Harmonic Healing ─ A Guide to Facilitated Oscillatory Release and Other Rhythmic Myofascial Techniques

Connective tissue release, or myofascial release, is a major component of manual therapies, including osteopathic medicine. Most methods involve placing the patient in a passive, relaxed position for diagnosis and treatment. However, many practitioners have intuitively sensed that rhythmic motion should be a component of therapy, and increasingly include it in their practice. Harmonic Healing introduces such an application of connective tissue principles, which author Dr. Zachary Comeaux calls Facilitated Oscillatory Release (FOR).

The book reviews the role of oscillatory or vibratory work as an extension of other connective tissue techniques, explains the relevant physiology and the principles of wave propagation in tissue, and then provides illustrated introductory exercises, applications, and case studies. Building on the work of his mentor, Robert Fulford, to get more deeply into the core of patients’ injuries, Dr. Comeaux presents FOR as a lens through which to reinterpret the strategic use of force in manual therapy, including osteopathic manipulation. Based on both his clinical experience and neurophysiology principles, the author develops practical applications of these principles. These methods are compatible with generally accepted manual methods, and Harmonic Healing shows students, advanced practitioners, bodyworkers, and osteopaths how to integrate FOR into a variety of manual healing approaches.

Zachary Comeaux, DO, is an associate professor and practicing physician at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. An internationally renowned lecturer on FOR and other manual therapy techniques, and coauthor of The Pocket Manual of OMT, he lives in Lewisburg, WV.