Anna Maria Mazzieri
Soft Tissue Therapist, Director of The ST School
Anna Maria is a soft tissue therapist, practising since 2002. She lead The ST School, a well-regarded provider of the Soft Tissue Therapy Diploma and professional development courses. Advocate for high-quality vocational education.
As a practitioner and educator, Anna Maria promotes evidence-based practice in massage and manual therapy and has co-authored several publications on it and on the mechanisms behind manual therapy. She is currently collaborating with researchers on a forthcoming review and theory paper on trauma, chronic pain, and massage. And expanding on that topic through her PhD which explores embodiment, chronic pain, touch and virtual reality. Anna Maria is also part of the USA NIH-funded ForceNET and NeuronS_MATTR groups, which brings together researchers, clinicians and scientists to progress the understanding of Massage and Manualt therapy mechanisms. She is well known for her teaching style which is expressive, engaging and true expression of her ADHD personality
“When Pain Echoes Trauma & When Massage Echoes Embodiment”
Saturday Sep 20th: Main Theatre
15:10 – 15:50
Trauma and chronic pain are closely intertwined: people who experience trauma are significantly more likely to develop persistent pain and related conditions. At the heart of this link is a disrupted sense of embodiment, the sense of bodily self, as trauma profoundly affects sensory processing and nervous system regulation.
Drawing on contemporary research and theories from neuroscience, psychology, and clinical practice, this presentation by Anna Maria Mazzieri, Director of The ST School, will explore the processes leading to such disruption and how it relates to chronic pain. From there, Anna Maria will then present the reasoning, supported by evidence, for the use of massage and other somatic practices as valuable options to restore a renewed sense of body awareness and a grounded sense of self.
Three key principles you’ll take away:
✨ Understand what is meant by Embodiment within the context of Chronic Pain and Trauma.
🍲 Reason the use of Massage and Somatic practices into treatment of chronic pain.
💛 Clinically applicable strategies to help soothe somatosensory processing.
“Massage & Manual Therapy for Scars:
An Evidence Based Approach”
Sunday Sep 21st: Breakout Room
09:00 – 09:40
The normal wound healing process is an elegantly controlled state of balance between tissue disintegration and repair. When this balance is disturbed, abnormal or hypertrophic scars may form, often becoming painful, itchy, and restrictive, with significant impact on function and wellbeing.
Anna Maria Mazzieri, Director of The ST School, invites you to a workshop grounded in clinically relevant research on fascial behaviour during healing and scar management. It will offer you a safe, evidence-based, and person-centred approach to caring for people with painful or restrictive scars, while dispelling common myths and misconceptions.
This highly practical session will provide you with the opportunity to work directly with real scars. Participants will explore a range of scar massage techniques alongside other strategies such as taping, cupping, and silicone sheeting. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding appropriate timeframes for applying physiological stimuli in relation to the different phases of wound healing.
Three key principles you’ll take away:
✨ Understand Timeframes in Wound Healing to support healthy scar formation.
🍲 Practice massage and myofascial techniques to improve scar characteristics.
💛 Practice cupping, silicone sheeting, rigid and kinesiology taping for scar support.
