More Than Just Technique: Why Science Doesn’t Always Catch in Bodywork.
- Sergio Alexander Norton
- Jun 1
- 2 min read
I just finished a CPD course—one of those professional refreshers we (massage practitioners) all supposed to do at least once a year to stay sharp on techniques and up to date with the latest. And while it was definitely valuable, I couldn’t help noticing how surgical everything felt. There’s a big push in bodywork right now for stick to the protocols, assessments, structures, evidence, outcomes. All very necessary I know. But it made me wonder:
Are we too caught up in science/techniques, and forgetting the human side of bodywork?
Science Is Powerful—but It’s Not Everything
Science gives us incredible tools. It helps us understand how the body works, how muscles respond, how stress affects the nervous system. It allows us to measure progress, test techniques, and speak a language that the wider medical world respects, althought if you have dyslexia like me, it all sounds like a nightmare, belive me!!!
Science only measures what can be seen, repeated, or tracked. But anyone who’s ever experienced real healing—whether from injury, stress, burnout, or emotional pain—knows that the most meaningful shifts aren’t always visible on paper.
There’s a Whole Other Side to Bodywork
There’s something else that happens in bodywork. Something deeper. Something harder to explain.
Like when a certain kind of pressure or stillness brings a wave of emotion out of nowhere.
Or when a hand just knows where to go—before you even speak.
Or when your mind finally quiets down and your body remembers how to breathe again.
Or that spontaneous laughter that erupts between two strangers in the treatment room, catching both off guard in the best way - freeing and relasinng unknown dynamics.
These moments don’t come from a textbook. They come from presence, instinct, and human-connection. And they’re just as real and efficient if not more so—than anything science-technique can test or replicate.
A Different Kind of Knowledge
Just because something isn’t “scientific” it doesn’t mean it’s not valid or real.
Some experiences belong to a different way of knowing—like instinct, gut feeling, or quiet awareness. These might not show up on a chart, but they still change lives.
The healing that happens through real, human touch.
The sense of connection some feel to nature, to rhythm, to something bigger.
The insights people get from dreams, breath, or silence.
This stuff matters. And it has a place in the therapy room, even if it doesn’t come with a peer-reviewed study attached.
So What’s My Point Here?
If you’re coming in for bodywork, know this: I’m trained. I know my anatomy. I stay up to date. But I’m not here just to fix a knot or chase a diagnosis.
I’m here to listen with presence. To support whatever it is your body’s holding onto.
To create space for whatever shift wants to happen within you—big or small.
Because bodywork and healing isn’t just a science thing.
It’s a human thing.
Stay tuned dudes,
All the Best.
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