Emotions in Motion: Myofascial Interoception

Abstract

There are numerous articles in the literature dealing with the myofascial system, on the physiological, pathological, macroscopic and microscopic level; yet, we still do not have a thorough knowledge of its functions, just as there is still no shared vision of how to classify it. Many professional manual practitioners are involved in its treatment and there are many emerging therapeutic approaches. What is still missing is the awareness that the body is also emotion. The myofascial continuum is able to stimulate the areas of the brain that deal with the emotional state, and manual treatment activates the interoceptive system. To optimize myofascial treatment, a psychologist should work alongside the manual practitioner, creating a multidisciplinary team that takes into account both the physical and emotional aspects.

The Fascial Breath

“…Not only does the fascia influence the expression of the solid part of the human body such as the transmission of force through the myofascial system, the maintenance of the organs in its own seat, the posture, but can influence the emotional status [7][8][9][10]. The fascial continuum has a multitude of receptors: myelinated proprioceptive terminations of the myofascial system (Ruffini, Golgi and Pacini); free endings without myelin sheath in contact with the periosteum, the connective tissue of all viscera and the connective tissue of the striated muscles [10]. All receptors involving the fascial continuum are appointed to the functions of proprioception, nociception and interoception [10].…”

“…The fascial continuum has a multitude of receptors: myelinated proprioceptive terminations of the myofascial system (Ruffini, Golgi and Pacini); free endings without myelin sheath in contact with the periosteum, the connective tissue of all viscera and the connective tissue of the striated muscles [10]. All receptors involving the fascial continuum are appointed to the functions of proprioception, nociception and interoception [10]. The interoceptive routes project information to the medullary centres and to the brainstem, where they are sorted to the anterior cingulate cortex and the posterior dorsal insula, thanks to the thalamus-cortical extension.…”

“…The afferents of endomysium and perimysium without myelin sheath are related to myelinated afferent neurons (type III or alpha-delta fibres), and non-myelinated (type IV or fiber-C). C-fibres can activate the brain areas involved in emotional expression (insular cortex); the mechanical deformation to which a muscle is subjected stimulates these afferents, which reach the insula [10]. The fascia can influence health status, altering the mechanometabolic environment, causing clinical pictures of pain, inflammation and possible tumour formation [11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

New Proposal to Define the Fascial System

“…From the embryological perspective, the fascia originates in the mesoderm, although according to some authors this connective network can be partially found in the neural crest (ectoderm), with particular reference to the cranial and cervical area [10,11]. …”

Good Morning Future: Complementary Medicine's Next 25 Years

“…The insight of how important so-called non-specific therapeutic effects can be, and that they should rather be called self-healing responses [4,5,6], is genuinely derived from CAM research. Attempting to understand how acupuncture and manual therapy works has prompted various researchers to study the connective tissue and the extracellular matrix [7,8,9], an area that has always been in the focus of holistic researchers, especially in Germany [10,11]. …”