Why Osteopathy Is Your Winter Reset

The holiday season is often described as joyful — but for many, it’s also overwhelming. Between increased commitments, financial pressure, social expectations, and the natural darkness of the winter solstice, this time of year can heighten stress and impact our overall mood.

How Stress Shows Up in the Body

Stress isn’t only emotional — it’s deeply physical. Much of this can happen without conscious awareness. Common signs include:

• Tension in the neck, shoulders, back, or jaw

• Restricted breathing or shallow breaths

• Digestive changes

• Feeling like the body is “on alert,” even at rest

When stress becomes chronic, the body’s natural ability to self-regulate can become disrupted. What should be a short-lived alert response from the autonomic nervous system turns into an ongoing signal to stay vigilant. This often leads to:

• Increased muscle tension

• Faster, shallow breathing

• Inhibited digestion

• Difficulty returning to a calm state
  

The Good News: Your State Can Shift

We have the ability to reset from moment to moment. One powerful way to support this reset is through therapies that help regulate the nervous system — including osteopathy.

How Osteopathy Supports Stress Regulation

Osteopathy takes a holistic, hands-on approach to help the body release tension patterns that impact the nervous system.

Here’s how it helps:

1. Releasing Structural & Fascial Tension

Osteopathy works with structures such as the cranium, diaphragm, and connective tissues.
By relieving restrictions, the body can shift toward a calmer parasympathetic state.

2. Influencing the Parasympathetic Nervous System

Research suggests that osteopathic treatment can influence vagal tone and improve heart rate variability (HRV) — a key marker of how well the body adapts to stress.

3. Supporting the Fascia–Brain Connection

Fascia contains over 250 million sensory nerve endings, sending continuous feedback to the brain. Tension in the fascia can contribute to the body's threat response. Releasing these tensions may help reset stress pathways and emotional regulation.

4. Enhancing Interoception (“Inner Awareness”)

Interoception is our ability to interpret internal body signals — our inner guide. Because fascia receptors are connected to interoception, osteopathy may enhance this awareness, helping people:

• Understand what their body needs

• Recognize early signs of stress

• Build emotional and physical resilience
  

A Simple Tool: Your Breath

Breath is one of the fastest ways to shift your state. Throughout your day, try this: Take a slow, deep breath in — and a long, gentle breath out. Notice what changes. Do your shoulders soften? Does your jaw release? Does your mind clear just a little? Small moments like these build nervous system resilience over time.

References:

Bordoni B and Marelli F. (2017). Emotions in Motion: Myofascial Interoception. Complementary Medicine Research (24): 110-113. Doi: 10.1159/000464149.

Bowes M R, Speicher M R, Tran L T, et al. (October 14, 2023) Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and Its Role in Psychiatry. Cureus 15(10): e47045. DOI 10.7759/cureus.47045

D’Alessandro G, Cerritelli F and Cortelli P(2016). Sensitization and Interoception as Key Neurological Concepts in Osteopathy and Other Manual Medicines. Front.Neurosci.10:100.doi:10.3389/fnins.2016.00100

Dixon L, Fotinos K, Sherifi E, Lokuge S, Fine A, Furtado M, Anand L, Liberatore K, Katzman MA. Effect of Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy on Generalized Anxiety Disorder. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2020 Mar 1;120(3):133-143. doi: 10.7556/jaoa.2020.026. PMID: 32091557.

Pelletier R, Bourbonnais D, & Higgins, J. Nociception, pain, neuroplasticity and the practice of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, Volume 27, 2018, Pages 34-44, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijosm.2017.08.001 .

Schleip R, Findley TW, Chaitow L, Huijing PA: Fascia: The Tensional Network of the Human Body. London, Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, 2012.

Simpson, CA, Diaz-Arteche, C, Eliby D, Schwartz, OS, Simmons, JG, Cowan, CSM. The gut microbiota in anxiety and depression – A systematic review. Clinical Psychology. 2020 Oct 20 (83): 1-18. https//doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101943