When James Oschman’s book “Energy Medicine” came out in 2000, there was a great deal of attention paid within the Myofascial Release community as I knew it then. Why the attention? It cited Myofascial Release and provided “scientific” explanations for emotions being held within the collagen/connective tissue. For those strapped for proof of what they taught and practiced, Oschman’s book was a gift: It provided them the proof they were seeking.

What about those who had serious issues with Oschman’s views and interpretations? They were encouraged to ignore, as they simply did not “get it”. Enter Harriet Hall.

Harriet Hall is a retired MD who has taken to debunk much of what Oschman wrote in “Energy Medicine” here. Most of us know that conflict exists in science and who we believe often falls in line with what we want to believe. So why believe Hall over Oschman? Read through her paper. Then chew on the last paragraph…”Science is not a matter of cherry picking whatever supports your hypothesis.” and “The tragedy is that energy medicine believers now have a book whose very title may lead them to think there is “proof” that their experiences have a scientific basis.

Myofascial Release is a powerful modality with a fair bit of science that is beginning to emerge to support and explain it. The rest is grasping in the air for a bar that is out of reach.

Walt Fritz
Author: Walt Fritz

4 Responses to Energy Medicine

  1. Hey Walt: just perusing some of the blog entries and newsletters that I’ve missed out on this summer. I am curious: Do your comments, above, mean that you agree with Dr. Hall? I was a bit surprised by that, but may have misconstrued what you were trying to say.
    Cheers from my side of the country,
    Pamme

    • Hi Pamme,

      Yes, I do agree with Dr. Hall. Cherry picking of proof and evidence can occur on both sides of an argument, But I believe if you review Dr. Hall’s paper, it becomes apparent that Oschman did just that in his book; choosing only the evidence that proves his premise, while ignoring all other research that points to the contrary.

      It was pretty obvious when this book came out that the simple fact that it named myofascial release caused it to become connected with the MFR community. So little tangible proof exists for even the physical aspect of our work that if a book came out that validated the more esoteric aspects of MFR, it was embraced and held aloft. Those in power then ran with this information and distorted it even further. I am not saying energy does not exist as a therapeutic concept. I am saying that the proof is not there, despite what we were told.

  2. I want to thank a certain person’s listserv (they know who they are). The adage “any publicity is good publicity” is certainly not a new one, but it certainly applies here. Keep having my name show up over there on that listserv. Controversy breeds intrigue. Intrigue creates readership in the very newsletter and blog that you wish to silence.

    Thanks.

  3. It is predictable behavior from that closed group….and very ‘cultish’. Sad really to waste energy and promote angst and chaos….not at all Heart Centered nor professional…
    ‘beware what ‘Light’ you choose to follow’

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