What is the Emmett technique?
The Emmett Technique is a light touch therapy awareness showing the brain can re-evaluate what it is and then make its own adjustments. In this video Ross Emmett founder of the Emmett technique explain how it works.
Have you ever wished you had a way to release and correct your hot spot such as psoas imbalance, piriformis tension, tight hamstring, forearm/grip problems, shoulder restrictions and neck rotation instantly? A system of simple assessments and simple corrections, which can be performed lying, sitting, or standing? Or perhaps a way of promoting an improved mental attitude and injuries recovery?
Australian therapist, Ross Emmett is the originator of the Emmett Technique – a muscle-release therapy which works as stand-alone therapy or alongside all other known bodywork systems, greatly enhancing their effectiveness. Although originally developed whilst he was working with animals, Ross adopted his treatments to assist ranchers in the Outback, who needed immediate and last relief when they would travel for hundreds of kilometers to see him.
The main features of the therapy is the ability to offer a fast lasting solution to alleviate pain and discomfort and the ease with which it can be integrated into practitioner’s existing therapy. The physical aspects of the therapy are backed up by special language skills, which encourage the client to recognise and promote change.
These days, working from his clinic in Townsville, Queensland, Ross maintains valuable working relationship with many other healthcare professionals, including doctors surgeons, physiotherapists, naturopaths and other complementary therapists. The wide acceptance of his work and technique mean that he and his colleagues enjoy a mutual referral system based upon respect for each person’s expertise and clients are afforded the best possible treatment, with health professionals working together in their best interest. The demand for his methods and knowledge has led to him teaching all over Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe, with increasing enquiries from North America and Canada.
Watching Ross Emmett work with a client is like being an invisible spectator at a mesmerising dance: his movements are fluid and economical, his entire attention is focused upon his client’s body, has he watches and responds to each subtle signal. Both therapist and clients appear unaware of anything outside the “bubble” which seems to surround them: the silence is palpable and the stillness serene. Some of Ross’s treatments can take only a few minutes, but so deep is the relaxation achieved by the client, they have often have no idea of how much time is passed.
Because Ross continue to work with clients, and continue to push his boundaries, it mean that the Emmett technique is over grooving, ever-developing and refining. He loves to continue to continue sharing what he knows and what he discovers and so the technique is not limited in its possibilities for the future.
How is the Emmett Technique performed?
The treatment is generally performed over clothing, and the client may be sitting standing or lying down according to their comfort level. It may last for 20-40 minutes, depending on other bodywork being used, through each move, when applied, can create change within minutes. The physical release of muscles is achieved by using a combination of direct pressure and gentle “switches” on specific muscle groups, allowing the client’s body to return quickly to a state of balance. There are no hard hard and fast “rules” about treatment, or routines to be worked through: each Emmett treatment is adapted to match exactly the client’s need at that time, using the finest of all the tools the therapist possess. This sort of versatility is what has given rise to the label “The Chameleon Approach”.
What the Emmett Therapies can treat?
The majority of complementary therapists are not medically qualified and so do not diagnose or treat specific conditions. Instead, those therapist trained in Emmett technique become skilled in assessment both by sight and touch, applying their work to those area which most need to be release. The Emmett Therapist will look at root cause, rather than automatically focusing solely on the location of the pain (i.e. sports remedial massage therapist).
So a person who has restriction in the back of the leg may benefit from a release of the hamstrings and deep abdominal muscles; someone who suffers headaches may find the therapist working on the:
- Sacrum,
- Trapezius,
- Neck,
- Rhomboid.
Pain or restrictions on arm lift can be addressed in many ways, depending upon which of the 30 muscles is responsible. Some moves will assist breathing difficulties and others will help to improve grip or to regulate digestive processes. These are just a small variety of the issue that The Emmett Technique can address: in reality, the therapy’s aim is to “relieve pain and discomfort” and its applications are incredibly far-ranging.
“Emmett Technique realign the client’s body with less treatments and it stays aligned longer…”
The Emmett Technique UK
The are almost 100 fully qualified practitioners in Britain. In this number are included Bowen therapist, doctors, physiotherapist, chiropractors, osteopaths, midwives, massage therapist, Pilates and yoga instructor. It is being practised in many setting including massage clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation centres and even prison were staff are able to enjoy benefits of “quick fixes”, applied as they go about the daily duties! This is truly versatile therapy and an incredibly legacy
Emmett therapies musculoskeletal pain relief
A client with acute pain in his lower back – he has self diagnosed his problem as “sciatica”. He tells me the pain has come suddenly and he keeps getting muscle spasms, which cause him to double up and cry out. He find it hard to walk , difficult to sit for long and virtually impossible to lie down. Anti-inflammatories and painkillers make no noticeable difference to his pain. Whilst he stand, I perform three small release moves, and the ask him to sit down and stand up three times. As he does this, his expression changes from “You must be joking….” to “What has happened here….? and finally “I don’t believe it”! In those few minutes, I have taken the muscle out of the crisis it was in and re-set the muscle memory, whist at same time changing his thought process in relation to the pain. We discuss some ways in which he can avoid re-injury, then he walks out straight , carrying only a small vestige of his original pain (which may well continue to improve, but in any case will remind him to be a little kind to himself) and with the assurance of a top-up treatment – of he needs to – in a few days. This is the magic of the Emmett Technique.
