Written by Jack Blackburn
Dear Ones,
As a member of the Trager Foundation Board, I am writing this article. Considering all the persons who became Trager practitioners in the first 40 years there should be a vast professional literature including an overall Trager Source Book: treatment applications of tablework and Mentastics, explanations of moves and principles, case studies, research articles, and practitioner session-insights. And yet there is not. Publications by tutors, instructors, teachers, and practitioners, are very few. Surely a next step in fulfilling Milton’s inheritance would be for those who have used those gifts professionally, to come together and supplement our understanding of Trager by creating that literature. The TFBoard TragerFoundation.org is currently accepting donations in order to fund research and other projects to support those efforts.
The Trager Foundation Board recognizes that we need to ask you, experienced Trager practitioners, to draw from your many experiences with clients and start writing session narratives that can become case studies. As a Tutor I have said many times: “Now that you are a practitioner, your real learning starts.” Clients, their difficulties, their participation, and their feedback are a large part of our learning. Milton never wrote case studies, partly because he didn’t need to. But then the question arises: How do we pass it on? Milton said repeatedly: I have only scratched the surface, you will do much more.” We have done much more. Now we need to help supply the evidence of our results.
The year 2021 is coming to an end and the USTA is going through more changes. I want to speak a bit about some ways I think about how those who are professional practitioners can greatly influence the future of Trager. I became a Trager practitioner 38 years ago. I am truly grateful for all the colleagues I have met and shared sessions with during that time. It was a joy to share Milton trainings together. In the early days we had many practitioner gatherings in which we passed on what we were learning through our work with clients. We helped one another improve on our routines and discoveries. We also worked on specific problem areas from client sessions; even sharing methods from other modalities.
I have never stopped drawing on what I learned from Milton, other teachers, colleagues, and clients . I do miss the joy and enthusiasm we shared as we learned and practiced together. In 1997 I wrote an article for the Trager Newsletter called: “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” because Trager professional membership was diminishing year after year, even though there had been a vast increase in the number of trainings during that time. I, and other practitioners, proposed that we start an Association of Professional Trager Practitioners so that we could create official gatherings, sharing what we were learning from our treatment work with clients. The Trager Board of Directors adamantly rejected that proposal! Coincidentally, while almost all bodywork modalities were focusing on treatment the Trager Board said Trager is an “Approach,” not treatment.
In 1987 the State of Washington required that all bodywork practitioners be professionally licensed and fulfill yearly CE requirements. These requirements were later followed by many states and promoted by the AMTA and ABMP. The Trager Institute would have had to develop training tracks that would qualify in terms of treatment applications and skills. It did not! In states like Washington, Trager practitioners had to obtain a professional license in order to do treatment. After meeting licensure requirements bodywork professionals had to take qualifying continuing education courses. Trager Intros qualified. The Trager training track did not. Those dual requirements created a conflict for professional practitioners in terms of time and money.
Having taught in Switzerland two months ago, I have to say how impressed I am at the group of professional practitioners and professional trainings that Bill and Gabriela have created. It is a very active group and not only have they been granted status as complimentary health practitioners, but the trainings are able to prepare students for that status. Also all trainees and practitioners are required to submit case studies with the intention of creating an ongoing professional literature in support of their goals. Our time together with those practitioners was so reminiscent of the curiosity, enthusiasm and creativity that was the essence of our early years with Trager. Bill and Gabriella have also created a beautiful garden Above Zurich which is truly reflective of their care and dedication to growing Trager in Switzerland! We at the Foundation Board are dedicated to making sure that the benefits of Trager can be shown to be applicable for professional trainings and treatment. We hope that you will join with us.
Respectfully submitted by Jack Blackburn © 2021