Jack Blackburn

Vice President

In 1986 Jack started practicing Trager® as a licensed massage practitioner in Washington State. He became a Trager tutor in 1993, a Trager Intro Workshop leader and Trager Electives teacher in 1995. From 1991-1994 Jack attended graduate school and earned a Master’s degree in Theology and Ministry and Certification as a Spiritual Director. In graduate school Jack developed a series of body-centered verbal techniques called Table Talking and a new method called Side-Lying Somatics. 

He teaches bodyworkers to combine words, touch, proprioception and positional release techniques to deepen clients’ somatic awareness and primary authority over their bodies. He also teaches a body-centered counseling technique called Focusing. As a Reiki Master, in 1993 Jack started teaching bodyworkers how to add Reiki to their other modalities. 

He has been a nationally certified instructor for the AMTA and NCBTMB since 1997. Jack started teaching in Japan in 2001. His Japan classes include bodywork, meditation, energy work, body-centered counseling, and healing. He has continued over the years to refine his classes and somatic approaches, along with publications and newsletters. Trillium Institute is his continuing education school for bodyworkers in the USA and Japan and is NCBTMB certified.

Jack joined The Trager Foundation Board in August 2020 to help gather and publish new writings and other media about Trager; including a compilation of case studies and a Trager Source Book. Also, to work with other bodywork practitioners on research and publications that raise the knowledge of the therapeutic benefits of hands-on care, among the other health professions and the general public.

Anne Marie Bowers

Interim Treasurer/Website Coordinator

Anna Marie Bowers brings to the Trager Foundation Board 38 years of experience as a Trager® practitioner, 18 years of non-profit administrative and organizational experience, a curiosity about the mind-body connection and a belief in the power of daily practice of Mentastics® to improve the quality of life.

A student of yoga and meditation, she found the Trager Approach as a result of her own search for balance following health challenges in her thirties. She became a certified Trager practitioner in 1983 and maintained an active practice through 2020. She was repeatedly invited to demonstrate and present information about Trager to medical students enrolled in complementary care courses, massage schools and health fairs. She feels privileged to have worked with Dr. Milton Trager and looks forward to the day when research duplicates the benefits she has seen in her own life and the lives of her clients.

Kate Krull

Kate is an artist and somatic movement therapist residing in Berlin, Germany. She has been the business owner of ' Body Mind Bond ' since 2013. Her practice helps clients improve movement patterns through somatic bodywork. She is a Certified Trager® Approach Practitioner since 2013 and active in Trager in Daily Life® where she provides Mentastics®, ' mental gymnastics ' movement courses, including specific work also supporting Parkinson's clients and their partners to improve the quality of their daily lives together. Kate started her experience with Trager Approach over 25 years ago when she needed to learn the quality of touch to care for a Trager Approach Practitioner’s daughter with cerebral palsy. She has a passionate interest in supporting the collection of case studies to have the Trager Approach further recognized and valued.

Kate brings previous work experience from serving as a trustee and board member in peace and human rights, LGBTQIA+, and interfaith organizations, as well as serving in leadership positions in nonprofit work for social justice and political change. Kate has a fine arts background with a focus on ceramics. She has worked with people of many different ability levels and ages to create art and experience the feeling of hookup while creating. Currently Kate is a clay wall designer and educator of experiential artistic courses in the clay village of Britzer Garten, Berlin. She feels and experiences the common language of touch, movement, curiosity, presence, and pausing, while creating artwork and practicing somatic bodywork with clients.

Richard Mack

President

Richard Mack is an active Master Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist member of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). He is a certified Trager practitioner, Licensed Massage Therapist, Reiki and yoga practitioner. He is a co-founder of the Mind Your Body wellness clinic which provides somatic movement re-education and yoga therapy to a wide variety of clients. 

In addition to being a trustee of the Trager Foundation, Richard serves as a board member of the Navigators Adaptive Sports Club and is on the advisory board of CP (Cerebral Palsy) Soccer. Prior to his work as a caregiver, Richard enjoyed a successful business career as an executive in communications and International business development. He began his body work journey 30 years ago, starting as a receiver of many modalities, progressing to an Licensed Massage Therapist and now is focused on somatic movement work. Richard has an MBA, continued his education at Julliard School of Music, NYU film school and is a student of somatic movement body work modalities.

Richard brings his expertise and lived experience of the efficacy of somatic movement to the mission of the Trager Foundation.  He adds his enthusiasm to the development of a Trager Foundation website that will provide a platform for publication of case reports and eventual research. He is actively engaged in presenting the science and benefits of somatic movement therapy.

Barbara Mason

Secretary

Barbara Mason has been a Trager® practitioner since 2008, working primarily as a health volunteer for organizations such as Veterans, the YWCA, nursing students, hospice workers and other groups. She was a university dance professor for twenty years, teaching studio and theory classes, as well as choreographing for, performing in, and directing college dance companies.

Barbara's interest in the Trager Foundation comes from her career as an educator and dancer/choreographer. Knowledge of movement and the human body led her to study and become certified as a Trager Practitioner. Like her Foundation colleagues, she desires to educate the public about the health benefits of Trager, and to encourage people around the world to utilize this therapeutic work. She brings her experience and knowledge to the Trager Foundation Board of Directors in an effort to achieve this goal.

Ross Pastel

Research Coordinator

Ross Pastel earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then spent 26 years in the U.S. Army as an Officer and Research Psychologist. While still in the Army, his interest in bodywork led him to take a class in Craniosacral Therapy from the Upledger Institute. During his final assignment in the Army at the National Intrepid Center for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, he was increasingly frustrated that he was not able to work clinically with the patients. After retiring from the Army, he decided to change directions and went to massage school. He started training in the Trager® Approach just before starting massage school and is currently working towards certification. In addition, he has also studied Zero Balancing and Biodynamic Visceral Manipulation. 

He currently teaches Anatomy & Physiology and Pathology, Research Literacy, and Case Report Project at the Potomac Massage Training Institute (PMTI). After teaching a workshop on Case Reports for Trager Practitioners at the Annual Trager Conference in 2019, he was invited to join the Trager Foundation Board. He hopes to encourage Trager Practitioners to write case reports that will build a foundation for the development of further research into the efficacy and effectiveness of the Trager Approach.