how was KRT developed?
KRT is a highly adaptable massage modality. It is more about the concepts of movement than the techniques themselves. KRT was developed over the course of a couple of years using the foundations of both the Massage, and Fitness worlds.
How it started…
Back in 2012 I became very ill with an infection. I had appendicitis that went undiagnosed for nearly 3 weeks because I was pregnant. During that time my appendix ruptured, I lost the baby, and nearly lost my own life. By the time I went to the hospital the infection was severe and the surgery was drastic. My muscles had all atrophied because I was not able to eat or hardly move for a month.
With fluid in my lungs, an extreme amount of blood loss, and a level of pain I had not ever experienced, there were times I was too weak to press the button for a dose of pain meds. That experience changed me. I was weak and sick but I had a new lease on life. After recovering from surgery I began to run because I knew what it was to be weak and I wanted to be strong.
Massage and Fitness
I was originally introduced to massage therapy in preparation for a 5K obstacle race. I quickly saw the therapeutic benefits and wanted to learn more. I graduated Massage school in 2015 and immediately took a Thai Massage class and learned the basics on how to work through the clothing and how to move a body around.
My massage career got me in the door to fitness as I began to work at a gym, and then became a member. In 2020 I went through the program with NASM to become a Certified Personal Trainer. Following that avenue I became a Corrective Exercise Specialist, Stretching and Flexibility Coach, Performance Specialist, and Human Movement Specialist.
All of the certifications I went through and courses I have taken helped give me the foundation to understand how to effectively move the body around and work therapeutically. However none of the modalities I learned completely resonated with me. As someone who has dealt with Fibromyalgia and chronic pain for years, I began to alter the work I was doing in accordance with how I know my own body would respond to the work. Laying in one position for too long makes me very stiff and tends to increase tension in my body, so I found ways to introduce movement constantly but therapeutically throughout each session.
focusing on movement
I began to see increased positive results with my clients. Then as those new and modified techniques became a natural part of my work, I began to expound on them and see just how many voices of input I could create at any given moment in a session for my clients. Adding layers to the techniques with traction, compression, rotation, and interacting with more than one area of the body at one time.
I always say, bodywork has been around for thousands of years; nobody is doing anything new. If you take my courses you may see individual techniques that you recognize from other modalities. The thing that sets Kinetic Regulation Techniques apart from the other modalities is the intention and flow behind the work.
I have had Massage Therapists say “It’s like a cross between Thai and Sports Massage….but it isn’t really either of those.” If you already do work on top of the clothing, KRT may feel familiar, but also different. At it’s core, KRT is movement. Gentle, constant movement to settle the nervous system, and identify and release tension.