Praise for Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living

"This book contains the keys to living fully and freely in your body."
-Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom, and Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

I recommend Muscular Retraining for Pain Free Living for yoga teachers as well as anyone who wants to move with better function, elegance and ease."
-Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., physical therapist and yoga teacher since 1971; author of  A Year of Living Your Yoga

"Muscular Retraining for Pain Free Living opens the door to healing through increased awareness --  for professionals, athletes, dancers and people in the street. Author Craig Williamson extends an invitation to all readers to discover their own habitual patterns and transform connections between their minds and bodies. I recommend it to students and teachers alike as an accessible and useful guide to come back to again and again."
-June Vail, Professor of Dance, Bowdoin College

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"Athletes can be in phenomenal physical shape but still out of touch with their bodies. This lack of "kinesthetic awareness" happens in average people, too, so that a "dysfunctional movement pattern" (DMP)-in which a muscle works too hard or not hard enough and becomes habitual-can develop. Injury, repeated motions and postures, and emotional stress can all contribute to DMPs, but a "re-patterning" can take place with the therapeutic exercise program delineated here by occupational therapist Williamson. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in massage therapy, training in other body therapies, and courses in psychotherapy, Williamson presents movement awareness exercises as part of the conceptual background in Part 1 and alignment exercises for changing patterns of movement in Part 2. Williamson's true gift is guidance in understanding the connection among body movement, self-awareness, and relaxation. Highly recommended for public and consumer health libraries and of interest to practitioners who care for those with chronic muscular pain."
-Beth Hill, Kootenai Medical Ctr., Coeur d'Alene, ID


"In this age of 'kinesthetic dystonia', in which physical education programs are being cut, and much of the populace (myself included) spends way too much time sitting in front of a computer, and where fads and myths about exercise are passed around like 'Chinese whispers', Craig Williamson's book is a breath of fresh air - an appeal to the innate but largely unused power of our kinesthetic intelligence to heal and 'right' ourselves. This book is designed to make Craig's unique synthetic approach to movement education available for the consumer experiencing pain or limited motion. As such it is simply written with a minimum of technical language, but with plenty of examples, explorations, and exercises to apply. Beneath the direct and practical approach, however, it is thoroughly researched on the technical side. Craig has paid his dues in many years of exploring the field, from the arts to psychotherapy to the biomechanical sciences. Thus this book will also be of interest to the bodywork practitioner, who will find the exercises good for self-help, or to give clients for their own use."

-Tom Myers, LMT, NCTMB, author of Anatomy Trains

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"As a practicing orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist for the last 26 years, I have seen thousands of patients with musculo-skeletal problems. Only for a very small percentage is surgery appropriate or effective, and even then, optimal recovery depends on adequate rehabilitation.  Fortunately, as one of my professors in medical school used to say, “Homeostasis takes care of most of our problems”, and very often, some rest, basic exercise, and “tincture of time” will cure many problems.

Unfortunately, for some problems, rest, exercise, and time do not cure or even improve the problem.  For these people there is a great need for someone who can assess the situation and uncover the keys to recovery.  Craig Williamson has been that person for many of my patients - and hundreds of others – for the last 20 years.  His approach is thorough, discerning, sensitive, and sensible.

Craig’s book is a very important contribution to the literature on diagnosis and treatment of musculo-skeletal problems.  He has drawn on his own extensive hands-on experience in several disciplines, thorough independent inquiry, and formal training in occupational and physical therapy.  What I have always valued most about Craig’s approach is it’s grounding in experience and theory.  What I value most about Craig’s book is that he is able to explain what he’s learned over the years in a simple, straight-forward, and non-dogmatic way.  I learned a great deal from reading it, and I found myself thinking over and over that this book would have been extremely valuable to hundreds of patients I’ve seen over the years, not all of whom were fortunate enough to be treated by Craig himself."
-Douglas Brown, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon, Former Team Physician for the U.S. National Soccer Teams

"​What I like about Craig's work is that he uses simple movement patterns to illuminate complex musculoskeletal dysfunctions. As a Pilates teacher, this helped me find where the imbalances were in my clients and prescribe movements that would help heal them. His work is an amalgam of his personal healing experiences and his lifelong interest in educating himself and others about the human body. His hard won knowledge is thus very succinct and valuable."
-Bethany Mateosian, director of Springboard Pilates, Portland, Maine

"Craig Williamson's Muscular Retraining for Pain Free Living is a revelation for people who seek relief from chronic bodily pain. It is a book about healing that works, because Craig knows the vital importance of awareness to healthy living."
—Robert K. Hall, MD Co-founder, Lomi School Author, Out of Nowhere
Dharma teacher

"In this concise and eminently practical guide to overcoming muscular pain, Williamson integrates years of intensive study with his vast experience in healing people whom no one else could help. Everyone in pain, and those who treat them, should read this book."—Karen L. Margolis, MD, MPH
Health Partners Research Foundation

Craig Williamson has written a brilliant book: clear, concise and profound. It gives the reader an easy-to-read tour of, not only how the muscles can work more efficiently and comfortably together, but also of the roles played by the mind and the emotions in this process. So be advised, reading this book may not only change your awareness of your body, it may also change your life.
—Donald V. Hankinson, DO
Director, Division of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
Maine Medical Center