The Fascia as the Base of our Body Image
Karl-Hugo Quadflieg
Doctor’s office for Orthopaedics, Feldenkrais and Osteopathy
Berliner Allee 23, D-40212 Düsseldorf, Germany
Phone: +49(0) 211-1365400 Fax: +49(0) 211-1365402
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BACKGROUND: Studying the literature of the somato-sensory systems, one realizes that the fascia and their receptors are regarded to serve as the basis of humans body image. But changing directly the body- image by stimulation of fascial receptors does not occur as a therapeutic concept. The aim of this work is to examine empirically how awareness of the body image could be acquired and altered.
METHODS: Stimulating the fascial receptors by touching gently, pulling, pressing, compressing, vibrating, tapping, pushing and by attending minimal movements, the awareness of the body image is enhanced and can be examined for alterations.
RESULT: For the outcome the quality of touch is essential. Contact has to be adapted to the individual, and be aimed to the therapeutic aspiration. In particular, the following qualities determine the manner of body image change, especially of arms, legs and spine: brightness – darkness, the image of a covering, the picture of dense and compact structures, length and brevity. Shifts in body image are associatet with modified tension and patterns of the lenght of the muscle. Those changes organize an alter posture. Additional, it can be found a systemic effect of treatment. This means that sectors of the body, which weren't treated, can change with regard to awareness and felt tensions. In particular, changes only in one side, can demonstrate patients a different body image is associated with divers tensions and an altered feeling of well-being.
CONCLUSION: If the alteration in body image chained with daily experiences, a self-learning-process can be started. Awareness of the body image influenced directly by the fascia can lead to comparisons of the self-image, conceived of a mentally stored conception of oneself. Self-image and body image can start a manner of an inherent dialogue. In face of the amount of sensory inputs, and the immedite change of the body image it seems to be promising studying the activity of brain-functions elicited by stimulation of the fascia by functional MRT. This may lead to informations about neurological as well as processes of learning and development.