11/21/2025
The Body Artisans wrote:
Here are some of my citations I have been collecting for my second book. Hopefully they are helpful for you. They are by some of the top fascial researchers in the field. Plus you have the research in Europe that has proven Tom Myers anatomy trains as accurate. There is a great documentary that takes you through all the research happening there. 🥰 Europe is way far ahead of us in fascial science.
Bordoni, B., & Lagana, M. M. (2019). The fascial system and exercise intolerance in chronic heart failure. Cureus, 11(7), e5082.
Shows how fascial restriction interacts with autonomic dysregulation and systemic health.
Bordoni, B., & Marelli, F. (2017). The fascial system and emotions: A new perspective. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, 22(3), 444–454.
Explains fascia’s connection to emotional expression and autonomic response.
Findley, T. W., & Schleip, R. (2007). Fascia research: A narrative review. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 11(2), 105–116.
Early foundational paper that positioned fascia as an adaptive, plastic system.
Langevin, H. M., & Sherman, K. J. (2015). Pathophysiological model for chronic low back pain integrating connective tissue and nervous system mechanisms. Medical Hypotheses, 84(4), 347–352.
Demonstrates mechanotransduction and fascial–neural interplay.
Langevin, H. M., & Huijing, P. (2009). Communicating about connective tissues: A unifying paradigm for understanding the fascia. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 13(2), 119–127.
Defines fascia as a sensory organ integral to whole-body communication.
Mika, T., et al. (2024). Fascia: A multisensory organ. Frontiers in Medicine, 11, 1472116.
Describes fascia as essential to proprioception, motor coordination, interoception, and organ motion.
Schleip, R., Jäger, H., & Klingler, W. (2012). What is fascia? Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 16(1), 15–24.
Maps fascia’s nerve supply, interoceptive capacity, contractile cells, and mechanical intelligence.
Stecco, C., Macchi, V., Porzionato, A., et al. (2011). The anatomical and functional roles of fascia. Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 33(10), 885–892.
Confirms fascial layers, their functions, and fascial glide’s importance.
Stecco, C., et al. (2021). Fascial disorders: Implications for movement and pain. Life, 11(7), 668.
A major review showing how fascial stiffness alters proprioception, movement, and pain perception.
Tozzi, P. (2015). Plasticity and multifunctionality of the fascial system: A theoretical framework. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 19(2), 310–326.
Explains fascia’s adaptive, plastic, communication-based roles in healing.
Yahia, L. H., Pigeon, P., & DesRosiers, E. A. (1993). Viscoelastic properties of the human lumbodorsal fascia. Journal of Biomedical Engineering, 15(5), 425–429.
Classic research showing fascia’s dynamic, fluid-solid behavior and responsiveness to force.
Wilke, J., et al. (2022). Myofascial tissues as a sensory organ: A systematic review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(10), 5464.
Proves fascia is heavily innervated with interoceptors and mechanoreceptors with direct ties to emotional state and pain.
Mense, S. (2021). Fascia and pain. Frontiers in Pain Research, 2, 770044.
Documents how fascia contributes to nociception, muscle tension, autonomic activation, and emotional regulation.
For decades, bodyworkers have observed that emotions often surface during hands-on sessions. Clients cry without knowing why, shake, tremble, feel heat rising, or experience spontaneous memories.
These patterns are not imaginary, nor are they an“energy-only” phenomenon. Modern research now supports what somatic practitioners have known for generations: the body stores physiological consequences of emotion, and manual therapy can access the systems involved.
What rises in the session room is never random. It is the nervous system speaking in its oldest language. Tomorrow, we’ll explore this language through the lens of Polyvagal Theory.
