The Lauren Berry Method®, or in short, the Berry Method® or Berrywork, was developed by an American named Lauren Berry. It is a corrective technique that utilizes muscle, fascia, connective tissue, ligament and organ positioning, stretching, and relaxation.
To Lauren, who worked as a construction engineer for much of his life, the body was nothing more mysterious than an engineering problem, and it can be “fixed,” or brought into harmonious balance, by physical manipulations based on engineering principles. As he claimed: “The muscles are the main machinery of the body.”
“If you understand the force of intelligence in the body, its mechanical operation and structure, you can help any part of the body you can reach with your hands”
— Lauren Berry
Lauren Berry believed that the body has a memory and that, with encouragement of a therapist, body organs and tissues which are distorted or displaced would want to return to their proper place, thereby alleviating malfunctions, discomforts and pains
Benefits of the Berry Method® include:
- Increases circulation.
- Stimulates the flow of lymph.
- Relaxes and softens injured and overused muscles.
- Reduces spasms and cramping.
- Increases joint flexibility and range of motion.
- Reduces rehabilitation and recovery times.
- Helps to prepare the body for strenuous workouts.
- Releases endorphins.
- Controls and relieves pains.
- Reduces adhesions, scar tissues and edema.
- Relief of migraine pains
- Provides exercise and stretching for atrophied muscles.
Lauren became aware that each muscle has a relative position within its surrounding tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones) where it functions at its healthiest efficiency. This position is determined by those surrounding structures which create a ‘groove’ within which each muscle fits. He came to understand that tissue can become misplaced and distorted within its relationship to its surroundings and get out of its groove. A good portion of Laurens magic included simply applying this body of knowledge and ‘putting things’ back where they belong. Lauren addressed the muscles, tendons, and ligaments as the “guy wires” of the body. He found that their distortion was often the major contributor to mechanical problems of the spine and extremities.
He also believed that everything in the body is innately programmed to self-correct. However, if your natural center of gravity (located in the pelvic girdle on a line between the fifth lumbar-sacral articulation and a point approximately two inches below the navel) is off balance, then everything above and below becomes distorted in order to adapt to a new center of gravity. This situation interferes with the body’s ability to maintain itself.
Therapists who study and practice The Berry Method® use precise massage techniques that include soft tissue manipulation. Some of the goals are to relieve spasms, correct distortions, and release adhesions in the connective tissue, skeletal muscles, and the smooth muscle of organs. These techniques stimulate the body’s natural inclination toward balance and ease in its structure and function. For example, such corrections can quickly restore a knee to full, pain free mechanical function or relieve back discomfort.
Credentials
Devon began her apprenticeship in 2021 to learn the many facets of the Lauren Berry Method. This has greatly enhanced her ability to work with many different systems in the body. This method works directly with the lymph system, nervous system, bone structure and how the muscles relate to each joint, the pulmonary system and more. This apprenticeship is a gateway for an added level of expertise in assessing and addressing many different issues people may have. Similar to Osteopathy, this incredible body of work is a gem of knowledge that nearly died out after Lauren Berry passed away. But its revival by teachers in recent years has given it new life. Apprenticeship may last somewhere between 5-7 years depending on the individual.
