Don Dillon-RMT

21/08/2025

The remarkable Pam Fitch.

Greetings and welcome to the Hands Of History Podcast, a production of the Society Of Massage Archives, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage ther...

31/07/2025

August 1st marks my first day of practice...34 years ago.

31/07/2025

As an adjunct health service or a junior partner to medicine, massage has oft lacked respect. So much so, that even its own history has remained poorly understood. Massage needed someone to come al…

24/07/2025

What an episode! https://www.thethinkingpractitioner.com/e/149-bodywork-through-the-polyvagal-lens-with-stephen-porges/

Key Topics:

00:00 – 02:00 Intro, ABMP welcome & framing the Polyvagal lens for bodyworkers
02:00 – 07:00 Early research with Peter Levine and John Cottingham: how structural shifts (pelvic tilt, fascia work) alter autonomic regulation
07:00 – 12:00 Evolutionary foundations: fascia types, diaphragm function, and the hierarchy of autonomic response
12:00 – 17:00 Facial expressivity, voice prosody, and breathing as channels of co‑regulation
17:00 – 22:00 Identifying autonomic states (“tightly wrapped” bodies) and choosing when—not just where—to touch
22:00 – 27:00 The Body Perception Questionnaire: a tool for mapping clients’ interoceptive awareness
27:00 – 32:00 Trauma, autonomic reactivity, and parsing traumatic events vs. responses
32:00 – 37:00 The Safe and Sound Protocol: acoustic interventions for nervous system safety
37:00 – 42:00 Vagal “hacking” misconceptions: why rhythm and safety signals matter more than stimulation
42:00 – 47:00 Feedback loops: tissue ↔ nervous system ↔ fascia → chronic pain
47:00 – 52:00 Therapist intuition: physiological co‑regulation, broadcasting accessibility, therapist self‑state
52:00 – 57:00 Finding safety in a chaotic world: why therapists need safe colleagues and co‑regulation too
57:00 – 60:00+ New resources: Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety, the Norton-edited somatic therapies volume, Safe & Sound Protocol book, Our Polyvagal World

🎙In this episode, Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe speak with renowned neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges, originator of Polyvagal Theory. Together, they explore how our nervous systems respond to cues of safety, how touch can support regulation and connection, and what all this means for bodyworkers a...

21/07/2025

16/07/2025

From 2012.

09/07/2025

https://www.thethinkingpractitioner.com/e/146-touch-inflammation-the-grieving-body-with-mary-frances-o-connor/

🎙Grief is not just an emotion—it’s a full-body experience. In this episode, Til Luchau talks with neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor, author of The Grieving Body, about how grief changes the brain, affects inflammation, and alters our physiology. They explore how attachme...

08/07/2025

The formation of the Society of Trained Masseuses (STM) by four British nurses in 1894 is often opined as the beginning of the physiotherapy profession (Ottoson, 2015). In support, physiotherapy hi…

03/07/2025

Have you ever considered what magic massage conjures? Through the practitioner's skilled, intentional touch, coupled with an environment carefully designed for safety and comfort, the receptive recipient can experience dramatic changes in pain perception, body awareness, functional improvement and feelings of well-being.

Consider the neuro, hormonal, muscular and other body system responses, and the transformation that occurs. Massage - like magic - entices us to suspend our habitual postures and responses, surrender to the mystery of not knowing, and compel our perceptions to consider something new, something profound. My argument plainly stated...massage is magic.

And if you'd like to experience that other kind of magic, I whole-heartedly recommend you head to the Greg Frewin Theatre in Niagara Falls to witness truly remarkable illusions. You'll see Greg Frewin, internationally renowned magician, and now sharing centre stage, the enchanting Alexandra. https://www.gregfrewintheatre.com/