Having traveled more deeply into how we perceive the world around us, both seen and unseen, let’s take a look at how these perceptual abilities, mostly the unseen, come to be. In other words, where does this fascial system come from? And possibly, where is it going?
When we think about human development, we generally begin in the womb. We are aware of sperm and egg union, we perceive the physical development of an embryo, and we celebrate the birth of a newly formed human being. Tiny perfection in five fingers and toes, a blank slate ready to learn all that loving parents can impart!
Now, with a clearer understanding of the role of the human fascial system’s impact on structure and awareness, the question may arise of where and when in all this growth and development does the fascial system come into play?
The answer is… in the beginning of embryonic development.
Embryology is obviously a complicated study, and the ideas presented here will be necessarily simplified. The focus however is the developmental purpose and value of the human fascial system. Let’s take a look.
Within about two weeks of pregnancy, the multiplication of cells has developed into three layers. One of these layers is called the mesoderm and “gives rise to muscle, bone, blood… and connective tissue in general” (Schultz and Feitis). Embryologists have noted that many early cellular structures are undifferentiated, meaning that they can develop into various parts depending upon the specific environment which creates structural and chemical changes in the cells. Schultz and Feitis note that the specific mesodermal environment, which is primitive fascia, is an important developmental factor. By the end of the fourth week, primitive fascia is described by Schultz and Feitis as “cells, fibers, and intercellular matrix.” They make an additional note that a cell’s relationship to “surrounding fascial tissue in important” and that a “specific energy field” supports embryonic cell differentiation, i.e. the formation of brain, muscles, and various organs.
By the end of the third month, the embryo is an identifiable human being with an already established fascial network providing structure and energetic communication. Myers echoes this idea saying, “a net that is in truth unitary from top to toe and from birth to death.” And because this endless web, our organ of structure and of awareness is composed mostly of collagen, it is time to examine the role of bones and cartilage in our living matrix.
Bones and cartilage are simply denser forms of collagen which is the main component of the fascial system. A baby is born with around 300 bones, much of it being softer cartilage. Because intrauterine growth and development is a constricted environment, a fetus will take on structural accommodation such as rotations of head (to the right or to the left), shoulders (forward, backward), and hips (left, right). These accommodations will carry through birth, and together with fascial holding patterns developed in early childhood and beyond, individual idiosyncratic fascial structures are developed that contribute to our adult postures and stances.
But there is more involved in early bone growth and development. Early imprints on the fascial system are both structural and emotional. Schultz and Feitis take a moment to describe the birth experience. “At birth, the baby is a wide-open system. New stimuli… are magnified…both physically and emotionally….Traumatic sensory attack, such as being held upside down under bright lights, can induce structural contractions or sensory shutdown that may never go away.” They conclude these descriptions with “…it is a truism in psychology that what we learn under panic conditions is with us for life.”
Fascial research uses the term holding patterns for these imprints that, once developed, may be difficult to identify or to change. We are reminded of an old saying about a person who holds a habit or a belief “close to the bone.” Various experiences of early childhood, infancy, and yes, even pre-birth, can be understood as energy imprints upon the soft collagen of the yet-to-be-hardened skeletal structures.
From the work of Fritz Frederick Smith MD, Karen Gabler offers another version of this idea. “Bones, periosteum (the fascial envelope around all bones), and cartilage are nonreactive tissues…all they can do is receive imprints. These imprints bury deeply into the bone layer of the web. Bones are where our deep core issues are held. Our early childhood losses…our issues of identity, sense of purpose, our stance in the world, our sense of personal security.”
It is also important to note that holding patterns can create blockages in the free-flow of an ideally open human energy system. Energy imprints are essentially ‘hard-wired’ into our structure and awareness as we grow into adults. While they can be shifted later in life, it takes an effort on the part of the individual to recognize and deal with such deep holding patterns.
Many of our holding patterns are related to emotional fear and lack of trust. Imagine that as a parent ‘controls’ a child’s early walking for safety concerns, they are also imprinting a fear of being unsteady. According to Schultz and Feitis, unconscious modifications such as a locked neck, grabbed toes, held shoulders and clenched jaw are all responses to a fear of being “unable to control our movement.”
This topic lends itself to several other emotional and psychological questions. How can an individual identify and work to heal such deeply imprinted patterns? How do emotions, both positive and negative, actually work in the body? Are belief systems included in this early imprinting process? Is trauma included in this kind of imprinting?
As we continue to explore how our fascial system supports us in both structure and awareness, I hope to approach several of these questions. But first, we are going to take a deep breath and relax as we prepare to examine the role of our breath and breathing in accessing and working with our deeper fascial system.
References
Gabler, K M (2017). Your body’s brilliant design: A revolutionary approach to relieving chronic pain. Skyhorse Publishing.
Myers, T.W (2009). Anatomy trains: Myofascial meridians for manual and movement therapists, 2nd edition. Elsevier, Limited.
Schulz L. and Feitis, R. (1996). The endless web: Fascial anatomy and physical reality. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books.
I find this information fascinating. I hadn't realized that the fascial system is upstream from the vagus nerve, which I've studied out of curiosity. Finding out that the vagus nerve is encased in fascial sheaths along its pathway from the brainstem to the abdomen alerts me to the ways in which any fascial restriction from trauma, poor posture of stress can compress or twist the vagus nerve. You have opened up a world I did not find in my research. Loved reading about the "truth on our bones."Thank you.