializing in orthopedic injuries and a licensed massage therapist who bridges the gap between clinical assessment and intuitive soft-tissue work.
She joins Whitney on The Thinking Practitioner to dive deep into the world of cupping therapy—exploring the physiological mechanisms, the various types of tools, and why this ancient modality is about much more than just leaving red marks on the skin.
Joi’s fascination with cupping began in the clinic when she discovered the modality "pre-Michael Phelps" and noticed an immediate 15-degree increase in her own shoulder's range of motion after experimenting with the cups. Her journey was further shaped by international patients who shared how their families had used cupping for generations to treat everything from systemic colds to localized chronic pain.
This episode is an exploration of how decompression—rather than the compression typically associated with massage—can restore tissue mechanics and stimulate a nervous system response that even the most skilled manual techniques sometimes can't replicate.
✨ Topics discussed include: Whitney and Joi walk through the different categories of cupping, the science of tissue decompression, and how to safely integrate cups into a clinical practice.
Joi's transition from physical therapy to massage therapy—and why she felt compelled to integrate the two.The history of cupping: from hollowed-out animal horns used for "snake bites" to modern medical-grade silicone.Wet cupping (Hijama) vs. Dry cupping: understanding the scope of practice and the cultural significance of bloodletting.The physics of the "Pinch Grip" and "Donut Drop": how different application methods change the treatment.Decompression vs. Compression: how cups create space in the soft tissue to allow for better "glide and slide".What's in a circle? Capillary dilation and interstitial seepage vs. the misconception of traumatic bruising.The importance of assessment: why you shouldn't just "put a cup on it" without evaluating the person in front of you.Clinical techniques: "Popcorning," gliding, and the "Monkey Bar" technique for spinal decompression.Hygiene and maintenance: the specific protocols for sanitizing medical-grade silicone.✨ Resources:
Owlchemy Education: https://owlchemyeducation.com Connect with Dr. Joi Edwards on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: @owlchemymassage🌱 Sponsor Offers:
• Jane – Practice management for health and wellness practitioners. Try it free for one month with code THINKING1MO at https://a-t.tv/jane• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 Does Massage Research Actually Work? (with Bodhi Haraldsson)
Bodhi Haraldsson is a registered massage therapist, researcher, and self-described “pracademic” who has spent over 25 years bridging the gap between clinical practice and scientific inquiry. He joins Whitney on The Thinking Practitioner to talk about one of the most important — and most misunderstood — questions in our profession: what does the research actually tell us about massage therapy?
Bodhi’s journey into research began at McMaster University — the birthplace of evidence-based practice — where he joined the Cochrane Cervical Overview Group and helped author a landmark systematic review on massage for mechanical neck disorders. That review, first published in 2006 and later in Spine, analyzed thousands of studies down to just 14 qualifying trials — and found that most of the evidence was limited or unclear. Nearly 20 years later, a 2024 update reached essentially the same conclusions.
But this isn’t a discouraging story. It’s a call to understand what research can and can’t tell us — and why that matters for every practitioner. Bodhi and Whitney explore why absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, why no single study can capture the complexity of clinical practice, and how evidence-based practice isn’t about recipes or checklists — it’s about better understanding what we do and why.
✨ Topics discussed include: Whitney and Bodhi walk through the Cochrane review process, the state of massage research, and what individual practitioners can take away from the evidence conversation.
• What a “pracademic” is — and why massage needs more of them• How the Cochrane Cervical Overview Group conducted its systematic review of massage for neck pain• Starting with thousands of studies and ending with 14 qualifying trials — and why• Levels of evidence: from strong to limited to unclear• Why the 2024 update reached essentially the same conclusions as the 2006 original• The research gap: why massage lags behind physiotherapy and chiropractic in building a cohesive evidence base• The “lineage model” of massage education vs. academic training• Mechanical effects, neurological effects, contextual effects — and why we need all the pieces of the puzzle• Publication bias: why negative findings rarely get published and how trial registries help• Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence — what that really means for practice• How research changed Bodhi’s own clinical work: always asking “how and why?”
✨ Resources:• Cochrane Review — Massage for Mechanical Neck Disorders (2006): https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004871/full• Ezzo, Haraldsson et al. — “Massage for Mechanical Neck Disorders: A Systematic Review,” Spine, 2007: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17268268/• Cochrane Review update — Massage for Neck Pain (2024): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38415786/• Connect with Bodhi Haraldsson on LinkedIn and Facebook
🌱 Sponsor Offers:• Jane – Practice management for health and wellness practitioners. Try it free for one month with code THINKING1MO at https://a-t.tv/jane• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 The Interstate Massage Compact (with Deborah Persinger)
Deborah Persinger is the Executive Director of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB), and she joins Whitney on The Thinking Practitioner to break down one of the most significant regulatory developments in our profession’s history: the Interstate Massage Compact.
If you’ve ever moved to a new state and had to navigate a whole new set of licensing requirements — or if you live near a state border and can’t legally work on the other side — this episode is for you. The compact would create a multi-state license allowing eligible massage therapists to practice across state lines without meeting separate requirements in each state. It’s already been adopted by five states, with two more needed to stand up the commission and make the license a reality.
But there’s more at stake than portability. Deborah explains how the compact was carefully designed to address human trafficking in the massage profession — a daily reality for regulatory boards — and why the details of how the compact is written matter enormously for keeping bad actors out while making life easier for legitimate practitioners.
✨ Topics discussed include: Whitney and Deborah walk through the compact’s origins, the 625-hour education standard, the role of the Department of Defense, and the current obstacles to getting it across the finish line.
• What the Interstate Massage Compact is — and how multi-state licensing works• The 625-hour education standard: where it came from and why it was chosen• Home state vs. remote state — how the compact defines where you practice• Why the Department of Defense supports the compact (military family portability)• The five states that have adopted so far: Nevada, Ohio, Arkansas, Virginia, and Montana• Human trafficking provisions unique to the massage compact• The national massage therapy licensing database and its role in tracking bad actors• Over 20,000 illicit massage businesses in the U.S. — and why that matters for compact design• Rule vs. statute: the key disagreement holding things up• Why 97–98% of surveyed practitioners support the original compact• What individual practitioners can do to stay informed and have their voice heard
✨ Resources:• Interstate Massage Compact: https://www.massagecompact.org• Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB): https://www.fsmtb.org• Massage Compact Practitioner Survey: https://www.massagecompact.org
🌱 Sponsor Offers:• Jane – Practice management for health and wellness practitioners. Try it free for one month with code THINKING1MO at https://a-t.tv/jane• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 Dizziness Roundtable (with Ruth Werner)
Ruth Werner returns to The Thinking Practitioner for a roundtable discussion with Til and Whitney on one of the most overlooked topics in manual therapy: balance challenges. Ruth is the author of A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology (now in its 7th edition), a long-time educator, and host of the podcast I Have a Client Who. In this wide-ranging conversation with Til and Whitney, Ruth brings her characteristic clarity to a complex subject — helping us understand what’s really happening when clients feel dizzy, wobbly, or unsteady.
Balance difficulties show up constantly in clinical practice, yet most of us never learned how to think about them. Clients get dizzy turning over on the table. They feel lightheaded sitting up from prone. They mention casually that they’re “always a little unsteady” after sessions — and we realize we’ve never asked the right questions. This episode gives MTs a framework for understanding, responding to, and even helping with balance challenges — while knowing when to refer out.
✨ Topics discussed include: Ruth, Til, and Whitney unpack the sensory triad behind balance (vision, proprioception, and the vestibular system), explore common conditions like BPPV and POTS, and discuss what the research actually shows about massage and balance — including some encouraging findings about foot work and gait in older adults.
• What we really mean by “balance” — and why Ruth finds the word frustratingly vague• The difference between vertigo (spinning) and dizziness (lightheadedness)• Why position changes on the table can trigger symptoms — and what to do about it• BPPV, the Epley maneuver, and “rocks in our head” (otoliths)• POTS, blood pressure medications, and the challenge of sitting up• Hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and their links to balance issues• Red flags: progressive changes, asymmetry, and when to refer• Research on massage, foot work, and balance in older adults• Why there’s no “dizziness muscle” — and what we can do instead• Fall risk, deconditioning, and the cascade of consequences• Vestibular physical therapy and other referral options
✨ Resources:• Ruth Werner’s website: https://ruthwerner.com/• Ruth’s podcast I Have a Client Who: https://www.abmp.com/podcasts?defined_term=353• A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology, 7th Edition: https://booksofdiscovery.com/• Sefton et al. (2012) – Six weeks of massage therapy produces changes in balance: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3457720/• Tarkhasi et al. (2025) – Corrective exercises with massage improve balance and gait: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39550789/
🌱 Sponsor Offers:• Jane – Practice management for health and wellness practitioners. Try one month free with code THINKING1MO at https://a-t.tv/jane• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription with code thinking at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 A Master in Plain Sight (with Art Riggs)
Art Riggs is a Certified Advanced Rolfer™, massage therapist, and creator of some of the most influential instructional video courses in our field. His recordings were among the first truly comprehensive video trainings available to bodyworkers. Decades later, practitioners still return to them again and again, finding new insights each time. They age well because they’re packed with technique, yet grounded in principles that never go out of style.
Here’s the paradox of Art’s work: he shares a staggering wealth of techniques, yet what he emphasizes most isn’t technique at all. It’s listening, allowing, and refining your touch. “Deep tissue,” he explains, isn’t about pressing harder. It’s a conversation with the body, where pressure is just one word in the vocabulary.
At 80, and still seeing clients most days, Art brings warmth and infectious enthusiasm to everything he discusses. He’s humble about his contributions, generous with credit to his teachers, and genuinely delighted by the craft he’s practiced for decades. This conversation is a joy from start to finish.
✨Topics discussed include:Whether you’re early in your career or decades in, this episode is a masterclass in how to think with your hands.• Why Art chose “deep tissue massage” over a proprietary name — and why that made his work more accessible• The difference between deep tissue and “pressing harder”• Touch as communication: pressure, speed, angle, and reading the body’s response• “Refine your touch” — the three words that changed everything• Allowing vs. forcing: offering something for people to take• Why his first video set covers techniques while his second shows integration into a fluid, full session• The limits of online learning — and why hands-on classes and receiving work still matter• The overlap (and differences) between massage therapy and Rolfing® — and what each can learn from the other• Movement, getting clients off the table, and working in real-world positions (not just neutral on the table)• The skill of knowing where to work — and when you’re done• Acknowledging Helen James, who Rolfed until 95: choosing a profession where you can keep learning until you drop
✨ Resources:• Art Riggs’ video courses (now also eligible for NCBTMB-approved CE): https://advanced-trainings.com/artriggs• Art Riggs’ book: Deep Tissue Massage, Revised Edition: A Visual Guide to Techniques – https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/deep-tissue-massage-revised-edition/
🌱 Sponsor Offers:• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription (including lessons from Art Riggs' courses) at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
Rolfing®, Rolfer™, Rolf Movement®, Rolfing Ten-Series™, and the Little Boy Logo are service marks of The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration®, Boulder, CO.
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🎙 AI in Massage: Thinking Partner, Threat, or Crutch?
Is artificial intelligence coming for your massage practice? Not the way you might think. In this episode, Til and Whitney dive into the rapidly evolving world of AI — exploring where it genuinely helps manual therapists, where it falls short, and why the human elements of touch, presence, and clinical reasoning remain irreplaceable.
From AI-generated anatomical images with mysterious octopus tentacles to "massage robots" that feel like being rubbed by a cow, they share their own experiences with these tools and separate the hype from the helpful. Whitney unveils his Clinical Massage Coach — a custom AI tool trained on curated clinical knowledge that engages practitioners in Socratic dialogue rather than just spitting out answers. The key insight: AI works best not when it replaces thinking, but when it prompts better thinking.
✨ Topics covered:• How AI is already quietly influencing bodywork education and practice• The "hallucination" problem — why AI sounds confident even when it's wrong• Will massage robots take your job? (Spoiler: the client-therapist relationship isn't going anywhere)• Personalized learning: the "holy grail" of education that AI might help unlock• The de-skilling danger: when easy tools erode hard-won skills• Using AI as a reasoning partner vs. a script generator• Whitney's Clinical Massage Coach: SOAP notes, treatment planning, and Socratic questioning• Ethical considerations: energy consumption, bias, and the "human in the loop"
✨ Resources• Whitney's Clinical Massage Coach (CMC)Ever wish you could have a clinical expert on call 24/7? The CMC is an AI-powered assistant trained on over three decades of Whitney Lowe's textbooks and articles as well as hundreds of peer-reviewed resources. As a core feature of our Orthopedic Medical Massage Specialist (OMMS) program, it's designed to help you navigate complex clinical questions with science-based precision. Explore the CMC here: www.academyofclinicalmassage.com
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe
🌱 Sponsor Offers:• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney's free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 Science, Skepticism, & Keeping Heart (with Paul Ingraham)
What happens when a former massage therapist turns a skeptical eye on his own profession and starts asking uncomfortable questions about pain science and manual therapy? You get Paul Ingraham of PainScience.com — a writer whose work has challenged, irritated, and influenced practitioners in equal measure.
In this episode, Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe sit down with Paul to explore how clinicians can think clearly in a field crowded with confident claims, competing models, and stories that feel true even when the evidence is thin. The conversation doesn’t shy away from friction. Paul is known for his sharp critiques of manual therapy’s favorite explanations, and many practitioners bristle at his tone. Here, we examine both the substance of his skepticism and the costs that can come with it.
Together, they explore questions many therapists wrestle with, often quietly: How do we tell the difference between what helps clients and the stories we tell ourselves about why it helped? When does confidence in a method turn into intellectual blinders? And how can practitioners stay curious and effective without clinging to explanations that may not hold up?
In this episode, they discuss:
Paul’s move from massage therapist to science writer — and the unresolved questions that pushed him there“Modality empires” and why techniques so easily become identitiesThe challenge of separating your identity from your methodology — and why it mattersConfirmation bias in clinical practice: how we see what we expect to see and miss contradictory evidencePlacebo, context, and why they complicate claims about mechanisms in manual therapyPaul’s critique of “structuralism” — the exclusive focus on alignment, posture, and movement dysfunctionHow to think about biomechanical explanations without falling into reductionist storytellingWhy connecting dots between distant body parts (like foot problems causing back pain) can slip from plausible hypothesis into speculationThe role of neurophysiological effects in manual therapy outcomesHow to engage with research critically without becoming paralyzed by uncertaintyWhy practitioners may need intellectual humility more than confidence in untested theoriesThe tension between skepticism as a tool and skepticism as a communication style — and what can get lost when critique outpaces curiosityThe future of manual therapy as it integrates pain science and biopsychosocial models — and where Paul remains unconvincedThis conversation won’t give you comfortable answers or a new technique to believe in. Instead, it invites you to sit with uncertainty, examine your assumptions, and reflect on how skepticism can sharpen thinking — and how, at times, it can narrow it. Whether you admire Paul’s work, struggle with it, or find yourself somewhere in between, this episode offers a chance to engage the questions underneath the disagreements.
✨ Resources👉 Paul’s website with articles and books: https://www.painscience.com
🌱 Sponsor Offers:- Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/- ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking- Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking- Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | Facebook: https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | Instagram: https://instagram.com/til.luchau• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | Facebook: https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 5 Years of The Thinking Practitioner: Our Favorites & Top 5 Most Popular Episodes
It's been 5 years since we launched The Thinking Practitioner — with over half a million downloads and 130,000 unique listeners along the way. In this special retrospective episode, Til and Whitney look back at personal favorites that shaped their own thinking, then count down the top 5 most-listened episodes of all time.
What stands out? A clear shift from tissue-focused to nervous-system-first thinking. Ideas about consent, context, and the client experience that once felt radical now feel like common sense. And the conversations that resonated most? They're about fascia, trauma, pain, and the practitioners brave enough to challenge what we think we know.
🎧 Episodes discussed (in order of appearance):
Personal favorites:- Ep 140: Embodied Attention & Contact Improvisation (Nita Little)- Ep 23: Do Expectations Shape Results? (Mark Bishop)- Ep 80: What We Might Learn From Sex (Betty Martin)- Ep 144: Movement Optimism (Greg Lehman)- Ep 130: The Body of Grief (Jun Park)- Ep 146: Inflammation, Touch & the Grieving Body (Mary-Francis O'Connor)- Ep 135: The Neuroscience of Bodywork (Mark Olson)
Top 5 most popular of all time:5. Ep 108: Trauma & Bodywork (Peter Levine)4. Ep 79: Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos, Fascia, and Pain (Tina Wang)3. Ep 45: Fascia in Sport & Movement (Robert Schleip)2. Ep 69: Back Pain, Stiffness & Fascia (Stuart McGill)1. Ep 126: Fascia: A Deep Dive (Dr. Antonio Stecco)
✨ Watch the video / connect with us:- Til Luchau: https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau- Whitney Lowe: https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe
Sponsor Offers:- Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/- ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking- Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking- Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney's free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 Can You Really Palpate the Psoas? MRI Evidence, Clinical Debate & a Bonus Visit from the Researcher
Can manual therapists actually palpate the psoas, or is it anatomically out of reach? In this episode, Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe unpack a new real-time MRI pilot study presented at the 7th International Fascia Research Congress by UCSF physical therapist Christopher DaPrato and colleagues. The study offers rare imaging-based insight into what really happens when we try to touch this deep, controversial muscle. And at the end, Christopher drops in for a brief bonus segment to share safety insights and his hopes for future research.
The debate around psoas palpation has become a kind of proxy war in manual therapy — between pain-science and movement educators who question highly specific anatomical claims, and hands-on practitioners who have used psoas work for decades and find it clinically meaningful. This conversation explores how DaPrato’s imaging helps reframe that debate.
In this episode, they discuss:- Why psoas palpation has become a flashpoint debate and a stand-in for deeper philosophical disagreements in the field- How DaPrato’s team used dynamic MRI to observe what happens under the hands during attempted psoas palpation- What the images showed about depth, tissue layers, and muscle deformation when pressure is applied- The surprising finding that even a higher-BMI participant showed clear psoas shape change under palpation- How viscera behaved under pressure — including what the study suggests about visceral compression and safety- Clinical implications for angle, depth, and pressure when working in the anterior hip/abdominal region- The role of tools like the PSO-RITE compared with hand palpation, and what may (or may not) be interchangeable- How this research interacts with the idea of “palpatory pareidolia” (imagining specificity that isn’t there)- What this study does — and doesn’t — say about treatment effectiveness and future research priorities- And in a bonus segment, Christopher DaPrato joins Til to talk safety, visceral sliding, and practical precautions for working this sensitive region
Whether you regularly include psoas work in your sessions, or you’re skeptical of deep abdominal palpation claims, this episode offers a nuanced, evidence-informed look at what our hands may — and may not — be doing.
✨ Resources👉 DaPrato et al. pilot study abstract (MRI of psoas palpation): https://www.cuptherapy.com/_files/ugd/12c814_c0500f355036456eb450562461ff267c.pdf 👉 Thinking Practitioner Ep 25: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/25-psoas-work-is-it-safe-is-it-necessary/id1492004207?i=1000496358416👉 Video version of this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts👉 Episode image courtesy Christopher DaPrato @cuptherapy
Sponsor Offers:- Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/- ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking- Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking- Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney's free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Connect with us:Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | Facebook | InstagramWhitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | Facebook | Twitter
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 Is Your Work Valuable? The Psychology of Perceived Value in Hands-On Practice
What makes clients value your work — and come back for more? Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe explore the results of a survey of over 2,000 practitioners to uncover the surprising psychology behind perceived value.
Spoiler: it's not just about results or price. Value is created in a reciprocal feedback loop between practitioner and client — shaped by confidence, preparation, communication, boundaries, and dozens of subtle signals clients pick up (consciously or not).
In this episode, they discuss:- The "chicken-and-egg" relationship between value perception and client outcomes- The famous "expensive pain pill" study and what it reveals about perceived value- How discount addiction undermines both value and client loyalty- The 9 ways to communicate value — from linens and punctuality to CE certificates and testimonials- Why going over time can actually diminish perceived value- How asking clients to invest effort (goals, homework, participation) raises their commitment- The importance of receiving the work you give — and what the survey showed- The surprising correlation between in-person CE hours and practice satisfaction - The confidence paradox: does success breed confidence, or does confidence breed success?- Practical tips: where to start if you want to shift value perception tomorrow
Whether you're building a practice, thinking about pricing, or wondering why some clients don't seem to "get it," this conversation offers a roadmap for communicating value from the inside out.
✨ Resources👉 Read the full article: Is Your Work Valuable? https://a-t.tv/articles/luchau_valuable_mbw_20180427.pdf 👉 Video version: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts
Sponsor Offers:- Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/- ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking- Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking- Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney's free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Connect with us:Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | Facebook | InstagramWhitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | Facebook | Twitter
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 What Happens When the Body Lets Go? Werner Klingler on Anesthesia, Altered States & the Physiology of Relaxation
What actually happens when the body "lets go" — in anesthesia, trance, or the deep relaxation familiar to hands-on practitioners? Til Luchau talks with Professor Werner Klingler, anesthesiologist, physiologist, and fascia researcher at Ulm University (Germany), whose work bridges clinical anesthesia, neuroscience, and connective-tissue research.
Drawing on decades of operating room experience, Dr. Klingler explains how different parts of the brain disconnect and re-synchronize during altered states, why the "freeze reflex" comes first, and how fascia's responsiveness makes it a living sensory organ rather than inert tissue. Fair warning: Werner gets wonderfully detailed about physiology — but stick with it, because he drops some genuine gems about autonomic "push-ups," why tears cleanse neurotransmitters, and what happens when children wake from anesthesia with wide-open pupils.
In this episode, they discuss:- The "octopus model" of consciousness — why "altered state" is too simple- The three pillars of anesthesia: unconsciousness, analgesia, and muscle relaxation- How breathing and CO₂ levels influence pH, drug effectiveness, and tissue tone- Why warmth matters: how temperature shifts the load between muscle and connective tissue- What "autonomic push-ups" teach us about resilience and cyclic training- The freeze-then-flight reflex pattern and how it shows up under anesthesia- How emotion and perception shift as anesthesia fades — and why some people wake up sad- Whether sensation is required for bodywork to be effective (spoiler: tissue effects happen either way)- Pre- and post-operative care: what bodyworkers can offer surgery patients- Why fascia is alive — restructuring, remodeling, and central to our sensory and autonomic systems- The FRECLS project: how practitioners can contribute to international fascia research
Whether you're curious about the neuroscience of deep relaxation, how anesthesia informs hands-on practice, or what happens when different "arms of the octopus" come back online, this conversation offers a rare clinical perspective on the states we work with every day.
✨ Resources👉 Join the FRECLS project (Fascia Research Consensus and Liaison Statement): https://frecls.org/👉 Fascia Research Society: https://fasciaresearchsociety.org/👉 Video version: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts
Sponsor Offers:- Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/- ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking- Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking- Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney's free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
✨ Connect with us:Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | Facebook | InstagramWhitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | Facebook | Twitter
📧 Email us: [email protected]
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙 Celebrating 50 Years of Massage: Benny Vaughn’s Legacy of Professionalism, Perseverance & Touch
Whitney Lowe sits down with legendary massage therapist Benny Vaughn to celebrate his 50 years in the massage and bodywork profession — a career that helped shape modern sports massage, elevate professional standards, and open doors for generations of practitioners.
From his early years breaking racial barriers in sports medicine to his pioneering integration of massage into collegiate and professional athletics, Benny shares powerful stories of courage, mentorship, and the mindset that turns adversity into purpose.
In this conversation, they explore:• Benny’s beginnings in track & field and how that led him to massage in 1975• Integrating massage into university and professional sports programs — and how it changed the field• Overcoming racial and cultural barriers in the Deep South of the 1970s• The essential mindset shift for success in massage practice• Why mentorship matters — and how to approach a mentor with respect• What Benny hopes the next 50 years of massage will bring
This inspiring retrospective honors one of massage therapy’s most influential pioneers — a practitioner who continues to teach, mentor, and elevate the profession every day.
✨ Learn more about Benny Vaughn:👉 https://bennyvaughnlifecoach.com/
✨ Watch this episode on YouTube:👉 https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts
Sponsor Offers:• Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering thinking at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.• ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.• Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.• Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet.• Til’s 2026 Thailand Retreat: use code “thinking” for $100 off Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World at a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/.
✨ Connect with us:Til Luchau: advanced-trainings.com | facebook.com/advancedtrainings | instagram.com/til.luchauWhitney Lowe: academyofclinicalmassage.com | facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | twitter.com/whitneylowe
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The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙A better understanding of the very human emotion of disgust can help us navigate boundaries, empathy, and connection in our hands-on work—and in the wider world.
This week, Til welcomes back Todd Hargrove—Certified Rolfer™, movement educator, and author of A Guide to Better Movement and Playing With Movement. Together they explore one of the most primal, and often least examined, human emotions: disgust.
Drawing from psychology, neuroscience, and his years of practice, Todd unpacks disgust as part of our behavioral immune system—a mechanism designed to keep us safe from harm that also influences our moral judgments, client relationships, and social divisions.
In this conversation, they explore:
• How disgust shows up physiologically and emotionally in practitioners and clients
• The difference between protective instinct and unconscious bias
• When disgust serves as a moral compass, and when it drives prejudice or separation
• Practical ways to notice and work with disgust as a signal rather than a verdict
• How turning aversion into curiosity can deepen empathy and compassion in practice
At its heart, this dialogue invites practitioners to see disgust not as something to suppress or be ashamed of, but as a doorway into greater awareness, boundaries, and connection.
✨ Read Todd’s original article on disgust:👉 https://toddhargrove.substack.com/p/disgust
✨ Learn more about Todd’s books and writing:👉 https://www.bettermovement.org/books
✨ Watch this episode on YouTube:👉 https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts
Sponsor Offers:
• Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on https://booksofdiscovery.com/.
• ABMP: save $24 on new membership at https://www.abmp.com/thinking.
• Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at http://a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
• Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: https://www.academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet/
• Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Use code “thinking” for $100 off: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/
✨ Connect with us:• Til Luchau: https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau• Whitney Lowe: https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe
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The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.
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🎙Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe go deep into the sacroiliac (SI) joints in this listener-favorite rebroadcast of Episode 74, where they unpack anatomy, mechanics, assessment controversies, and treatment strategies. From the relationship between pain, stability, and mobility, to ligamentous support, gait mechanics, and the limits of positional models, they offer both clinical clarity and practical takeaways. Along the way, they share road stories, podcast crossovers, and resources for further learning.
🎧 Listen in for evidence-based insights, hands-on strategies, and nuanced discussion that balances analytical precision with experiential wisdom.👉Thailand Retreat 2026Join Til and friends for Finding Balance, an immersive bodywork and movement retreat at a floating retreat center in Thailand. Learn more → https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/
🔍Key Points by Time Code:
00:00 – Sponsor, catch-up & travel stories; 2022 Fascia Research Congress
03:13 – Today’s focus: sacroiliac joints; Whitney’s Massage & Bodywork article on SI dysfunction
03:53 – Til’s Ilia/SI online course announcement (now available on demand)
04:50 – Podcast review shout-out: Hands at the Table reviews Til’s course
06:11 – Anatomy tour: interlocking joint surfaces, nociceptors, ligament overview
08:30 – Weight transfer & keystone analogy; iliolumbar, sacrotuberous, sacrospinous ligaments
13:53 – Pain mechanisms: “culprit or victim?” framing
15:00 – Motion at the SI joint: small ROM, often misunderstood
18:01 – Nutation vs. counternutation explained; clinical relevance
24:50 – Assessment: why provocation tests (Laslett cluster) matter more than positional diagnosis
28:58 – Treatment approaches: working with sensitivity, remote-site effects, neural target zones
30:22 – Clinical reasoning: differentiating nerve tension vs. ligament vs. joint capsule
33:20 – Complexity of models vs. simplicity of sensation-first approaches
37:14 – Hypermobility paradox: Ehlers-Danlos and individualized load titration
45:00 – Gait mechanics: contralateral in-/out-flare with each step; self-exploration drills
46:07 – Lateral tilt, functional vs. structural leg-length differences; heel lift caveats
58:43 – Self-care: DonTigny-inspired gentle movement in both directions
59:30 – Course info recap; live & recorded access options
1:00:42 – Closing sponsor; how to find show notes & rate the podcast
Resources:
Article: “Current Concepts in Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction” (free, registration required)Training: Ilia & SI Joints: PrinciplesReview: the Hands at the Table podcast hosts dissect an AMT Principles course Previous TTP SIJ episode: 3: Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Causes, Controversies, and Considerations Whitney’s references:Physiotutors web clip on Laslett SI joint test cluster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8txpsqHYpQ&t=197sSzadek KM, Hoogland P V., Zuurmond WW, de Lange JJ, Perez RS. Nociceptive Nerve Fibers in the Sacroiliac Joint in Humans. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2008;33(1):36-43. doi:10.1016/j.rapm.2007.07.011Bertoldo D, Pirri C, Roviaro B, et al. Pilot study of sacroiliac joint dysfunction treated with a single session of fascial manipulation® method: Clinical implications for effective pain reduction. Med. 2021;57(7):1-11. doi:10.3390/medicina57070691Sponsor Offers:
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com. ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking. Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheetTil’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Use code “thinking” for $100 off: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! [email protected]
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Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.comAbout Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: [email protected]
(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)
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