Arnold Askew, LMT, GCFP - Somatic Solutions

03/21/2026

🔥 Give every client a flare-up plan. It’s one of the most practical “somatic” tools you can teach.

Flare-ups happen. A good plan keeps them from turning into a two-week setback.

I like a simple three-zone plan. It works great for massage therapists, OTs, and PTs because it respects scope and keeps things functional.

✅ Green zone: doing well. Goal: build capacity slowly
→ Keep a steady baseline routine
→ Add small progressions
→ Keep effort low and breathing free

⚠️ Yellow zone: warning signs. Goal: reduce threat and stay consistent
→ Cut volume, keep gentle movement
→ Shorten sessions, add rest breaks
→ Focus on easy ranges, not stretching deeper

🛑 Red zone: flare up. Goal: calm the system and protect confidence
→ Keep movement tiny and frequent
→ Switch to comfort-based basics: walking a little, short position changes, breath, and contact awareness
→ Return to baseline slowly, not all at once

The key is this: the flare-up plan is not “stop living.” It’s a smarter way to keep the nervous system engaged without piling on more threat.

🎓 If you’d like to learn more, check out the link in this post for upcoming NCBTMB Approved Continuing Education Courses: https://www.somaticsolution.com/cecourse

03/14/2026

⏰ 2-minute pacing reset for flare-up prone clients: “10% less effort”

A lot of flare-ups aren’t only about doing too much activity. They’re also about how someone does the activity.

Same task, same time, but more gripping, bracing, breath holding, jaw tension, and urgency. That extra effort can push the nervous system into a flare. Try this quick reset yourself, then teach it to clients.

Two minutes. Seated or standing:

1️⃣ Notice contact
Feel your feet on the floor. Feel where you meet the chair.

2️⃣ Let your breath be smaller than you think it “should” be
No forcing.

3️⃣ Ask one question
What can I do 10% less?
• jaw unclenches a little
• shoulders soften a little
• belly stops bracing a little

4️⃣ Make one tiny, easy movement
• small pelvic rock
• slow shoulder roll
• gentle head turn in a comfortable range

5️⃣ Pause and rest for two breaths

This is pacing. You’re teaching the nervous system that movement can be safe, reversible, and not a fight. Over time, this can help clients stay consistent instead of swinging between overdoing and shutting down.

If you’d like to learn more, check out upcoming NCBTMB Approved Continuing Education Courses here: https://www.somaticsolution.com/cecourse

02/22/2026

💨🏃‍♂️‍➡️ Pacing is not “doing less.” It’s doing things in a way your nervous system can trust.

If you work with persistent pain clients, you’ve seen it: They feel a little better, do all the things, then the flare-up hits. After that, they get cautious, skip movement, and confidence drops.

That cycle has a name. Many people call it the boom-bust pattern.

Pacing breaks the pattern by making activity more predictable. Instead of waiting until pain forces a stop, you pick a small, repeatable dose. You finish while things are still going well. That is not weakness. That is skill.

Here’s the simple version I teach:
➡️ Choose one activity that often triggers a flare-up (walking, chores, gym, sitting, driving).
➡️ Set a starting dose you could repeat most days, even on a tougher day.
➡️ Stop at the dose, then rest briefly, even if you feel like you could keep going.
➡️ Build slowly, in small steps, so your body learns “this is safe.”

Somatic education adds one extra layer: we do not just pace time. We also pace effort. Less bracing, less breath holding, less pushing. More ease and options.

If you’d like to learn more, check out the link in this post for upcoming NCBTMB Approved Continuing Education Courses: https://www.somaticsolution.com/cecourse

02/22/2026

Brentwood area therapists: we’re hosting an in-person CE course at Cumberland Institute of Holistic Therapies Inc. If chronic pain cases show up in your week, this class will give you better tools and a clearer process.

Understanding and Transforming Chronic Pain
✅ 14 CE Hours | NCBTMB Approved Provider #1000676
📅 October 24 to 25, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (1 hour lunch both days)
📍 Cumberland Institute of Holistic Therapies Inc.
500 Wilson Pike Circle, St. 121, Brentwood, TN 37027
💲 $400 ($445 if registering within 7 days of class)

Limited seating. Save your spot now:
https://cumberlandinstitute.coursestorm.com/course/understanding-transforming-chronic-pain-c904

To find a course near you, see our complete list of course locations: https://www.somaticsolution.com/cecourse

02/22/2026

Chronic pain clients are common. Clear solutions feel rare. This 2-day, hands-on course gives you a practical framework that blends pain science, assessment, awareness-based movement, and soft tissue techniques you can use right away.

Understanding and Transforming Chronic Pain
✅ NCBTMB Approved, Provider #1000676
✅ 14 CE Hours
📅 August 22 to 23, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (1 hour lunch both days)
📍 Gwinnett College & Institute, Roswell, GA
1455 Old Alabama Road, Ste 160, Roswell, GA 30076
💲 $350
Early Bird: Save $50 if you register by July 31, 2026.

Register here: https://www.gwinnettcollege.edu/event/arnold-askew-understanding-and-transforming-chronic-pain/

To find a course near you, see our complete list of course locations: https://www.somaticsolution.com/cecourse

02/22/2026

Corvallis, Oregon area therapists: we’re hosting an in-person CE course at Next Level Institute of Bodywork. If chronic pain cases show up in your week, this class will give you better tools and a clearer process.

Understanding and Transforming Chronic Pain
✅ 14 CE Hours | NCBTMB Approved Provider #1000676
📅 August 8 to 9, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (1 hour lunch both days)
📍 Next Level Institute of Bodywork
33864 Eastgate Circle, Corvallis, OR 97333
💲 $350

Limited seating. Save your spot now:
https://nextlevelinstitute.org/product/understanding-chronic-painaugust-8th-9th-2026arnold-askew/

To find a course near you, see our complete list of course locations: https://www.somaticsolution.com/cecourse

02/22/2026

Chronic pain clients are common. Clear solutions feel rare. This 2-day, hands-on course gives you a practical framework that blends pain science, assessment, awareness-based movement, and soft tissue techniques you can use right away.

Understanding and Transforming Chronic Pain
✅ NCBTMB Approved, Provider #1000676
✅ 14 CE Hours
📅 June 20 to 21, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (1 hour lunch both days)
📍 Arizona School of Medical Massage and Wellness, LLC
8279 W. Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Suite 106, Peoria, AZ 85382
💲 $350
Early Bird: Save $50 if you register by May 20, 2026.

Register here: https://www.somaticsolution.com/course-0626-az

To find a course near you, see our complete list of course locations: https://www.somaticsolution.com/cecourse

02/22/2026

Corvallis, Oregon area therapists: we’re hosting an in-person CE course at Next Level Institute of Bodywork. If chronic pain cases show up in your week, this class will give you better tools and a clearer process.

Understanding and Transforming Chronic Pain
✅ 14 CE Hours | NCBTMB Approved Provider #1000676
📅 May 2-3, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (1-hour lunch both days)
📍 33864 Eastgate Circle, Corvallis, OR 97333
💲 $350

Limited seating. Save your spot now:
https://nextlevelinstitute.org/product/understanding-chronic-painmay-2nd-3rd-2026arnold-askew/

To find a course near you, see our complete list of course locations: https://www.somaticsolution.com/cecourse

02/22/2026

Chronic pain clients are common. Clear solutions feel rare. This 2-day, hands-on course gives you a practical framework that blends pain science, assessment, awareness-based movement, and soft tissue techniques you can use right away.

Understanding and Transforming Chronic Pain
✅ NCBTMB Approved, Provider #1000676
✅ 14 CE Hours
📅 April 17 to 19, 2026
📍 Lake City Center, 1916 N. Lakewood Drive, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
💲 Full conference package starting at just $297
Early Bird ends March 17, 2026.

Register here: https://web.cvent.com/event/c64e1507-a194-4a04-9081-eb4d0ba54c70/summary?environment=P2

To find a course near you, see our complete list of course locations: https://www.somaticsolution.com/cecourse

11/01/2024

Understanding & Transforming Chronic Pain
Retraining Neural-Circuits & Neuromuscular Habits

14 CE Hours + NCBTMB Approved # 1000676

December 7-8, 2024 - Roswell, Georgia

This class will include the overview of causes and treatment of chronic pain that I recently presented at the 2024 AMTA National Convention. With this foundation we will build a practical model for assessing and treating the complexities of chronic pain. First, we’ll look at how to rewire the neuro-circuitry that is at the root of most chronic pain. Then we’ll learn manual techniques of somatic education to change inefficient patterns of dysfunction.
As technical as all of this may sound, I assure you that the approach is easy on the therapist, gentle on the client and the results will put you into a category above and beyond others in the field of treating chronic pain. Read below what past students have to say about the class and how to register.

“I really enjoyed Arnold’s method of teaching, great sense of humor, very intuitive, would take his class anytime” D. Anson
“The course was so helpful to push me into a deeper understanding of how I, as a practitioner, can facilitate healing, awareness, and better movement in my clients. Being able to experience and feel the profound changes with subtle work will add much more dimension to my work as a Rolfer.” P. Reaves
“Really excited about this information, wish general public could be educated about this.” V. Cook
“Thank you for your wonderful presentation. I appreciated your willingness to “tell it like it is”, even if it may not fit so clearly into the traditional confines of our field. I feel like you have a well thought out, clearly articulated and focused workshop. And I have both something I can take with me and apply now and a path for continuing my inquiry.” T. Wilson
“Before I met Arnold I was in constant pain. He showed me how to understand the patterns I had gotten into. I am very grateful to him, first because the pain never came back, and second because he taught me how to care for myself.” N Feige, Teacher, Mother

Description Would you like your practice to be more ‘medical’ based? Would you like your practice to help transform people’s lives? Would you like your practice to be easier on your body and more mentally stimulating? Develop these results when you take Understanding and Transforming Chronic P...

03/16/2022

Welcome to Somatic Solutions. This site is about understanding and helping others transform chronic pain.
I was fortunate to join the Doleys Pain Clinic early in my career. My time there (17 years) shaped the style of work I do. One thing in particular influenced me, which was a directive/request by the director. It was to come up with a modality that was non-dependent. In other words, to help the patients learn how to relieve their own pain. A very unusual request for a massage therapist. But, it was exactly what I was looking for myself, to relieve my own pain. So started a journey, much of which happened at the clinic. We had weekly staff meetings where I heard the insights about each patient from the rest of the staff - MD's, psychologists, nurses, PT's, socical work, occupational counselor, addiction specialist, etc. Everyday was a learning field.
Now, thirty years later, I'd like to share and explain what I've learned. And I'd like to hear your insights, opinions and questions as well. I'll post on particular subjects, problems, etc. that I think will be of value. Let me know if there's anything specific that you would like us to discuss. I look forward to the sharing and learning.