massage

What is Muscular Therapy?

Muscular Therapy was developed in the 1960’s by Ben Benjamin, PhD (Sports Medicine). This bodywork system incorporates Swedish massage, deep tissue bodywork, and myofascial and friction therapies.

According to the Benjamin system, in most cases of chronic pain the real culprit is adhesive scar tissue formation. The body responds to soft tissue injury by producing scar tissue wherever muscles, tendons or ligaments are located. When adhesive scar tissue forms, all movement that pulls, stretches or compresses the injured and inflamed tissue causes pain.

Muscular therapy treats a variety of pain, injury, body perception and muscle tension problems. Techniques are used specifically to reduce scar tissue that accumulates because of injury to soft tissue structures in the body.

What is Deep Tissue?

Deep tissue and myofascial work address the muscular and connective tissues using various methods that elongate and alter the fascia layer, increasing range of motion and pain free mobility, as well as releasing trigger points, often called ‘knots’, within the muscle itself. This deep work requires extra time to warm up the tissue, breaking up scar tissue (adhesions), and releasing trigger points. This work is highly recommended to rehabilitate injury or to alleviate chronic pain.

About Mary Gail

Mary Gail Sullivan is a 1993 graduate of the Muscular Therapy Institute (MTI) in Cambridge, MA, and taught at MTI for 15 years, including a stint as department chair of the Massage Technique department. She has been in private practice since 1992, focusing on injury evaluation and treatment.

Mary Gail is certified in the Benjamin system of musculoskeletal injury assessment and treatment (also known as Orthopedic Massage), and has taught orthopedic massage workshops alongside MTI founder Dr. Ben Benjamin for the past decade. She is Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and is a member of the AMTA .

Mary Gail played competitive Rugby for twenty-two years. In 1991 as Team Captain, she led the USA team to victory in the first Women’s World Cup against Great Britain. When she is not chasing after her dog, two cats, parrot or hamsters, Mary Gail stays active with off-road uni-cycling, snowboarding, rollerblading and restorative yoga.

About Samvedam

Samvedam Bettina Randles, Dipl. Psych. is a German Psychologist who graduated from Wilhelms-University in Muenster, Germany. In the US, she is licensed as a mental health counselor and as a bodyworker. After training in traditional Psychology, she spent several years in India studying and experiencing the Eastern approaches to inner growth and transformation.

Samvedam trained in Wilhelm Reich’s methods of body oriented Psychotherapy, combining breath work with deep tissue massage work (Postural Integration) and became certified by The National Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. She co-founded the Center for Body Oriented Psychotherapy in Somerville, MA.

Samvedam worked as a trainer for the International Breath Institute, Colorado and eventually designed her own breath training, which she has been conducting over the last 8 years. She studied the systemic work of Bert Hellinger, Family Constellations, and is a graduate of the Hellinger Institute USA. She incorporates the constellation approach in her work with individuals, couples and groups. Samvedam is the founder of the Inner Arts Institute.