Berrywork or Berry Method is considered as one of the most effective type of bodywork which is done as a manual manipulative technique on the fascia or connective tissue to achieve the desired relief from a certain painful or abnormal physical condition. It is a hands-on therapy technique that uses correction through massage stretching and strokes that are designed to encourage pain relief and healing on the affected region of the patient’s body.
The amazing therapeutic massage was created and named after Lauren Berry Sr. who is a physical therapist and structural engineer. Berry was believed to be one of the most effective medical care practitioner and teacher in therapeutic massage history, if not the most effective. His affiliation of the human body with that of a mechanical device has proven to be an effective principle in medical care. He developed his first theories in therapy by being fascinated in the way the human body acts similar to that of a mechanical structure. His first treatments were accomplished at a young age when he massaged his friends and family under the guidance of a neighboring doctor. Lauren Berry Sr. was a contemporary of several famous personalities in the world of massage therapy such as Ira Rolf, Milton Trager, and Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais who were all creators of their respective therapies.
Later on, he began to shift his interest in mechanics and motion while at the same time pursuing his dreams in the medical field. Berry took researches and lessons in human anatomy by taking part in studies on cadavers in autopsy rooms. It paved the way for him to complete his idea on how to fix a problem through solving it on the specific area and also around it in the connective tissues. He started to conduct muscle and organ positioning on his patients which enabled his ideas on the mechanical side of the therapy to be shown. He emphasized that the body works just like any other devices in that it needs to be fixed right on the problem. The therapy when studied closely does indeed have similar correction features in the sense that you manually move a part of the body in order for it to work properly again as it used to be in its original and natural state.
It was not until Berry’s death in 1983 that his work took a positive turn as the Institute of Integral Health, Inc. began to improve his methods. The techniques were polished and evolved into better healing methods in honor of his work and passing. It was the Institute’s seven original members who were his former students and later colleagues at work who did the improvements. Read the rest of this entry »