Kristin Kunzelman is dedicated to helping others overcome their chronic pain so that they can enjoy their life more fully. She helps clients with their immediate needs as well as achieving their long-term goals. She believes in striving to find and release the cause of your pain, rather than just temporarily helping your symptoms. Kristin connects with her clients, truly listens to them and understands their goals, and facilitates a unique process for each client to achieve their own improved health and well-being. She loves helping clients of all ages, from newborns to those enjoying their retirement, and would love to help YOU!

Having experienced three neck injuries in five years, she understands the impact that chronic pain can have on your life. She was an MFR patient for five years before she became a therapist; she knows the ups and downs, the frustrations and set-backs, and the wins and happiness when you get back to being who you want to be. Not only did MFR help her get back to work and doing the activities she enjoys without pain, it also developed into a meaningful journey in health and awareness. MFR changed her life.

Kristin connects with the saying, “Healing is a process, not an event.” She truly believes that the body can and wants to heal itself, and views her role as a facilitator in this process. She views this work as a partnership with her clients, and listens to what they and their bodies have to say.

Kristin specializes in and only provides the John F. Barnes approach to myofascial release therapy. She regularly attends MFR seminars around the country to continue her education, and has studied alongside John F. Barnes P.T. and the expert practitioners at his treatment center in Sedona, AZ.

To date, her MFR coursework includes:

MFR 1, MFR 2, MFR 3

Fascial-Pelvis, Cervical-Thoracic, Fascial Cranium

Pediatrics, Mobilizations, Rebounding

Unwinding, Advanced Unwinding

Subtle Energy, Quantum Leap

Skill Enhancement Seminar

Therapy for the Therapist

In addition to her training in Myofascial Release Therapy, Kristin attended the University of Puget Sound for her undergraduate work (Music Education), University of Colorado at Boulder for her Masters degree (Music Education, Jazz Studies, K-12 Teaching Credential), and San Francisco School of Massage & Bodywork (CA CMT License).

Prior to becoming a Myofascial Release Therapist, Kristin taught music at all levels in both the public schools and in the non-profit industry where she also taught music teachers. Kristin continues to play flute in community orchestras and study piano. Outside of work and music, Kristin loves to travel, hike, practice yoga, and cook.

My myofascial release story…

I first experienced Myofascial Release therapy as a client suffering chronic pain from three neck injuries in five years. I was hit by a car as a pedestrian in a parking lot, then hit on the head in a sports injury, and finally was the front car of a three-car accident on the highway. I didn’t even know what MFR was, but knew my life wasn’t the same after the repeated whiplash and concussions. I struggled to conduct music for my students, couldn’t play flute anymore, and was back at square one with my yoga practice. For a while I couldn’t even carry groceries or my backpack. I didn’t sleep well, had constant headaches, and took too much over-the-counter medicine.

My doctor and X-rays said I was “fine,” but I wasn’t. I tried physical therapy, chiropractor, massage, acupuncture, and several other therapies. These all helped to some degree, but nothing was getting me back to where I knew I could be. I came across a therapist in San Francisco who spoke differently about healing and results, so I gave her a try. In my first session, I knew I had found something different – I felt hopeful for the first time in a long time. Over the next several months, she helped me get out of chronic pain and back to doing the activities I enjoyed. I started sleeping through the night and having fewer headaches; I could conduct and play music again. The work she did was called Myofascial Release Therapy.

I continued to receive MFR over the years for many different reasons including improving my posture, minimizing the impact of work stress, and limiting the adverse effects of sitting in front of a computer for too many hours. We started to treat old injuries that were still causing mischief – such as an achilles injury from hiking in Yosemite years ago and tendonitis in my forearm from college. It amazed me how the body retained the impact of various traumas over the years. I still receive MFR regularly to counteract the effects of playing flute and being on devices too often.

When my MFR therapist moved away, I was startled to realize how few people offered this transformative work, even in the Bay Area. I decided to pursue a second career as a myofascial release therapist to help others. My fascination with MFR has only increased the more I learn in practice, attending seminars, and reading the research on fascia that is being done around the world.

As a myofascial release therapist, it makes me so happy to see someone stand up and smile from ear to ear with their new ‘absence of pain,’ or read an email from them that they woke up without the pain they’d felt for the last several years.

Myofascial release changes lives.