Well, after a long and somewhat arduous process, the practitioner training program for abdominal work is finally up online! Yaay!
Angela Severson and I have spent the last year planning and working on the whole project and it’s kind of surreal to have the whole thing up and running. In every big, long-term project there are always more than a few days when you really think it’s just never going to get done. But here we are!
I think I’m in a little bit of a funk about it, which happens after all big projects. A sense of weightlessness and what now? All of that work that has demanded my time and focus and energy for so long is now done. I’m free! Sort of. Now my job turns to getting the word out about the videos and workbook. I go through a lot of inner contortions about whether or not they’re good enough, if we got everything in there that we wanted to say, if people will find them useful. . . but I already know the answers to those questions. We took the time to have real practitioners test the whole thing and the response was overwhelmingly positive. And yet, this malaise . . .
Transition is always such a gnarly process. I know in a few weeks I’ll feel more focused on my next project (which is already cued up), and I know in a few weeks I’ll be just as excited about and invested in the next chunk of my work. But for now, this wobbly place of relief and low-grade worry and tenuous pride are where I live.
I’m trying to think ahead into when more manual therapists are really comfortable with and fluent in the work of the abdomen – when people suffering from abdominal distress have many reliable and knowledgeable practitioners to choose from. I’m trying to think ahead to when people are no longer afraid to touch their own bellies, and practitioners feel capable of helping clients and patients into real change. I know it’s all possible and I just hope this work we’ve just completed helps that time come faster.
Author Profile

- Isabel Spradlin is a Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), and abdominal adhesion specialist in Portland, OR. She specializes in educating people about manual treatment (massage) for abdominal pain and dysfunction, especially when it is adhesion related. Please see the "Programs" page to see her offerings.
Latest entries
Abdominal AdhesionsJuly 9, 2023Live Practitioner Workshops
Abdominal PainOctober 8, 2022Managing Pain
Abdominal AdhesionsMay 19, 2022Castor Oil & Adhesions
UncategorizedMay 9, 2022I’m Back on the Blog!
“Relief and low-grade worry and tenuous pride” — what a richly descriptive phrase. My suggestion: Have a T-shirt made that says, “I went through relief, low-grade worry and tenuous pride, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.” That way you’ll always remember this place.
But seriously, congratulations on the birth of your healthy, bouncing videos! I have no doubt you’ve made a substantial contribution to manual therapy with them, and that you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor for many years to come.
Hi Angela and Isabel — are your videos still available? I’d like to post a link to them on my blog about adhesions. Thanks!
Hi! So sorry for the delay in responding. And, yes, they are still available! For future reference, they are here: https://abdominaladhesiontreatment.com/practitionervideos/ Also, please share your blog link! Thanks for the support. 🙂