HOW WAS THE TRAGER APPROACH DEVELOPED?

The American Dr. Milton Trager (1908 – 1997) discovered the underlying principle to his therapeutic approach at a young age through an answer to his brother’s question, which of them could jump higher. He answered: “Instead, let’s see who can land softer.”

This was the starting point of a lifelong exploration. Dr. Trager then spent the next 50 years refining and expanding his discovery, first as a lay practitioner and later, a medical doctor.

A SHORT HISTORY

After a long and successful career as a therapist, Milton Trager embarked on the new venture of teaching his work at an age when most others are thinking of retirement.

At the age of 88, after teaching for over 20 years, he passed away in January 1997. There are Certified Practitioners throughout the globe; in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan.

“Milton always denied that he was a healer.
His favorite comment was
‘I have this thing and it works…’.
He would always add, ‘We’re all healers’.”

Fascinated by the grace of a movement, Milton Trager was always on the lookout for ever more harmonious, tensionless movements and he would apply his approach with everyone who was open to experiencing it. People with emphysema, asthma, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, polio and thousands of painful backs – all responded to his touch with degrees of benefit ranging from greater ease to the miraculous.

After he demonstrated his method in the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, Betty Fuller (who was also instrumental in bringing Moshe Feldenkrais to the States) who was teaching at Esalen at the time, co-founded the Trager® Institute together with Dr. Trager in 1980.