Structural Thai Bodywork: A Psychostructural Approach
Thai bodywork is usually taught as technique: sequences, stretches, pressure points. This book teaches something different.
Drawing on over three decades of practice and twenty-five years of teaching, Michael Gibian presents a framework that treats myofascial structure, nervous system regulation, and self-organization not as separate systems that influence each other, but as three expressions of one body-mind whole. This is the psychostructural approach.
You'll learn to read the body through the lens of Anatomy Trains, work with the precision of deep tissue therapy, and stay attuned to the nervous system and psychological patterns your hands encounter along the way. Rather than asking you to choose between structural rigor and somatic sensitivity, this book shows you how to work with both at once.
Across nineteen chapters, you'll find:
- A clear anatomical map of the body's myofascial lines, covering the Superficial Back Line, Superficial Front Line, Lateral Line, Spiral Line, Arm Lines, and Deep Front Line individually, each with high-resolution reference charts
- Session structures that move from global work to targeted line work to resolving compensatory patterns
- A dedicated framework for understanding and treating compensatory loops
- Embodiment practices to sharpen your own presence and touch
- Physiology grounded in real clinical understanding, not academic abstraction
- A full glossary and appendices for reference
- Video demonstrations accessible throughout via QR code
Who this book is for
Massage therapists, bodyworkers, physical therapists, yoga therapists, and movement teachers who want a more integrated way of working with the body. Whether you're new to Thai bodywork or have practiced for years, this book offers a framework for understanding what your hands are already sensing.
About the author
Michael Gibian has practiced bodywork since 1989 and taught since 1999. He trained directly under Chongkol (John) Setthakorn and Ajahn Sintorn Chaichakan in the Thai bodywork tradition, and draws on Tom Myers' Anatomy Trains, Ron Kurtz's Hakomi method, and yoga therapy in his teaching. He teaches through the Kali Institute in Santa Barbara, California, and maintains a private practice there. He is also the author of the Five Keys series.
