Using the body’s own “touch screen,” it’s possible to relieve pain and other ailments while promoting free movement and well-being, say practitioners of the EMMETT Technique. Cate Montana explores how it works
In the UK and the US, practitioners of alternative therapies are heavily restricted as to the health claims they are allowed to make. This includes practitioners of the EMMETT Technique, a therapy that uses light finger pressure at specific points on the body to reduce muscular tension and “enable gentle release for many common conditions.”
These ailments include neck, shoulder, knee and ankle restrictions, back and hip discomfort, headaches, and abdominal cramps. The technique is also promoted as improving general relaxation, sleep and overall mood.
None of this sounds very exciting. But when you start talking to EMMETT practitioners and their patients, the gush of wonder about the technique’s effectiveness for quickly alleviating all sorts of painful conditions is matched only by the litany of praise bestowed on the technique’s founder, Australian massage therapist Ross Emmett.
For example, Lesley Salt, currently co-director and a senior instructor for EMMETT Therapies UK (emmett-uk.co.uk) as well as a private practitioner (lesleysalt.co.uk), says she had long been interested in alternative touch therapies. Before discovering the EMMETT Technique, she had trained in kinesiology, Touch for Health, Reiki, and Quantum Touch. She had also trained as a Pilates instructor.
One day she heard about an EMMETT Technique workshop taught by Ross Emmett and decided to go. The class, she says, changed her life.
“What I saw simply amazed me,” she says. “Ross could actually make massive change to people with just one move. Like where the neck rotation is really restricted on one side, he’d do some little moves at the top and the bottom of the SCM (the sternocleidomastoid muscle, which allows neck movement and head tilting), and it changed it instantly.
“I’d never seen anything like it in the 10 years that I’d been studying and doing other things. It was easy—almost too easy.”
Inspired, Salt took the first six basic practitioner modules and then the six advanced courses from Emmett. Soon she and another practitioner, Sue Gassick, were setting up and organizing classes for him in the UK, learning more than 500 points on the body that the technique utilizes—none of which apparently correspond to Traditional Chinese Medicine acupressure and acupuncture points.
“Ross laughs about that, actually,” says Salt. “He says you can’t throw a dart at a body without hitting an acupuncture point. But aside from that, there is no correlation.”
As far as introducing the therapy to patients, she had an equally light-hearted response. “If somebody comes to me and says, ‘I’ve been diagnosed with this, this and this. Can you fix it?’ I just say to them, ‘I don’t really want to know that.
“I want to know, where’s your pain? Where’s your movement restriction? What’s your flexibility and range of motion like? Show me some simple movements that you can’t do.’
“And then people go, ‘Oh, well, I can’t lift my shoulder more than this.’ And then I just put in a quick EMMETT move and they go, ‘What? That’s unbelievable!’
“Seriously, the difficulty I have as an EMMETT therapist is people can improve too quickly.’ Even when their symptoms are gone, they can sometimes question the value of the treatment because it was too easy.”
Michelle Clift, an EMMETT practitioner in Yorkshire (tendertouchtherapies.co.uk), is another convert. “I was originally a reflexologist,” Clift says. “I needed some CPD (continuing professional development) for insurance purposes, and this email on ‘Muscle management’ landed in my inbox.
“I read it and thought, Light finger pressure? That’s not going to do anything.
“But the class was in Leeds, only ten miles away, and I signed up for the day. And I was just absolutely blown away because I’d just had surgery on a right frozen shoulder and was due for surgery on my left frozen shoulder.
“Ross worked on both shoulders and, well, I’ve never had surgery on either one since.”
Like many healing technologies, the EMMETT Technique developed out of two things: observation and intuition. Founder Ross Emmett had a rough start in life. He was raised for several years in an Australian orphanage, and issues with dyslexia got him kicked out of school by age 15.
Early in life he trained as a boxer, and when he wasn’t in the ring, he was keenly studying other boxers’ balance, abilities and physical shortcomings. Later, working at an animal research center, he started working with the animals—especially horses—intuitively touching points and watching how their coordination, balance, gaits and mood improved. Then he did the same thing with dogs when he became a dog trainer and breeder.
“Ross tells this story about when he was headed out fishing in the outback one day and stopped at this remote garage where there was a dog limping around,” says Salt. “He just did his thing on the dog and fixed the limp.
“And when he came back from fishing a few days later, the owner of the garage came running out to him, yelling, ‘What did you do to my bloody dog?’
“And before Ross could say anything, the man said, ‘I’ve got the same limp. You fixed his; can you fix mine?’ And that’s when he started to think he could be working on people.”
A 15-year stint as a rigger in the mines in Isa, Australia, gave him the opportunity to help his fellow workers out of various aches, pains and other issues, and the news in the outback spread. People lived rough, active lives far from health resources and had no time and little money to fiddle around seeing doctors for multiple treatments.
He developed a reputation as “the quick-fix man,” and people flocked to him. But he had no actual qualifications to do the work he was doing. So, he decided to study massage and get licensed.
After that he just kept developing his knowledge of therapeutic touch, learning what kind of touch worked on what conditions, and where. Eventually he began to share his knowledge. Today there are EMMETT practitioners in over 40 countries around the world.
According to Salt, there are very few “sequences” in EMMETT compared to other modalities, very little “first work on this and then go to that” in a sequential process. Instead the practitioner goes straight to the issue that’s being presented and touches two associated spots for relief. Sometimes an issue calls for touch on just one spot, but generally the technique is to touch two spots, allowing the fingers of the practitioner to create a “circuit” between the two points and tell the client’s brain what needs attention.
The touch, which is done mostly with the middle finger of either hand and sometimes with the thumbs, is light and steady with no rolling movements, stroking, rubbing or working over a broad area. Occasionally a condition requires what Salt calls a “switch”—finding the edge of a muscle and switching across it in one direction—a move that’s generally about breaking up adhesions.
“When I put fingers on two points, I often feel the energy between the two points,” says Salt. “I feel a connection. I feel a buzz. I sometimes feel heat. I can feel when points are in need—you know, they feel more energetic. I can feel when points don’t need so much attention.
“Ross would say the circuit is between the two fingers and the brain of the person you’re working on. You are like the operator working a computer keyboard with the two fingers on the two keys, sending information to the hard drive, which is the brain, telling the brain and body what to do.”
Releasing the psoas muscle without any of the usual heavy, highly painful “digging in” moves most body workers employ lies at the heart of the EMMETT Technique. (The psoas lies on either side of the spine and is one of the core muscles in the abdomen.)
“The psoas is so important because if your psoas is out on one side, it’s going to pull you to one side, affecting your shoulder and affecting your hips,” says Salt. “If it’s tight and pulling you forward, your head is going to look down. It’s going to impact your neck. It’s going to impact your jaw.
“In other words, a psoas muscle that’s out of balance is going to have a knock-on effect everywhere around the body. It’s one of the major truths about the body Ross discovered working with the miners. Every EMMETT therapist will check the psoas at the beginning and end of a treatment to make sure they send the person out balanced. It’s really quite extraordinary.”
The amount and timing of the touch are often compared to how we approach a digital touch-screen. If you touch too hard, nothing happens. If you touch the wrong spot, nothing happens. If you hold for too long, all the icons start to shake. But if you touch with just the right amount of pressure in a specific location, an application opens and you’re good to go.
“With the right light touch, the brain receives and evaluates this stimulus and initiates the relaxation response in the soft tissue,” says Salt. “And because there are hundreds of receptor points all over the body, a therapist can easily target any area of concern.”
As a relatively new healing modality, the EMMETT Technique has attracted researchers willing to carry out published studies. Of course, nurses have long known about, if not fully understood, the healing power of simple touch. And studies have long shown that therapeutic touch is effective for alleviating pain, stress, anxiety, fatigue and depression and for stimulating functional improvement in all areas of the body.1
As well, neuroimaging studies have found that areas of the orbitofrontal cortex—responsible for cognitive functions such as emotion, decision-making and social behavior—are activated by touch.2
Nevertheless, research is beginning to appear in journals. One recent study has shown the EMMETT Technique is highly effective at reducing tightness and improving the flexibility of the iliotibial muscle in football players. The iliotibial muscle runs down the inner thigh past the knee.3
Another study showed the technique reduces pain (especially back pain) and can be done in the workplace in a short time. As a “highly adaptable therapy,” it can be included in any work situation to increase the health and well-being of employees.4
In fact, the EMMETT Technique has proved to be so flexible at meeting the specific needs and beliefs of each client, Ross Emmett himself has labeled it the “chameleon” approach, and the company logo features a chameleon.
Practitioners at various sporting events, such as the 2017 Cairns to Karumba Bike Ride, have gathered data showing the technique’s effectiveness at reducing the pain scale scores for riders suffering shoulder, neck, thigh, and lower and upper leg pain during the marathon ride. Average before and after pain scale scores were 4.7 and 1.4 respectively. Another practitioner study showed an 86 percent improvement in balance in elderly home care residents after one treatment.
According to Salt, the EMMETT Technique can be used for a wide variety of issues. For example, she talks about going to an exercise class at her local gym where the teacher announced that she couldn’t do certain moves because she’d hurt her back. At the end of the class, she went to the teacher and offered to release some of her muscles.
“She quickly agreed and I did her lateral dorsi and psoas. I did three moves on her quadratus lumborum—a deep muscle that can cause back, hip and groin pain. Then I said, ‘See you later!’ and left. The next time I saw her, she came running across the room to say how amazing that had been and how all the pain had just completely disappeared, just like that.”
Salt also talks about a little girl with chronic colic that her neighbor brought over one day. It was so bad the girl had been hospitalized several times. “She also had breathing difficulties,” says Salt. “I just opened up her chest muscles and gave her a bit of lymphatic work, and from that day, she never went into hospital again.”
Michelle Clift is currently working on a woman suffering from severe incontinence. “She’s come to me for other things and casually commented that she’d had to ‘double-pad up’ to come one day. So, I treated her for her bladder issues a couple times.
“Last time she was in, she said, ‘Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. I’m down to no pads and can go several hours without having to find a bathroom. Thank you!”
Catriona Alderton, an EMMETT therapist in London, says her clients’ issues range from frozen shoulders and painful backs, knees and ankles to struggles with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue.
“Everybody I treat experiences an improvement,” she says, “but there have been some ‘wow’ moments. Like the client I saw for one session who was suffering from myasthenia gravis (MG), a chronic autoimmune disease, which was affecting his head, vocal cords and breathing.” In MG, antibodies weaken muscles by blocking the neurotransmitter that conducts nerve signals to them.
“He was going to have to step down as chair of a charity because he couldn’t speak long enough to be able to chair a meeting,” Alderton explains. “After a short EMMETT session, he went to give a very short talk during which he suddenly realized he could speak and was not losing control of his voice or his facial features. He felt significantly better, and at his next medical appointment, the doctor told him the MG had disappeared.”
Alderton says one of the greatest benefits of the EMMETT Technique is the positive effects on quality of life and mental health post-treatment. “Having been told by the medical profession that there’s nothing more they can do or that you’ll have to just learn to live with it and take painkillers, and then to have a medical condition eased and be rebalanced, can be life-changing for people.”
Another interesting aspect of the EMMETT Technique is that there is a one-day workshop where non-practitioners can come and learn 11 basic EMMETT moves.
“They’re not the core work, or the psoas work,” says Salt. “They’re for arms and legs, for balance, for swelling in the lower leg and restricted movement, minor restrictions in the pecs and lateral dorsi, that sort of thing.
“The technique is great for runners and other athletes who want to work on themselves and be able to release their own muscles. Or maybe you want to work with your friends, your family, your elderly mom or your children. People go away so empowered. They love it!”
For quick neck stiffness relief, here’s a brief treatment you can give yourself. The following moves are for stiffness and pain when turning your head to the right. Reverse the instructions if you have pain when moving your head to the left.
Collarbone move
Ear move
Again, this movement is for experiencing stiffness and pain when turning your head to the right. Reverse the instructions if the pain occurs when turning your head to the left.
Nik Harris managed to injure her back while pushing a heavy shopping cart with one hand and speaking on the phone with the other, all while far along in her first pregnancy. The baby was delivered by c-section, and afterward she found she could barely walk.
“My husband’s work covered me for health insurance, so I was able to have 10 sessions with a local osteopath, which barely helped at all,” she says. “In the same small clinic, I met Lesley Salt, and after two sessions my back pain was resolved and I could walk, no problem!”
Nik says she’s been treated by Lesley many times for different aches and pains over the years, mostly caused by modern life (too much sitting, not enough movement). Her husband, who has suffered from migraines and sore shoulders since his teen years, has also found Salt’s treatments “incredibly effective” both for immediate relief from pain and in the longer term.
“EMMETT is a very gentle treatment, and not at all invasive,” she says.
Howard Lyons suffered from neck and shoulder pain for many years before his partner recommended EMMETT Therapy. Her brother in South Africa had shared his positive experience, highlighting the technique’s rapid relief and non-invasive nature.
“I was amazed at how quickly I felt the results, even after just one session. The EMMETT Technique has alleviated my pain and significantly improved my posture. I’m truly grateful for this remarkable treatment.”
Jo Howes had pneumonia many years ago but continued to experience chest pain. She sought out complementary therapies to relieve the pain that the medical profession had failed to resolve.
“I was so amazed by the immediate improvement that I decided to attend the EMMETT self-help course, which was designed as an introduction for non-therapists. I was hooked! I couldn’t believe how effective simply holding two points on the body could be.”
Soon she was practicing on work colleagues, eventually getting so busy that her HR director arranged a room for her to run a mini clinic once per week for personnel.
“Last year I retired from the technology industry and set up my own EMMETT practice from my home. Through word of mouth, I’m gradually building up a clientele of regular clients . . . including my old HR director! I’ve had fantastic results with pain relief, resolving long-term issues with backs and shoulders, and also with relaxation treatments.”
Lesley Salt and other EMMETT Technique practitioners claim success with patients who have had the following conditions:
Pain and discomfort after injury (falls, accidents, muscle pulls/tears)
Neck and shoulder pain and restriction
Frozen shoulder, rotator cuff
Whiplash
Back, sacral and hip discomfort
Sciatic pain
Sacroiliac joint pain
Disc compression
Knee and ankle pain and restrictions (sprains, twists, knee surgery)
Persistent heel and foot pain
Plantar fasciitis
Lymphatic congestion, fluid retention
Sinusitis, postviral symptoms
Breathing difficulties (asthma, COPD)
Migraines or cluster headaches
Occipital neuralgia
Dizziness
Abdominal cramps
Period pain
Digestive issues and bowel discomfort (IBS, constipation)
Discomfort during pregnancy (back pain, reflux)
Flexibility and mobility issues
Poor balance and instability
Traditional ways of releasing the psoas muscle are deep massage and pressure, which can be very uncomfortable and often painful for the client.
When a muscle is not in balance or is tight, one or more points associated with that muscle can become activated. The light touch of two points in the EMMETT Technique allows the brain to assess and recognize this imbalance and address it by resetting the muscle to a more balanced tension.
The key is to find the activator point(s). In the case of the psoas, Ross Emmett noticed that lightly touching an activator point near the spine in the thoracic area generates a tiny quiver in the abdomen indicating where the “counterbalance” point is. Holding these two points simultaneously stimulates the release between the points, allowing the brain to release the psoas.
Although no stretching of the psoas is involved, it’s important to use the muscles associated with the psoas immediately after the release:
The EMMETT Technique calls this “locking it in with action,” and for the psoas it involves having the client sit down and then stand up three times after the psoas muscle releases. The post-touch movement allows the client to use the muscle with its new, balanced tension and allows the brain to recognize the difference in tension before and after and set a “new normal.”
Visit the following websites to locate an EMMETT practitioner near you. The UK website also features a host of other useful resources, including videos, research and client testimonials.
UK: emmett-uk.co.uk
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