Tobias’ history of healing started in 1985 when he was serving as a medic in The Royal Navy. From 18-21 Tobias was introduced not only to first aid for the first time, but to assisting the ships surgeon with minor surgical operations while based overseas in the West Indies.
In the early 1990’s Tobias left behind the armed forces and became a civilian, deciding to pursue his passion for healing, but this time no scalpels or anaesthesia, but with a more natural approach. In the 1990’s clinical massage was something of a new healing technique. Tobias took a clinical based anatomy course that included basic massage techniques. Occasionally practising on friends was as far he took it until the end of the century.
The Australian College of Natural Therapies
In 2000 Tobias took the big leap to Australia where he enrolled in a 3 year diploma course. The course and main Diploma was titled Diploma of integrated body therapies, which covered subjects such as biomechanics, clinical skills, chemistry of oils, shiatsu, reflexology, nutrition, sports injury skills and advanced anatomy.
Parallel to this intense course ran a further 3 diplomas: Diploma of remedial massage, an understanding of basic to advanced massage therapy, Diploma of sports injury therapies, covering the techniques used for sports injuries and maintaining top condition and finally a 12 month Diploma in aromatherapy – which Tobias found less interesting until he realised how beneficial the essential oil kingdom was, thus years later to this day, combined and introduced the essential oils into his sports massage treatments.
Immediately on graduation Tobias was accepted to attend a small intimate classroom course based on Chinese acupressure points. The course founders and leaders were from Mainland China, their course was based on generations of their family history. In Western medicine the technique is known these days as trigger point release therapy.
Being able to feel pain in people through their tissues is a unique gift – I will always owe this parting gift to the elderly mentors from Mainland China who showed me how to unlock this special ability whilst on their travels through Australia and sharing through teaching their family traditional Chinese massage. I will never forget their unique and beautiful skill.
I had no idea how beneficial this short course would be to my future and now my history in detecting, identifying and simply healing pain in soft tissues – muscular, fascia & tendon. It was the icing on the cake of all the 3 years of studies.
The Sydney Swans – Australian Football (AFL)
Tobias was selected from the college to apply for a sports massage therapy position part time for The Sydney Swans – Australian Football League. Tobias stayed on for a total of 5 years providing massage duties to the elite athletes for seasonal weekly games. Working alongside sports physiotherapists and the team’s medics introduced Tobias to many sports injuries, post rehabilitation exercises, conditioning and more. After work spending endless hours at the AFL ground watching the physiotherapist work on players,
Seeing dry needling in 2000 with the instantaneous results to the players was like watching magic work, of course today it is more commonly used
The Sydney Swans won the championship cup in 2005
I felt this was a good time to quit as I felt I has gone as far as I could go with the same kind of techniques
Tobias went on to work in a few high street clinics in Sydney while assisting lecturers in classrooms of 25 plus students at the former Australian College of Natural Therapies (ACNT). Tobias also ran a small practice from home at weekends, his first time exploring the possibility of running his own practice one day. However, that was not meant to be in Australia!
Hong Kong 2007
Immediately noticing the lack of physical sports massage therapists compared to Australia, Tobias started his journey of introducing his skills into the hectic lifestyles of city life, whether it being office clients who worked around the clock or, the gym junkies who then knew very little of what anatomy was and how professional massage therapy was going to become crucial if they wanted to manage and reduce the onset of pain, muscle fatigue and limit their gym injuries.
Tobias took a certificate course in active isolated stretching, which led onto a short period of treating at the same centre.
Trigger Point Therapy
Trigger point therapy soon became Tobias’ main focus merging into the massage treatments. Then with the introduction of essential oils into the treatments Tobias had found his niche and catered for all the cases that presented themselves.
Trigger points have a wonderful way of not presenting themselves until being palpated or released – discovered!
Only when a joint or limb is feeling congested or lacking in its full range of movement – then you should consider having a trigger point treatment – After all the body is under ongoing daily stressors, such a comfort-zone posture, dehydration and gym exercise fatigue, all contributing to chronic and acute trigger point formation.
I still struggle with the question when asked, how do I know its painful? So I generally answer, the trigger point feels electric to me with different gradients of pain – some being excruciating, some dull. There will always be some response from the point upon palpation, which is required for the release to occur. I summarise these painful palpations as “happy pain” meaning, stop – but give me more!
Integrated Body Therapies
Reaching the age of 50 in 2018 Tobias decided to open his own practise. Integrated Body Therapies opened in that same year and brought to life the same named Diploma he’d studied in 2000. Integrated Body Therapies ltd or iBT as it’s become known in Hong Kong. Today there are 9 therapists freelancing at iBT, all making a mark on Hong Kong’s natural approach to medicine.
Nowadays, Tobias takes time out from the treatment room and helps to strengthen and mentor the clinic moving positively forward to meet with today’s lifestyles and demands, always ensuring and allowing that whatever comes through the iBT door can leave with a positive result!
Tobias has reached a point when he’s chosen to only focus on his existing private clients.
