Aftercare after a MER session: Advice for recovery and integration
After an MER (Myofascial Energetic Release) session, it is important to provide clients with practical aftercare. Many people experience deep relaxation or a feeling of being “spaced out.” This is because the body and fascia system undergo changes. Aftercare is crucial to integrate these changes safely and effectively. Below is a list of helpful advice you can give to clients.
1. Myofascial unwinding
What is it? Myofascial unwinding is a natural way of moving, where you intuitively allow your body to stretch and move, like a cat does after sleeping.
Why? This helps the fascia system release tension and integrate new range of motion.
How? Encourage clients to move and stretch quietly at home, without a set pattern, and feel what their body needs. If necessary, do this before during the session.
2. Hydration: drink lots of water
What kind of water? It is important that clients drink well-filtered water. Clean water supports the body in getting rid of waste products released during the session.
How much? Advise them to drink small amounts of water regularly throughout the day.
Why?The fascia system, which is largely composed of water, functions better when properly hydrated.
3. Magnesium supplementation
Why magnesium? Magnesium relaxes the fascia and muscles. It also supports the recovery process after an intense session.
What form? Recommend a liquid magnesium supplement that can be dissolved in water. This form is best absorbed by the body.
When? Taking it in the evening is often most effective because it can also improve sleep.
4. Customized movement
Some clients need specific movements after a session, depending on what they experienced during the release. Movement helps to further discharge built-up tension and develop new body awareness.
- For anger or frustration: Recommend activities that help express emotions physically, such as kickboxing, martial arts or other sports that involve intensive use of the legs.
- When in need of expression: Recommend body-oriented group activities such as ecstatic dance, where clients can move freely, often with their eyes closed, without judgment from others.
- For stress and tension: Dynamic meditation (e.g., Osho's active meditations) can be effective. This method provides a space to discharge emotions such as frustration or stress through movement and breathing.
- For movement awareness: Introduce forms of movement education, such as Gyrotonic, Pilates or yoga. This helps to move responsibly within the new space of fascia.
5. Write down the essentials
During the session, clients may gain important insights about their bodies, emotions or patterns, such as their primal wound or deep-seated tension. Because these insights can fade quickly, it is helpful to write them down right away.
How? Have a notepad or bill ready in the practice. Ask clients to briefly write down their experience in their own words.
Why? This makes it easier to recall these insights later and work with them more consciously.
6. Create a list of recommended activities and resources.
Clients often forget what you recommended to them during the session. Therefore, create a short list of:
- Links to recommended movement exercises, meditations or classes.
- Information on magnesium supplements or water filtration systems.
- Options for local forms of movement such as ecstatic dance groups, yoga or martial arts classes.
You can provide this list digitally or physically with the evaluation or payment. This way you make sure clients can get right to work at home.
7. Motivate to self-care
It is important to keep motivating clients to actively work on their own recovery. Over several sessions, they will become increasingly open to making their own efforts, such as exercise or meditation. Help them understand that aftercare is not a one-time action, but an ongoing process to get out of old holding patterns.
Conclusion
Aftercare is an essential part of any EIR session. By giving clients practical tips and a clear roadmap, you help them integrate the session effects and increase their body awareness. Remember to tailor advice to the client's specific needs and to continue to encourage them to take responsibility for their own process. Without having or taking too much time for it. And over more EIR sessions, they become increasingly motivated to do things themselves as well. But it's good to still keep indicating to motivate them to get out of their holding pattern themselves. Often during sessions people also find their primal wound.
Their reichian character type. And the reason they are going to do that is to write that down immediately after a session. So that the essence of the feeling is not lost. Often that gets absorbed back into the subconscious very quickly. So I always have a bill in my practice or a pad where people can write down that essence in their own words. Beyond that, you can advise many other things to do. In the sense of if people are very shy to have ecstatic dance done. So that they learn to express themselves on a body level in group form. And that's not so stressful because you often do it with your eyes closed. And if people have a lot of stress in their body and frustration. Then I often advise them to do dynamic meditation. That's an active OSHO meditation that gives people an opportunity to express a lot of frustration, anger and other emotions. In addition to the MER sessions. And that way they get into their bodies faster and they get better body awareness.
Author - Roland Engelbracht
Certified MER Practitioner & Trainer