Trager® Level 1: A 6-Day Immersive Course
Transform Your Practice Through Mindful Touch and Movement
This is a hands-on course; the teacher, Fawn Christianson, will be present in-person for all instruction.
Are you a massage therapist, physical therapist, nurse, somatic practitioner or bodywork professional seeking to enhance your skills while preventing burnout?
This 6-day course begins your professional training to Dr. Milton Trager's revolutionary approach to psychophysical integration—a gentle yet powerful method that creates lasting neuromuscular change through mindful presence and specific body mechanics.
Experience the work that has integrated mindfulness, trauma-informed care, and neuroplasticity principles long before these concepts became mainstream in therapeutic practice.
Course Overview
Over six immersive days, you'll learn how Trager® principles connect with current scientific understanding of neuroplasticity, trauma-informed care, and mind-body integration. You'll discover a new language of touch that communicates directly with the nervous system, helping clients release unconscious holding patterns with remarkable effectiveness. You’ll learn both hands-on and somatic movements, giving you neuromuscular relearning abilities.
This training is organized to meet for six days in two blocks of three days one week apart:
February 7, 6, and 8, and February 13, 14, and 15, 2026.
The six immersive days give you 48 hours of hands-on CE, approved via the NCBTMB and the Georgia Massage Board for all Georgia LMTs.
What You'll Learn:
Day 1: Foundation & Self-Care
- Introduction to Trager® principles and philosophy
- Mentastics® self-care movement practices for your own wellbeing
- Body mechanics that preserve your energy and prevent injury
- Understanding the mind-body connection in therapeutic work
Day 2: Table Work Essentials
- Applying Trager principles protocol (supine and prone positions), which address the entire body/mind of your client
- How to "read" tissue through weight and resistance
- Using traction to create change in distant areas of the body
- Receiving feedback (verbal and non-verbal) is essential for efficacy
Day 3: Clinical Applications & Integration
- Applying Trager® principles to common conditions (sciatica, frozen shoulder, neck pain)
- Trauma-informed approaches within the Trager® framework
- Integrating Mentastics® throughout tablework for continued healing
- Practice sessions with feedback and refinement
Day 4 : Applying Trager Great Care to Neck and integration of entire Spine
- Supine Position, Hello Shoulders (Cat Paws), Hello Neck, Hammock, Elongation of Head and Spine, Head Rolls, Side Stretch/Swan Neck
- SComplete Head/Neck Work
Day 5: The Meditative State for the Practice of The Life-Giving Force
- Lying Prone: Feeling and Sculpting the Back
- Go Away Leg, Rhythmical Rocking at the waist, Chopin, Hip Toss
- Deltoid compressions, Snowplow
Day 6: Playing and Integrating the Whole Person
- Bringing the principles into all areas of the mind/body.
- Opportunity for Recall: Neck, Legs Supine and Prone, Chest and Abdomen, Shoulders, weighing of arm/Pendulum, Arm Toss, Shimmer Triceps, Scapula
- Full range with ease, low back integration, riding the wave
Course Details
Dates and Time: The dates of the course are February 6, 7, and 8, and 13, 14, and 15. Each day the class will run from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm with an hour lunch beginning at 1:00 pm.
Location: This course will be taught on-site at 2824 Chester way, Decatur GA 30030. This is a residential duplex in Decatur GA; parking is in the driveway or in the street.
Hands-on CE: This is a hands-on course; the teacher, Fawn Christianson, will be present in-person for all instruction.
Cost: $1200 for six days of instruction.
Deposit of $500 Due: November 15, 2025.
Balance of $700 Due: January 15, 2026
Cancellation policy: Students may receive a full refund up to 30 days prior to the course; fewer than 30 days prior to the course no refunds will be given.
For Questions: info@atlantaesalenmassage.com or fawnchristianson@gmail.com
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Fawn Christianson
Fawn Christianson is a master Trager® Practitioner and somatic educator whose career spans nearly four decades in the therapeutic bodywork field. As one of the select practitioners who trained directly with Dr. Milton Trager, she carries forward his innovative approach to neuromuscular integration with both technical precision and profound presence.
Throughout her extensive career, Fawn has specialized in helping bodywork professionals overcome the common challenges of practitioner burnout, physical strain, and diminished effectiveness. Her teaching emphasizes sustainable body mechanics that protect therapists' longevity while dramatically enhancing client outcomes through principles of nervous system communication rather than force.
Massage therapists, physical therapists, and somatic practitioners consistently praise Fawn's exceptional ability to demonstrate the subtle nuances of touch that speak directly to the nervous system and tissue memory. Her students describe watching her work as "witnessing a dancer teaching choreography," noting how her clear demonstrations transform complex concepts into embodied understanding.
After successfully operating a private practice in the heart of Silicon Valley for 38 years, Fawn now divides her time between her clinical practice in the Bay Area and teaching advanced professional trainings. Her approach integrates cutting-edge neuroscience with time-tested bodywork principles, creating a comprehensive framework that addresses both client pathologies and practitioner sustainability.
Fawn's teaching methodology emphasizes the practitioner's internal state as the foundation for effective therapeutic outcomes. Through her guidance, bodywork professionals learn to maintain presence and "hookup" even while working with challenging conditions like frozen shoulder, sciatica, and trauma-related holding patterns.
Beyond technique, Fawn is celebrated for creating learning environments where practitioners feel truly seen and supported in their professional development. Her trainings not only elevate clinical skills but also renew practitioners' connection to the profound healing potential of mindful, embodied touch.
