Feel Better Bristol

21/12/2025

Touch, cortisol and the bigger picture 🤗📉

Recent research on touch is clear:
🤱 Skin to skin contact, hugs and gentle touch can influence cortisol
😌 Benefits for anxiety, mood and pain are more consistent than hormone shifts
🔁 The direction of cortisol change depends on the person and the context

Massage sits inside this bigger picture. It is structured, caring touch wrapped in a supportive therapeutic interaction. Massage buffers stress by helping the nervous system step out of constant alert mode, so the whole stress system has less work to do.
The key question is not ‘does massage reduce cortisol’. It is:
🔎 ‘Does this therapeutic interaction help this person feel safer, less tense and more able to cope’

👉👉 Read the full blog here: https://smto.co.uk/massage-cortisol-and-stress/

02/12/2025

Come to Penny Brohn UK for a festive feast and a stroll around our beautiful gardens 😋❄️🎄

Take a look at our website for the delicious menus for December 🥗 Celebrate the season with a festive lunch at Penny Brohn UK - a perfect way to enjoy time with friends or colleagues while supporting those affected by cancer this holiday season 🧡💙

📅 Our Centre doors are open to everyone from 9am to 5pm, with lunches being available to book 12:30pm - 2pm.

Please book on our website 👉 https://pennybrohn.org.uk/our-centre/visit-us-in-person/book-to-eat-lunch-with-us/

📍 Penny Brohn UK, Ham Green House, Chapel Pill Lane, Pill, Bristol, BS20 0HH

09/10/2025

12/09/2025

The Mind Matters Cancer Support Day is designed to give you helpful tools and strategies to improve your mental and emotional health. All backed by clinical evidence and delivered by a team of cancer specialists.

Sessions include:
🍋 Good Mood Food
🚶 Movement as Medicine
💬 Cancer Language
⛅️ Nervous System Reset

Book now 👉️ https://pennybrohn.org.uk/our-approach/services/wellbeing-days/

📅 Wednesday 24 September
🕙️ 10am - 4:15pm
📍 Penny Brohn UK, Ham Green House, Chapel Pill Lane, Pill, Bristol, BS20 0HH

11/09/2025

A new study strengthens the growing focus on the Deep Adipose Tissue (DAT) layer—situated in the deeper part of the subcutaneous connective tissue and distinct from the Superficial Adipose Tissue—as a frequent source of myofascial pain dysfunctions. For manual therapists, this adds further support to the assumption that techniques involving shear or cupping-like traction may be more effective than relying solely on vertical pressure.

Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40833844/

30/08/2025

💫 Continuing Our Professional Development for Better Scar Therapy

This September, Zoe will be heading to London for an advanced scar training course with world-renowned fascia researcher Robert Schleip.

The course dives deep into fascia science, scar dynamics, and cutting-edge techniques to support healing after surgery, injury, or trauma.

Zoe will be bringing this knowledge back to her practice, offering effective treatments for the clients we care for — especially those recovering from C-sections, burns, joint replacements, or cancer surgery.

We’re committed to offering the highest level of care through ongoing learning, research-led techniques, and compassion-first bodywork.

💙 Feel Better Bristol
www.feelbetterbristol.co.uk

26/08/2025

The power of touch ❤️

With Over Two Decades Of Experience, MFR UK Provides In-Person Workshops, Blended Learning Programmes And Online Courses For Professional Therapists Home MFR Qualification Blog Courses & Workshops Available courses and workshops Slovenia workshops Shop Products Online Courses Fascia Focused Rehabili...

09/08/2025

🧠 Could Your Pain Be Neuroplastic?

Many clients who come for Myofascial Release (MFR) therapy have been dealing with persistent pain or discomfort - often in multiple areas of the body - with no clear diagnosis from doctors or medical scans.

The truth? A growing number of these cases exhibit neuroplastic pain - a real and powerful form of pain caused by changes in the nervous system, not structural damage.

The medical world is slowly catching on, but as therapists, it’s our mission to help raise awareness.

✨ Neuroplastic pain often needs a different approach:

💬 Emotional awareness
🧒 Recognising the effects of past trauma
🧘 Stress reduction and nervous system regulation
…NOT necessarily more scans, pills, or surgeries

This great article was written by Dr. David Clarke in the New York Post recently - do have a read if you or someone you love is living with unexplained pain:

👉 5 Sneaky Clues Your Body Is Fighting an Invisible Illness

Zoe is a qualified Level 1 SIRPA therapist, a UK organisation dedicated to helping clients understand and overcome neuroplastic pain.

📞 Book a free call to chat to Zoe about your symptoms - you don’t have to figure it out alone.

08/08/2025

✨ Expanding Our Expertise! ✨

We’re excited to share that Becki is currently studying Somatic Experiencing (SE) as part of a 3-year training course. This transformative approach, based on Peter Levine's teachings, focuses on healing trauma by working with the body’s physical sensations. In working with trauma in this way, we can build resilience in our nervous systems, enabling us to navigate life's ups and downs with more ease.

We can’t wait for Becki to integrate these new skills into her treatments and provide even more comprehensive care to support your healing journey!

06/08/2025

✨ Healing and Learning — A Personal Update ✨

Earlier this month, Zoe competed in the British Open for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Unfortunately, her day on the mats came with an unexpected twist — a joint lock that resulted in significant elbow ligament damage.

While recovery isn’t easy, it’s offers an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and practice exactly what we guide our clients through every day.

Here’s what this healing journey is bringing to light:

💭 Embrace the Lesson – Every setback carries a lesson. This injury has been a reminder to listen closely to the body and honour its pace
🧘‍♀️ Resilience in Tough Moments – True strength is more than the physical. It’s about emotional mindfulness and patience (something Zoe is having to work hard on!)
🌱 Growth in Recovery – Healing isn’t just fixing something — it’s transforming, learning, and evolving
💚 Shared Experience – Whether you’re recovering from surgery, injury, or chronic pain, we’re capable of building strength and resilience from challenge and asking others for help wherever possible

At Feel Better Bristol, we’re dedicated to more than just expert hands-on therapy — we’re on the healing journey alongside you. Zoe is embracing fascia-informed rehabilitation to safely return to the sport she loves, and she’ll bring that personal experience and insight into her treatments.

Healing isn’t just recovery - it offers transformation and growth.

— Zoe (& Becki)
💙 Feel Better Bristol

12/07/2025

What Does Fascia Have To Do with Anxiety?

When you're anxious, your body tenses up.
Muscles tighten. Breathing gets shallow.
And your fascia tightens too.

Over time, this creates restrictions in your connective tissues - leading to more discomfort and stress signals sent to your brain.

🔍 The Science:
Fascia is packed with sensory nerves that help you feel calm (or not).
When fascia is tight, or dehydrated, it may heighten your sensitivity to stress and make it harder to regulate emotions, such as anxious feelings.

✨ Myofascial Release may help:

- Gently unwind chronic tension held in the body
- Improve vagus nerve tone (key for calm)
- Support deeper breathing and better body awareness
- Ease the physical symptoms of anxiety

💬 Want to feel calmer in your body?
Book a free chat to see how myofascial release can support you.