About Zen PhysioAbout Zen Physio
I am Mike Traynor, a qualified Chartered Physiotherapist since 2000. I was a newly qualified physio in Torbay Hospital where I worked in Acute Strokes, Outpatients, Respiratory wards, Orthopaedics, Care of the Elderly, General Neuro Rehab as well as running Balance Groups for those who had fallen or had balance issues in Torbay and I became a Senior Physio on the Pain Relief department which ran Pain Management Groups for people with long term pain issues which had not responded to the usual treatments (physio/drugs/injections/surgery) as well as one to one physio which I found to be great experience.
I worked in the community seeing people with Parkinson’s Disease and later on when I left the NHS, worked in Hospitals as a locum in Kidderminster, Bristol, Swindon, Barnstaple, Kingsbridge, Glastonbury and others where I worked again in Neuro rehab, on the general wards, respiratory wards and outpatients seeing people with aches, pains, injuries and conditions of many kinds.
After starting to use acupuncture in the Pain Relief Clinic, I started my many trainings in other modalities starting with Zero Balancing with Richard Walters. This is a really useful bodywork protocol/system that looks to connect to the energy of bone. This course with Richard opened me up to the amazing and unexpected otherworldly effects one can get from something as simple as getting your ankle joint stretched in a way it never has before.
Then came the Bowen Technique with Julian Baker in 2003, which I still use today regularly for people with aches and pains, respiratory problems, migraines and much more. It is such a useful therapy that should be experienced by everybody, especially those with asthma and migraines but also frozen shoulders, for young kids with bedwetting or stress. I have had unbelievably good results over the years with this Technique.
Around this time ‘I went into my own private practice as the NHS wouldn’t let me use the Bowen Technique or Zero Balancing as there wasn’t enough ‘scientific’ evidence to back them up, despite my colleagues loved the treatments themselves when I practiced on them Some Drs onwards wouldn’t even let me use acupuncture to relieve pain for the patients on their wards because they thought it was all mumbo jumbo. So I knew I had to leave.
I went to London to train in EMF Balancing Technique® with Peggy Dubro from the US and went to Paris to train in The Reconnection® and Reconnective Healing® with Dr Eric Pearl. These techniques again were very otherworldly, way beyond my previous experiences of energy work such as Reiki, and when I did them on my family, friends and clients the feedback was quite extraordinary.
In 2007 I trained in NeuroLink with Dr Allan Phillips from New Zealand (is now called Neurological Integration System and found at Neurolinkglobal.com) to advanced level and it is an outstanding kinesiology based protocol developed by Dr Phillips.
In the following years I did two 6 day workshops on Holotropic Breathwork with Dr Stan Grof (one of the founders of Transpersonal Psychology) who was fascinating and his Basic Perinatal Matrices Model represents a cartography of the psyche that is hugely useful. The sessions of breath-work were done for 3 hours with loud world music played in the background covering many themes. It was a profound period of psychotherapeutic learning.
In 2010/11 I trained under Gerry Pyves to advanced level in No Hands Massage which was a transformational deep massage using Tai-Chi-like moves with dynamic music. Gerry was a psychotherapist before he did Swedish massage and incorporated his Transactional Analysis into his bodywork designed to use forearms mainly to save the wrists and hands of the therapists.
I also trained in Upledger’s Craniosacral Therapy, releasing tension in the fascia of the body and nervous system in the spine, sacrum and joints of the skull.
There were other workshops I attended including Systemic Constellations with Dr Albrecht Mahr, Shamanic Journeying with John Matthews, Myofascial Release with John Annan, Breathwork with Leonard Orr and many more including the Three Principles from Sydney Banks.
In 2015 I went to Mexico and the States to become the first person in the UK to experience to the highest level and train in Chicago in the basic level of Higher Brain Living® which combines bodywork (adapted from Network Chiropractic from Donny Epstein), breath-work, energy-work and Life coaching using the Integral Theory of Ken Wilber which has amazing potential in energising the higher brain (prefrontal cortex) and using it to unlock a person’s potential.
In 2017 I was collaborating with Dr. Rory McGill in using his Trans-Cranial-Neuro-Feedback and EEG machines for assessment and training of client’s brainwaves in over and under-functioning areas of the brain to improve symptoms for everyone but particularly in the field of Mental Health and Neurological impairment.
In 2018 I did a year-long course in Clinical Hypnosis and qualified in 2019 with a more substantial model of how one can change one’s internal dialogue from negative self-criticism to neutral or even positive allowing a great weight to be lifted and seeing the world with new eyes. I have also been following the work of Marissa Peer for some years on Mindvalley and have done some training in her method. I love her campaign of “You Are Enough” which all kids should hear.
In 2019 I also did the Psoas Release Party/ Corewalking course in Totnes with NewYorker Jonathon FitzGordon.
In 2020 during the Corona Virus lockdown, I acquired the top of the range Laser/Infrared/Red light system from Thorlaser.com which I have been using to great effect on many conditions since the centre opened up again (with some restrictions) in June 2020.
There is much more to learn about the brain, body, mind (and spirit), it is indeed a life’s work that I remain very passionate about.
Michael J Traynor BSc (Hons), SRP, MCSP.
