Facilitated Pathways InterventionSM

Facilitated Pathways Intervention (FPI)
A  3-module series.  Facilitated Pathways Intervention is an innovative soft-tissue therapy.   It is effective in resolving both specific and widespread neuromusculoskeletal dysfunctions throughout the body, whether the etiology is repetitive motion, trauma, or chronic pain from other causes.  FPI therapy is performed on specific superficial tissues of the head, neck and clavicle to reduce pain and improve movement and functional capabilities in specific somatic areas.  FPI utilizes specific manual techniques that are gentle, yet the results provide long-term – or even permanent – relief of symptoms.  Treatment is usually comfortable and relaxing, and appropriate for almost all patients, in any age group.  It can be done with patients fully dressed – even sitting – so it can be easily utilized in diverse settings, including sports events and business offices.

About two-thirds of class time in each workshop is devoted to hands-on learning.  Participants learn a great deal from personally experiencing the therapy and its benefits as they develop their skills.  Each workshop focuses on one level of FPI therapy.  The classes are sequential and taken in numerical order.  The training is designed to provide the skills you will need to begin integrating these highly effective new techniques into your practice immediately after each workshop.  FPI provides very effective. Read more... 

FPI  Workshop Descriptions
Level 1 – Treatment of ‘universal’ patterns of facilitation. This workshop covers the most common movements of the spine, eyes, neck, hands / wrists, and feet / ankles.  These patterns are ‘repetitive’ movements used innately from birth and throughout our lives; they seem to be found in everyone.  The Level 1 techniques are particularly effective in releasing pain and tension in the spine, neck, eyes, wrists and ankles.

Level 2 – ‘Gait’ facilitation patterns:  Almost all of us seem to be genetically wired to develop this particular group of ‘repetitive motions’ from the time we begin to crawl and walk.  The Level 2 techniques treat movements of the shoulders, hips and back (spine and torso), and reduce patients’ pain and muscle tension throughout the body.  Chronic neck problems are often relieved when the shoulder patterns are released, and many treatment-resistant back pain problems respond favorably to treatment sessions involving the spine and torso movements.

Level 3 (NEW workshop)  – ‘Unique’ facilitation patterns:  These are dependent on the patient’s life history, and address their specific problems of pain and/or restricted movement in any part of the neuromuscular system.  The dysfunctional patterns are often related to trauma, surgeries, or activities involving intense repetitive motions, even if those events / activities happened long ago. Fortunately, the patient’s presenting pain / dysfunction can be effectively treated without determining the etiology of the symptoms.  Such patterns may be found in any age group old enough to perform a repetitive motion - even ‘Little-League’ participants.  ‘Unique’ patterns have also been identified in some physically handicapped preschool children.  Level 3 techniques have successfully resolved long-term headaches, chronic neuromuscular and joint pain, and other dysfunctions that have defied many other complementary modalities and mainstream interventions.

More about FPI
FPI provides very effective treatment for a wide variety of conditions.  It can reduce or eliminate ‘carpel tunnel’ symptoms, ‘tennis elbow’, and many other joint and muscle pains.  Many chronic headaches – even migraine – can be nearly eliminated, especially when these techniques are utilized in conjunction with CranioStructural Integration.  FPI is also an exceptionally useful treatment for the discomfort associated with sprains, broken bones and surgeries.  Because FPI techniques are always performed on the head and neck, with a specific body area as the focus of treatment, casts, bandages, tissue hypersensitivity and other conditions that limit hand-on modalities do not interfere with the use of FPI therapy.  In fact, FPI treatment can reduce the healing time in many cases.  Regardless of the etiology of their discomfort, most patients begin reporting a reduction in their symptoms after their first or second session.  The benefits are cumulative, and patients usually enjoy additional improvements with each treatment.

The effectiveness of the early FPI techniques with even very challenging cases inspired Ms. Barber to pursue her Ph.D. degree.  The techniques have been refined, and her dissertation topic is the ‘map’ (Homunculus of the External Cranium, or HEC) of functional cranio-somatic relationships that she has developed.  It relates specific areas of the head, face and neck (areas innervated by the cranial nerves) to specific areas of the soma (soft tissue of the musculoskeletal system, innervated by the spinal nerves).  FPI treatment is based on this HEC map.

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