What is The Trager Approach?
The Trager Approach is a mind-body approach to movement education. It is a system of gentle, rhythmic movement and touch aimed at facilitating deep relaxation, increased physical mobility, and promoting the body's optimal performance. There are several aspects of the approach: one in which the client passively receives the movement work on a padded table from a Trager practitioner; and another aspect, in which the client is taught to actively explore comfortable, free movement for themselves, is called Mentastics. Underlying and complementary to the basic aim of psychophysical integration in the Trager Approach, is form of neuromuscular re-education called Reflex Response. This aspect of Dr.Trager’s work actively involves the client in awakening the connection between mind and body.
There are two aspects of The Trager Approach; one in which you, the client, are passive and the other in which you are active. The passive aspect is usually referred to as the tablework, and the active aspect is called Mentastics.
Utilizing gentle, non-intrusive, natural movements, The Trager Approach helps release deep-seated physical and mental patterns and facilitates deep relaxation, increased physical mobility, and mental clarity. These patterns may have developed in response to accidents, illnesses, or any kind of physical or emotional trauma, including the stress of everyday life.
A session usually lasts from 60 to 90 minutes. No oils or lotions are used and the client is dressed for their comfort, with a minimum of swimwear or briefs, and are additionally draped appropriately.
During the table work session the client is passive and lying on a comfortably padded table. The practitioner moves the client in ways they naturally move, and with a quality of touch and movement such that the recipient experiences the feeling of moving that effortlessly and freely on his/her own.
The movements are never forced so that there is no induced pain or discomfort to the client.
This quality of effortless movement is maintained and reinforced by Mentastics. These are simple, active, self induced movements which you, the client, can do on your own, during your daily activities. They have the same intent as the table work in terms of releasing deep-seated patterns.
For many people, Mentastics becomes a part of their life in taking care of themselves, and relieving themselves of stress and tension.
Because many of the effects of The Trager Approach are cumulative, clients most often appreciate and will benefit most from a series of sessions.
One of the most potent aspects of The Trager Approach is the ability to recall the feeling of deep relaxation, and how it feels to move freely and easily.
Typical session
A session typically lasts from one to one and a half hours. The client wears underwear or light, loose clothing and lies on a padded table in a comfortable environment. The practitioner makes touch-contact with the client, both as a whole and partly with individual limbs and segments. The central feature of the work is the sensory quality of the physical contact consisting of gently coaxing elongations, softly penetrating compressions, and a pleasurable rhythmic rocking, sending resonating ripples throughout the body's fluid structure.
After getting up from the table, the client is given instruction in the use of Mentastics, a system of simple, effortless movement sequences developed by Dr. Trager to maintain and enhance the sense of lightness, freedom, and flexibility that was instilled by the table work. This extends the effects of the lessons learned in the session and gives something useful to explore in the context of daily living.
Benefits and Cautions
The Trager Approach is reported to help release or re-balance physical and mental patterning, to facilitate deep relaxation, and to increase physical mobility and functional awareness. The Trager Approach has been reported to ease or help manage a wide range of conditions including: stress, back and neck pain, limited movement, muscle spasms, headaches, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, post-polio syndrome, cerebral palsy, physical/emotional trauma, sports and other injuries. Beyond physical problems and experienced-limitation, competitive athletes, dancers musicians, singers, and those interested in personal growth have benefited from the awarenesses gained in Trager movement education.
Trager is an approach that predominately uses light, gentle, nonintrusive movements: compressions, elongations and rocking. There are relatively few contra-indications to the sensitive use of the Trager Approach. There are the following cautions: active thrombophlebitis (blood clots), recent surgery on joints (less than three months). It might not be advisable for a client to receive a Trager session if he/she is in a severely debilitated state, is extremely frail, or has had recent hospitalization for a severe illness.[6] Trager is less likely to be effective when clients are not comfortable with this modality or if they are not interested in taking responsibility for their own health. As with all movement education, bodywork or massage, it is advised that for safe, applicable work a client-person inform the practitioner about their condition beforehand so that the practitioner is aware of any problems and current issues.
