Beth and I had the immense privilege of assisting Dr. Kathy Dooley at the Level 1 NeuroKinetic Therapy seminar in New York City a few months ago. NeuroKinetic Therapy seminars are two day affairs — an incredibly short period of time during which to absorb a substantial amount of information. I honestly can’t think of anyone better equipped for the task than Dr. Dooley, who does everything from teaching anatomy at medical schools, to seeing patients, to bending steel with her bare hands (no joke).
Many people who work with us have seen the jaw-dropping changes in movement quality we have been getting since adding NeuroKinetic Therapy (NKT) to our toolkits. Effectively, it has changed the speed and accuracy with which we create quality movement platforms on which to enhance fitness capacities. Helping new NKT initiates develop the same skills to take to their clients and patients was truly an honor.
While this review is probably more interesting to healthcare practitioners and those in the wellness field, it can also serve as a point of entry for those who are seeking quality care — often an opaque and daunting process.
On to the good stuff…
Day 1:
7:30 AM – Arrival at Catalyst S.P.O.R.T.
7:31 AM – Lots of hugging. The NKT community is easily the warmest, friendliest, most giving community of practitioners we’ve encountered. Also, we’re all really good looking – obviously a byproduct of the NKT certification.
8:00 AM – Morning session begins.
We begin with an intro to the theory and philosophy of NKT. Basic concepts are covered, then it’s straight to the core tests. These tests begin to make sense of everything from how movement compensations can cause loss of range of motion, to how they can create sensations of pain, to how we can use proximal tension to produce tremendous force.
The group performs breakouts as more and more tests are added to the stack. Many of the students, even those who read David Weinstock’s book, quickly find out the NKT version of testing muscle patterns and relationships is not as similar to the classic Kendall & Kendall muscle tests as they might have thought. Learning new stuff always feels great.
As we move from treatment table to treatment table we find the room is filled with an eclectic group of physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, strength coaches, acupuncturists, personal trainers, yoga instructors, and Pilates instructors, all of whom have gathered together to improve their skills.
This is somewhat unusual as many “systems” and “methods” do not allow a great deal of crossover between practitioners in their certifications. Why this is unusual I honestly can’t tell you, and I’m glad NKT doesn’t fall into that trap. I’ve had this argument plenty of times, and I’ll happily have it again: without crossover between fields, clients and patients will never get the best care. Period.
Always the best use of my time.
Lunch Break: basically our chance to yuck it up with some of our colleagues, compatriots, and coevals. Lunch with a trainer, a kettlebell beast tamer, and a master’s degree candidate in motor learning? Heck yeah.
Afternoon Session:
The tests continue to move distally and we have some eye opening case studies from within the student group. There are enough wows and gasps to make you think it’s a magic show.
The first day of material can be mind-bending. Students frequently get on the table to be tested only to discover that what they thought were strengths are actually weaknesses. Others find that ranges of motion they couldn’t access magically return. Others are simply racing to take in the protocol and determine how to use it in their practices.
Wrap-up Day 1:
We stick around afterwards to answer questions and go into details that aren’t appropriate for a group class. NKT has provided the perfect analogue to the systems we already use and we’re always ready to share what we know, even if the class is over. This is not unique to us as we had the same experience when we took the course; the NKT community is unusually generous with its knowledge and time.
Day 2:
After a quick review of concepts we get right back into learning tests and refining techniques. The magic of the NKT protocol is that it’s quite simple, but that doesn’t make it easy, particularly not after just one day. Lots of hands-on time, lots of questions, and lots of practice creates a flurry of activity in the room.
We break for a brief lunch before diving right back into it. There’s a tremendous amount of material and everyone is in go-mode.
End of Day 2:
Is it over already? Hopefully this marked the beginning of a long journey that will help so many.
The support for the NKT community is strong, and there are numerous study groups, and online groups, as well as direct access to practitioners and instructors – just one more advantage to taking a course and becoming NKT certified.
We honestly feel this is one of those education opportunities not to be missed. NKT seminars are held around the globe so there is sure to be one near your neck of the woods sometime soon. If anyone has any questions, feel free to CONTACT US.
For those with pain and injuries, get yourself to an NKT Practitioners near you as soon as possible. If you’d like a referral to someone in our network, GET IN TOUCH.
