Introduction to the NeuroFascial Flow® Method
The NeuroFascial Flow® Method (NFFM) is a supportive system and healing lens designed to help you reconnect with your body’s natural resilience. By reducing tension in the Dural Fascial Kinetic Chain (DFKC) and restoring fluid mobility, NFFM creates space for your body to function with ease, adaptability, and strength.
Whether you’re seeking symptom relief, greater nervous system balance, or simply reaching a fuller expression of who you are, NFFM offers practical tools to create lasting change.
NFFM is especially meaningful for those with longstanding physical challenges or unresolved trauma. Even if you’ve processed difficult experiences emotionally, your body may still be holding onto stress patterns from the past. This can keep your nervous system in a “stress loop,” cycling through patterns that limit your ability to feel at ease, calm, and truly present. Through fascia release and nervous system regulation, NFFM guides you out of survival mode and into a place of balance and potential.
This guide will walk you through a step-by-step process for safely progressing in fascia release and nervous system support, meeting you exactly where you are and guiding you gently toward a more vibrant and empowered life.
Primary Outcomes You Can Anticipate
Reduced Nervous System Overload: Through gentle proprioceptive inputs, expect a gradual reduction in “alarm signals” from overstrained tissues, easing sympathetic nervous system activation that often exacerbates symptoms.
Enhanced Joint and Structural Stability: For individuals with hypermobility, NFFM improves proprioception, helping the brain sense joint positions accurately, which enhances stability over time.
Increased Capacity for Movement: Carefully reintroducing modulated movements may increase tolerance for daily activities, especially valuable for those experiencing chronic fatigue or post-exertional malaise (PEM).
Symptom Relief and Pressure Reduction: Fascia release in the DFKC can help relieve tension-related symptoms like headaches or neck pressure, offering non-invasive support for symptom relief.
Trauma Integration and Resilience: NFFM can facilitate gentle trauma integration, helping regulate the nervous system and promoting resilience over time.
Transforming Sensitivity into a Superpower: NFFM isn’t about numbing your senses but rather about helping you become less reactive. By focusing on nervous system healing and proprioceptive practices, NFFM allows you to retain sensitivity as a strength without being overwhelmed by it. This journey can make sensitivity a powerful ally for awareness, empathy, and connection.
Big Picture Goal
The NeuroFascial Flow® Method empowers you with tools to gradually shift your body into a resilient, self-regulating state. This pathway is ideal for those who want to manage and relieve symptoms or for those seeking to move beyond symptom relief to achieve a fuller alignment with their personal goals and purpose.
Clearing the Path: For When You Feel too Stuck to Start
If you’re feeling stuck or unable to begin, know that this is a common challenge. Sometimes mental blocks or subconscious resistance can make it difficult to start new practices, even ones we know might help us. For support in moving through this, you may find it helpful to check out the lesson on How to Identify + Release Subconscious Blocks. This lesson offers techniques to help you gently uncover and release any subconscious patterns holding you back, so you can feel more empowered to take the first step.
Getting Started: Self-Assessment
Initial Self-Assessment
Purpose: Gain a baseline measurement of nervous system regulation, DFKC tension, and fascia health.
Instructions: Begin by watching and following the self-assessment videos provided in the program. Record your results in writing and photos where relevant. Note not only the obvious results of each assessment, but also any difficulties you have with the test itself, any symptomatic experiences, etc. These will be helpful notes to compare when re-assessing in the future.
Frequency: Complete this self-assessment before starting the Core Flow.
Step 1: Tune Into Your Nervous System
Learning to “tune into” your nervous system is a foundational part of this program. By regularly checking in with your body’s sensations, you can gauge what practices are helping you feel “neutral” to “awesome” (where “awesome” is defined as an expansive feeling), signaling that your nervous system is responding positively. This skill will guide you in adjusting intensity, duration, or type of movement as you progress - both for NFFM and other therapies and activities.
Note on Nervous System Recovery
It’s normal to accidentally trigger your nervous system from time to time, especially as you learn to listen deeply to your body’s signals. When this happens, use squeeze hugs frequently to provide your brain with proprioceptive safety signals, which help bring the nervous system back to a balanced state. Often, just a few moments of deep pressure will help, but if you’ve gone too far, it may take a few days of focusing only on deep pressure proprioception before resuming other practices. This is all part of the journey, allowing your nervous system the space it needs to recover and regain readiness for continued progress.
Step 2: Somatic Practice for Nervous System Regulation
The main purpose of the daily practice in NFFM is to provide your brain with additional proprioceptive signals, which are essential for calming the nervous system and promoting healing. When areas of your body are “stuck” or bound due to past trauma or stress, they send alarm signals to the brain, contributing to nervous system dysregulation. This practice helps counterbalance those signals by feeding the brain extra proprioceptive input that it’s missing from those “stuck” areas, while also helping to calm alarm signals from both these bound areas and other life stressors. Regular proprioceptive input interrupts stress loops and creates a “window” for effective fascia work, central to this method (coming in step 3!).
Unlike many types of exercise, which can send both calming proprioceptive signals and alarm signals (called nociception), NeuroFascial Flow® exercises are designed to deliver only proprioceptive input. The spine, which has the highest density of proprioceptors in the body, is a key focus in these flow moves to maximize this calming effect. Additionally, proprioceptive input can be accessed through deep pressure, which is why the squeeze hugs (anywhere on the body) and foot mobilization are also great ways to provide these calming signals.
Daily Somatic Practice Overview:
Time Commitment: Begin with 5-10 minutes of proprioceptive signaling exercises each morning. This time can include any or all of the flow moves found in Module 3, along with squeeze hugs and foot mobilization as desired.
Proprioceptive Focus: Moving multiple joints, especially the spine, helps provide a concentrated source of calming proprioceptive signals for the brain. Small, gentle motions work well, so don’t worry about the size of the movements—just focus on smoothness and ease.
Core Flow (Suggested Option): The Core Flow sequence offers an ideal way to supplement proprioceptive signals because it integrates gentle spinal articulation with subtle fascia release. This combination supports both nervous system regulation and fascial health.
Note: You may notice that some Core Flow moves are not found in Module 3. That’s because the Core Flow combines both proprioceptive supplementation and therapeutic fascia release moves from later modules. This blend allows the Core Flow to support proprioceptive signaling and gentle fascia release together.
Alternate Start for Those Needing Extra Support
When to Use: If you find the Core Flow (or any spinal movement) triggers a sympathetic response that cannot be modified by going slower, smaller, or lighter/gentler over challenging areas, start with proprioceptive support only for 1-2 weeks.
How to Begin: Focus exclusively on squeeze hugs and foot mobilization as your daily proprioceptive practice.
Squeeze Hugs: Brief, deep, broad squeezes (not fingertips) anywhere you want (I like arms + hands because it’s easy to reach), repositioning the squeezing location every few seconds. Start your morning with 5 minutes of this practice, and intersperse it throughout your day for about 30-60 seconds each time, or longer if you want. Aim for at least 20 of these short sessions throughout the day.
Foot Mobilization (optional): Gently mobilize your feet for 3-5 minutes daily. This can be part of your morning 5 min, and/or another 5-10 min in the evening.
Goal of Alternate Start: This modified practice is meant to provide the brain with proprioceptive feedback to support nervous system safety and regulation before integrating more dynamic movement.
Progress Check After 1 Week:
If: You feel calm or neutral (no sympathetic triggers)
Then: Add 1-2 flow moves to the proprioceptive practice (still aiming for 20x daily) - so now you’re using any combination of squeeze hugs, foot mobilization, and any flow moves that feel good.
Goal: Gradually incorporate Core Flow moves and build up capacity to integrate them.
If: Core Flow still triggers a sympathetic response
Then: Continue with pressure-only focus for another week, then retry movement.
Guidelines for Somatic Practice
Choose the Movements That Feel Best: If any of the flow moves feel uncomfortable, focus on squeeze hugs and foot mobilization. However, if you can gently articulate parts of your spine by modifying any of the flow moves, it can enhance the proprioceptive effect due to the high density of proprioceptors along the spine.
Integrating Core Flow: Once your body feels ready, you can incorporate Core Flow as your primary daily practice. The gentle fascia release and joint articulation in this sequence allow it to support ongoing healing while providing proprioceptive signals.
Optional Additional Movements: Throughout the day, use additional proprioceptive movements (e.g., squeeze hugs or seaweed flow moves) to manage stress, prepare for or recover from triggers, or stay centered when feeling overwhelmed.
By engaging with these somatic practices regularly, you help restore your body’s sense of ease and resilience, supporting ongoing healing through gentle yet powerful feedback to the brain. With this foundational practice in place, you’re now ready to move forward with a wider window of change receptivity—making it possible to access the deeper benefits of fascia release!
Step 3: Introduce Fascia Release
Frequency: After practicing daily somatic proprioceptive input from Step 2 for a week, you can begin fascia release sessions, starting with 5-10 minutes a few times per week. Use your Tune Into Your Nervous System skill to assess your body’s capacity, adjusting as needed to avoid triggering stress responses.
Goal: Loosen bound fascia to restore smooth articulation through joints and soft tissue, allowing the brain to receive proprioceptive feedback naturally through everyday movements.
Purpose: Regular fascia release helps reduce “alarm signals” from tense areas, promoting nervous system regulation and building resilience.
Approach to Fascia Release
If you feel ready—or if you’d like to explore what a complete practice will eventually look like—you can try the Full Body Fascia Release (Module 8, Lesson 2) to see how much you can comfortably manage. However, for most, it’s best to move through the lessons in sequence, starting from the feet up (Module 4, Lesson 1). Each module’s introductory lesson contains essential insights for approaching that specific area, so be sure to watch these before starting.
To ensure safe and lasting fascia release, follow the NeuroFascial Flow® Method’s 5-Step Process:
1. Establish Safety: Begin by creating a sense of safety using proprioceptive feedback, such as squeeze hugs.
2. Facilitate Softening: Softening often happens naturally, but if needed, you can incorporate energetic practices (starting in Module 2, Lesson 5) to support this phase.
3. Initiate Change Within Capacity: Start the actual fascia release, ensuring it’s within the nervous system’s capacity to integrate without triggering stress.
4. Re-establish Safety: Following release, re-establish safety with proprioceptive feedback, using squeeze hugs or a gentle flow move.
5. Integrate and Adapt: Begin using the newly expanded range of movement with gentle, repetitive practice, similar to riding a bike until you’re steady, helping the body adapt and recalibrate to a stable new setpoint.
Guidelines for Progressing in Fascia Release
Start Small, Aim for Gradual Progress: You can achieve effective results in very short sessions, and it’s essential to limit your release work to a few minutes per area. Fascia serves a strong protective role, and doing too much at once can cause it to reflexively constrict again. Aim for no more than 10-15 seconds on a specific spot, then move on or come back to it later in the session if desired.
Layer in Lower Sections as You Move Upward: For the first 6 months of this practice, include brief work on lower sections before focusing on a target area higher up. For instance, if you’re focusing on your calves, begin with about 30 seconds on each foot, then spend a few minutes on the calves. Similarly, if you’re working on the ribcage, start with 30 seconds on each foot, 30 seconds on calves and lower legs, and so on, before moving to the primary area. This approach ensures accessibility to the target area by creating more “slack” through the body, allowing for a deeper release.
Work with the Body’s Integration Needs: Rather than trying to release everything in one session, focus on loosening only the areas that feel most restricted and/or most accessible (which might be at the edges of tension rather than where it’s the most). Allow time between releases to give the body a chance to integrate these changes.
Proprioceptive Feedback for Safety: By including proprioceptive feedback (like squeeze hugs) throughout the session, you signal safety to the brain, helping it shift from alarm mode to self-healing mode. This feedback also supports ongoing unwinding as the body continues to release tension between sessions.
Always Use “Tune Into Your Nervous System” as Your Guide: Before, during, and after each session, check in with your body using the “Tune Into Your Nervous System” skill. Aim for sensations that feel “neutral” to “awesome,” indicating safe progress.
Alternate Full Release and Focused Work: If a full-body release is manageable once a week, use that session to move from feet to head. On other days, consider shorter, focused sessions on a specific target area (e.g., calves), but keep in mind the principle of gradual progress.
After the initial 6-month period, your body will likely become more receptive to targeting single areas for deeper release. However, you may still find it helpful to include a quick warm-up on lower sections to increase the capacity for a productive release.
Optional: Energetic Practices for Specific Needs
Use the energetic practices found in the Creating Safety module instead of fascia release in the beginning if:
You cannot do fascia release without triggering.
Your self-assessment shows signs of mixed dorsal vagal collapse.
You have a history of unresolved trauma that may need gentle processing.
How to Start: Replace fascia release with daily energetic unwinding practices (5-10 minutes), alongside proprioceptive input.
Transitioning to Fascia Release: Begin fascia release once you feel ready. If strong emotions, energy, or resistance arises, alternate between fascia release and energetic practices every other session.
4-Week Review Assessment
Purpose: Objectively track changes in nervous system regulation, DFKC tension, and fascia health.
Instructions: Follow the self-assessment videos every 4 weeks to measure progress and make any necessary adjustments to your practice.
Ongoing Practice
Daily Commitment: Aim for 5-10 minutes of proprioceptive input daily, with fascia release or energetic unwinding practices added a few times weekly as capacity allows.
Maintaining Progress: Regular proprioceptive practices and fascia release support your body’s ability to clear out accumulated tension, just like brushing your teeth to maintain oral hygiene. With time, your body’s natural fluidity and responsiveness will continue to increase, helping you sustain the changes you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Self-Healing Activation: As you reinforce proprioceptive signaling, the body shifts into a self-healing state, continuing to unwind and release tension between active sessions.
For more guidance on how to integrate NFFM into your life, refer to the Integration Module, which provides practical tips for creating a healing routine that suits your lifestyle.
In addition to the daily practices outlined above, consider these options:
Soften + Unwind Visualization: Try a 5-10 routine before going to sleep using the soften + unwind visualization and/or body mapping practice, allowing for gentle nervous system relaxation.
Weekly NFFM Sessions: Dedicate 30-60 minutes once a week to self-healing, using any combination of NFFM practices that feel resonant for you at that time. Your preferences may shift as you heal. You might explore the bonus studio class as well, where you can follow along and experience NFFM as an integration of energetic and somatic practices. Even if you prefer a self-created practice, consider watching the studio class at least once for an immersive introduction to the full flow of NFFM.
Ongoing Self-Assessment: Plan to re-assess every 4 weeks to track progress, and use self-assessment tools to evaluate responses to new practices or therapies. These assessments help you tailor your healing journey to your body’s changing needs.
Additional Guidance
As you move forward, remember that the NeuroFascial Flow® Method (NFFM) is a supportive approach, not a replacement for medical advice. While I’ve seen firsthand the dramatic improvements NFFM can bring, I am not your doctor, and it’s crucial to honor what feels best for your own body and nervous system.
Keep Inspired and Stay Consistent
Progress in NFFM is about persistence, compassion, and patience with yourself. Healing isn’t a race, and each small step you take makes a difference.
When you feel challenged, remember why you began this journey. NFFM is a pathway not only to relief but to self-discovery, empowerment, and renewed vitality. Your body is a miracle waiting to heal, and each day you choose this work, you’re giving it the opportunity to do just that. This isn’t just about feeling better—it’s about reclaiming the life you want and deserve.
Your Journey Awaits
Take it one step, one session at a time. NFFM has supported so many others, and it can support you. Celebrate every win, big or small, and remember that this work is a gift to yourself. You are capable of transformation, and your body is listening.