Fascia & Bones: Unpacking the Mystery

Kirstie MacDonald Scott
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Biweekly

Some things I love—fascia and bones with a detective mystery. I am practicing manual osteopath and structural integrator and love working with the connective tissue of the body and the holistic systems of the body. I am also a long-time educator in the field of bodywork and movement. My hope is to share some insights in the fields I practice.I am generalist in my practice, which means I do a little of everything and there are some areas I focus on such as neurodivergence, trauma, birth work and chronic pain.    As an educator, I am connected with many people in my fields of study and my hope is to share their experiences and expertise within the discussions we have.   In the new podcast I will begin with interviewing folks starting with the field of Structural Integration (SI). I want to unveil some sticky points in our field and take an honest look at some bias that has happened due to how the lineage was set up by Dr. Ida Rolf. In the future, I hope to interview a broader range of innovators in the field of fascia.

  1. Sep 13

    S3 E2: Interview with Lauren Rose, PT and Lecture and Treating with Heart

    Send us Fan Mail In Season 3, Episode 2 I am back with Lauren Rose, PT. We are having a discussion on heart-isms. Stories, and lectures on the heart and how to treat the heart from a manual osteopathic lens. Lauren brings her years of experience and passion for the heart in the discussion inviting in metaphor and challenging how we think about the heart in our practice as manual practitioners. I am excited to share this intimate and joyful discussion with you. Thanks for taking the time to listen and learn on Fascia and Bones: Unpacking the Mystery. Please rate us on the podcast provider you listen too.

  2. Sep 9

    S3 E1: A Somatic Journey and Embryological Experience

    Send us Fan Mail I thought I would share a story I wrote for my Structural Integration cohort. This was designed as a somatic exercise. Have a journal or piece of paper ready to write on afterwards.  If you can, find a cozy place to lay down. Snuggle under a blanket. As you settle in notice your breathing, the support of the earth underneath your body. Notice the air moving touching your skin. Now I will begin the story. Before Skin Let me add a small piece of wood on the fire that keeps us warm. I want to share a story of our beginning. This story is small and yet it has largeness. It can be so small it fits inside a sewing thimble where the fairies hide. Yet it is so large it does not fit inside this room so it has to live in the deep forest with all the other magical creatures. Where the unicorns nibble sweet blades of grass. Yet here we are inside her, protected by the womb. They say I first came here on a journey from her ovum. I slipped out in the night so you could not see me along with several of my sisters. Each sister disappeared and became follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) so that I could stick and not disappear with them.  As I floated down the fallopian tube, I felt warm and bathed in fluid. Then I arrived at a precipice where I decided to jump into the abyss. As I fell, I entered the dark cave called uterus. There was no light and I swam through a dark liquid, then as I tired I floated…sensing the space around me. Slightly curious and a little miffed that no one had made me breakfast. Then in a spark, others were arriving with big heads and long tails, swimming and laughing. They had come to dance with me and gently placed their noses on my outerness. We made the shape of the Matahari, the sun. Me large in the center. Them centering around me with their tails and heads carrying DNA. We danced for several hours. Something was changing inside of me as the nutritional lining around me was falling away. One of these fishy creatures called Sparky was dancing patiently, with kindness, and had more spark about them. My system felt gooey inside and I asked them if they would like to come inside me to dance. Sparky waited patiently and reflected on if they wanted to dance. Then they consented and I made space for them by opening up my edges. Sparky came inside and we started to fuse together while letting go of half our DNA. Then we reformed into half of each. Becoming a new whole and form. We were now a consensual conceptus.  Not quite human. More like a small fluid rock. Here we would begin to divide in a cellular continuity of sameness, filling up the protective shell with many cells. Now we changed our name to Morula. Still floating in the protective womb, slightly unsure if our journey would stop here.  After a while, we continued to change. We were no longer like a small rock, but like a plant expressing outward growth. Seeking to begin to root. However, the womb was unsure. The womb was deciding if it could make space for us.  Meanwhile, I felt a pulse, and the cells started to migrate to one side, creating space for fluid. I sensed myself floating backwards toward the lining of the uterus. I felt a bolt of lightning in my center.  I looked down and started to fold over into myself. Then something strange happened. I started to grow a tail that reached out and connected to the womb. A little like tying off a small boat to the dock. Here I rested a while as I was a little surprised by this attachment. From the connection stalk, I would find myself floating in flexion and extension. Pulsing back and forth with growth. All of a sudden, I felt a thump and another thump. Oh my, I have a heart! A rhythmic beating drum calling me into this world with a steady beat. Thump thump thump. The surprise caused me to turn around and stand up inside of myself toward my mother. I am human after all. I laid down in the mossy womb to rest, while I slept, I kept growing bigger, larger until one day I was too big for the womb, and I peeked outside of my cozy cave to enter the great outdoors. The End or is it the beginning? *** Take the time to free write on what you notice in your soma from this experience of where you come from.

  3. Jun 19

    S2E13: Final episode of Season 2 exploring some ideas around punctive, duration, palliative care, and dying.

    Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Fascia and Bones: Unpacking the Mystery. In this episode, I am sharing some ideas around punctive, duration, palliative care, and dying. First of all, I want to wish you all a summer solstice blessing, as these days are long and full of sunlight. A time to mark seasonal changes in one’s life. I would like to start with a wink and a nod to Dr. Helen Paris for introducing me to a word in her Next Chapter workshop in La Roanne, France. The word is punctive, a verb that describes an action that occurs at a single, specific point in time or is instantaneous (e.g., to pop, to pounce, to kick). Helen introduced this word to a group of women over 40 who attended her creative writing retreat. As we read each other’s work, we would notice the somatic response to each other’s writings. The moment something catches us, like a pivot or switch in our somatic resonance. In contrast, there are durative verbs, which indicate duration over time (e.g., to walk, to think). Which is even more curious as Dr. Raegan Truax, the assistant teacher, works deeply in duration work with Creative Body Institute (https://www.creativebody.org/), of whom she is a founder. These two women are bringing amazing work to our world, and I look forward to sharing more in the future. What strikes me today as we move into summer solstice is how both the punctive and durational work lands in this time. My research and practice have cultivated around trauma, both physical and psychosomatic work. This is like weaving ideas in the trauma culture with manual medicine. Much of what I have learned is through my experience in practice and in my personal life. So today, I am blowing up a doorway to share some recent experiences in hopes of helping others prepare for similar experiences.

  4. May 21

    S2 E12: Interview with Lauren Rose, PT

    Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Fascia and Bones… In Season 2, Episode 12 I am interviewing Lauren Rose, PT who is a fabulous practitioner and teacher of visceral, neural, vascular and energetics in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She began her career as an artist/jeweler and discovered Polarity work, then her training in massage therapy, which inspired her to get her Master’s in Physical Therapy. After working in hospital settings for four years, she went into private practice. She continued her education studying and assisting with Jean-Pierre Barral, DO. Lauren Rose has set an example of how women develop, create and stay curious in manual therapy. Her compassion, zest and curiosity shine through this interview. Her website is https://www.physicaltherapynm.com/. Lauren and I plan to meet again in a month to discuss specific techniques. I am very excited to share and honor a great teacher in this episode.

  5. May 14

    S2 E11: Trauma Is Not Stored in the Body

    Send us Fan Mail In Season 2, Episode 11 I am sharing some thoughts based on my clinical research and upcoming book on how to support trauma, especially with regards to how popular discussing this conversations has become  in the last few months in social media. This is invitation to reframe how we talk about trauma. There’s a phrase that has become incredibly popular in trauma culture: “The body keeps the score.” And while I understand why this idea resonates with so many people, I want to invite a deeper and more nuanced conversation. These are ideas that are presented in my upcoming book to be release in the end of 2026 entitled Somatic Touch: An integrative approach to physical and psychosomatic trauma. Because I don’t actually believe trauma is “stored” in the body in the simplistic way it is often talked about. I don’t think trauma sits trapped in the tissues like a toxin waiting to be released. What I think is happening is far more complex, relational, and honestly, far more fascinating. What we call trauma is often an adaptive neurobiological pattern. A learned survival physiology. A predictive response shaped by environment, attachment, development, physiology, and relationship. And yes — it absolutely shows up in the body. But that is different than saying trauma is physically stored there like an object. This distinction matters. Especially for practitioners. Especially for neurodivergent folks. Especially for anyone who has felt harmed, overwhelmed, or pathologized by certain trauma narratives. Because many people have come to believe they are carrying hidden trauma trapped inside them that must somehow be excavated, discharged, or released through shaking, catharsis, or emotional excavation. And I want to question that framework. Not to dismiss trauma. Not to dismiss suffering. But to invite us into a more holistic and embryological understanding of how human beings actually develop and regulate. From an osteopathic and embryological lens, the body is never just tissue. For more go to my Substack for full text.

  6. Jan 31

    S2E10: Discussion with Kieran Schumaker on metaphors in teaching and working with clients

    Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Fascia and Bones: Unpacking the Mystery.  Some things I love—fascia and bones with a detective mystery. I am a practicing manual osteopath and structural integrator and love working with the connective tissue of the body and the holistic systems of the body. I am also a long-time educator in the field of bodywork and movement. My hope is to share some insights into the fields I practice. In Season 2, Episode 10, I am with Kieran Schumaker (they/them), ATSI, BCSI instructor Neurovascular Release Courses who is coming to teach their classes in September and November of 2026. We are following up our discussion from Season 2 Episode 6 where we are talking about curiosity and mentioned metaphor. Here we are diving deeper into many ways we teach with metaphor as well as how this supports our clients on becoming more embodied. Kier wrote Why we use metaphors: 1. To help us feel tissue, finding the right touch or the right layer nodule the size of a pea to describe how to feel for the C2,3 nerve rootskidney covered in its fat pad feels like a bar of soap2. To help us understand spatial relationships in a complex system glide planesstacking the bonestensegrity network3. To describe presence or movement quality feels like butterfluid movement4. To help others see what we see Rolfing traditionally uses geometric metaphors, such as cylindershourglass figure5. To name what is frustrating or challenging dropped, collapsed, or fallen archesblocky vastus lateralisjacked up nervous systemSome metaphors we discuss (In no particular order): Imagination—to help us sense, touch, feel, and be present with bodiesRooted—firmly established, deeply feltBack Body—bend, support, not the frontFluid (movement)—like waterStable or Stability—to standGlide Plane (for intermuscular septum)—relationship between two tissue layers, but not like two plates sliding.Grapefruit Sections—muscle compartments in the thighNerve roots Artery branchesUpstream—closer to the Central Nervous System or central vascular system.Beet root analogy—when talking with clients and students about dural restrictions.And now for the podcast discussion with Kier. Class Registration Links: Manual NVR™ Part 1: Head, Neck, and "Roots of Arms" - September 18-20, 2026, Taos, New Mexico (USA) https://learn.neurovascular-release.online/courses/manual-nvr-part-1-sept-2026-taos Manual Neurovascular Release Part 2: Lower Thorax, Pelvis, and Hips November 13-15, 2026 https://learn.neurovascular-release.online/courses/manual-nvr-part-2-november-2026-taos November 16, 2026 Integration and Practice https://learn.neurovascular-release.online/courses/manual-nvr-masterclass-nov-16-2026-taos Somatic Touch © 2023 by Kirstie Segarra is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

  7. Jan 2

    S2E9, “Turning up the volume”, Zohran Mamdani, changing paradigm of trauma theory, feminism, patriarchy, colonization, non-binary and queer politics.

    Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Fascia and Bones: Unpacking the Mystery.  Some things I love—fascia and bones with a detective mystery. I am a practicing manual osteopath and structural integrator and love working with the connective tissue of the body and the holistic systems of the body. I am also a long-time educator in the field of bodywork and movement. My hope is to share some insights into the fields I practice. In Season 2, Episode 9, I am sharing some thoughts around “turning up the volume”, Zohran Mamdani, changing paradigm of trauma theory, feminism, patriarchy, colonization, non-binary and queer politics. I have been reflecting as women how we hold each other up, support each other, and continue to melt the patriarchal messages, including within us, to help offer healing and change in the systems we live in.    I thought I would share an excerpt from my book I am writing and the chapter is entitled “How trauma shows up in the body or does it?”  “In resonance, all fluid systems are united. I say that no matter where in the galaxy they may be, all fluid systems function as basically one body or organ of intelligence.” — Emilie Conrad Go to Substack for full post. Meanwhile, thank you for listening to Fascia and Bones: Unpacking the Mystery and please review the podcast on the platform you listen to. Somatic Touch © 2023 by Kirstie Segarra is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

  8. 12/22/2025

    S2E8: Interview with Dr. Helen Frances Paris, Performance Artist in Feminism, Professor and Writer

    Send us Fan Mail In Season 2, Episode 8, I am interviewing Dr. Helen Frances Paris, an extraordinary performance artist, writer, and professor who brings a deep experience with the body, feminism, as well as queer politics. She began her performance artist career in the 90’s in London. Dr. Helen and I speak about how she incorporates the body in her performance art and her writing. We speak about the hyoid bone as a way of reclaiming authenticity, how women are often not heard/listen too. Dr. Helen supports her students to rediscover, claim, and explore the next chapter in our lives within creativity and much, much, more. She is leading a women’s retreat for in creative writing in April of 2026 in the south of France. Which I plan to attend. You can learn more about it at https://www.creativebody.org/nextchapter. Her website is curiousperformance.com and on Instagram at Helen Frances Paris. Another wonderful podcast with Dr. Helen at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/best-book-forward/id1709327980?i=1000740333751.    Now for the interview with Dr. Helen.

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Some things I love—fascia and bones with a detective mystery. I am practicing manual osteopath and structural integrator and love working with the connective tissue of the body and the holistic systems of the body. I am also a long-time educator in the field of bodywork and movement. My hope is to share some insights in the fields I practice.I am generalist in my practice, which means I do a little of everything and there are some areas I focus on such as neurodivergence, trauma, birth work and chronic pain.    As an educator, I am connected with many people in my fields of study and my hope is to share their experiences and expertise within the discussions we have.   In the new podcast I will begin with interviewing folks starting with the field of Structural Integration (SI). I want to unveil some sticky points in our field and take an honest look at some bias that has happened due to how the lineage was set up by Dr. Ida Rolf. In the future, I hope to interview a broader range of innovators in the field of fascia.

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