The Melt Method by Sue Hitzmann- Book Review

Melt Method: A breakthrough self-treatment system to eliminate chronic pain, erase the signs of aging, and feel fantastic in just 10 minutes a day. Sue Hitzman, Harper One, 2013

HOW I HEARD ABOUT THE MELT METHOD

This book review of the bestselling book The Melt Method is heavily influenced by the fact that I spent two days with author Sue Hitzmann taking the 2-day  instructor training course for the Melt Method hand and foot treatment.

That’s a good thing; it means I have a lot more insight than someone who grabbed the book off the shelf after watching the episode of Dr.Oz that featured Sue. This would have been the case had Sue not rented a space where I work to run the instructor training. That’s how I heard about Melt Method in the first place.

And yes, at first glance, I prejudged Melt Method thinking it to be the gimmickry of yet another 6-pack flaunting fitness guru with their own ‘method’ and set of DVDs to sell to wishful masses of quick-fix health seekers. Boy, was I wrong. I can honestly say now that this is the stuff that years of dedicated passion, intensive research, unique ‘energy’ gifts, and thousands of hours of practical application produced.

The book is FULL of stuff. Good stuff, but be ready to read, reread, study, and get dirty on the floor before you master it all.

My extensive fitness background likely distracted me from learning from the book as quickly as someone looking for pain relief.  I constantly found myself comparing concepts to my existing knowledge and questioning my practices.

I had previously read the Melt Method hand and foot instructor manual in full, watched the entire DVD, and taken the two-day course (and have a degree in human kinetics and 15 years studying and teaching human movement), yet because I found many of the concepts very new to me. While not complicated, I had to ‘study’ this unique approach to health and learn all new techniques. It’s been a bit time-consuming.

THIS AUTHOR HAS CREDIBILITY

Author Sue Hitzmann is a practitioner first and an educated one. She has a master’s degree in exercise science. Her accomplishments in the fitness industry and therapy world speak volumes about her ability to take projects to the highest level. As an international fitness presenter and star of her fitness videos, Sue doesn’t just practice; she creates, she shares, and she grows continuously. She goes big.  I like her spirit and drive.

Sue’s full bio here

IT’S NOT MYOFASCIAL RELEASE

As the prominent imagery for the MELT METHOD might have you believe (blue foam rollers everywhere), the Melt Method does not deal with muscles, myofascial, l or trigger points. It is primarily concerned with a more superficial or outer layer, a ‘skin suit’ that surrounds the entire body and all its structures.

The MELT METHOD takes advantage of the spongelike nature of connective tissue, compressing out fluid lightly, so it draws new fresh fluid back in.

“A seamless, weblike matrix” P.23

“Spongelike, flexible, adaptable” P.26

THE GIST

After years of being a manual therapist, Sue developed a ‘hands-off’ technique her clients could do in her absence: The Melt Method. The book outlines the decades-long formative process that resulted in Melt Method. We learn its extensive roots in physiology, fitness, therapy, research, and Sue’s unique ‘energy’ gift.

The book presents very new (and fascinating) discoveries about connective tissue, its role, and its extreme importance to our health. The idea is that connective tissue dehydration is the underlying cause of the daily aches, stiffness, and strain that lead to pain. The book presents the entire background, philosophy, and strategies to achieve healing from pain using her ‘hands-off’ bodywork technique to rehydrate connection tissue.

The book fully details the MELT METHOD, including strategies, techniques, assessments, ‘maps’ (or schedules), full images of each light touch, and self-care technique using Melt tools: a unique Melt Foam roller and set of Melt Method small balls.

COOL STUFF I LEARNED 

• An entirely new way to look at connective tissue (CT), it’s not just a ‘covering’ but a fluid-based system and “ultra-sophisticated chemical, mechanical, electrical and energetic communication system.”
• Respect the body’s stiffness, tightness, cramping, and aching as ‘pre-pain’ signals. The body is trying to tell you something.
• To pay attention to pain that ‘lurks’ and is not related to activity
• Cellulite is a connection tissue dehydration issue.
• It made me rethink posture alignment and posture correction strategies

“muscle imbalance is a symptom of postural misalignment, not the cause”

YOU MUST STUDY AND PRACTICE

There is much new science to fully understand what you are doing rolling around on the floor. Beginner or advanced, to fully understand, you will have to learn a whole new set of terms and concepts, and techniques:

Autopilot, neurocore, stuck stress, shearing, gliding, rinsing, masses and spaces, domes and arches…

You can skip the science and go to the technique, but the foundational knowledge will enhance your experience.

WHO SHOULD READ IT

• The genuine health seeker (in pain or not) will find the new science of connective tissue fascinating. You won’t be overwhelmed by physiology or Latin, or medical terms. It’s easy to read and follow with large clear images and a simple layout.
• Personal trainers and bodyworkers should read The Melt Method book to understand the new science of connective tissue and to open your eyes to a completely different approach to pain management, stuck stress, and posture alignment. It’s pretty different from what the ‘fitness world’ has been teaching.
• Cure–in-a-pill types, you will not get past the first chapter.

A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER

Yes, you will need MELT tools to do the MELT technique. The MELT roller is soft, not firm like the one in your gym or physio office. The size and firmness of the small balls probably won’t be matched at a dollar store.

The technique will have you rolling around in all positions on the floor. Front, back, sideways. If that’s a challenge, private adapted MELT sessions with a skilled practitioner might be best for you.

Although everyone benefits from this technique, if you are young, agile, supple, and pain-free, you may not experience much from a MELT session. The tightness, stiffness, and aches caused by tissue dehydration are generally linked to aging, inactivity, sitting for long hours, or intense physical activity. You wouldn’t walk away feeling like a whole new person if you started feeling pretty good.

EVERYONE SHOULD MELT

I believe that one day all these new MELT concepts and terms will become a part of our everyday practice as fitness professionals, rehabilitation specialists, and the general public looking for self-care strategies for pain.

I’m very thankful for the opportunity to learn about the Melt Method and complete the teacher training. I am planning introductory workshops for the Melt hand and foot treatment and am building a workshop series incorporating connective tissue rehydration using the MELT METHOD.

Image credits: Brian Leighton

Image credit: Shari Feuz

Disclosure: I have an affiliate relationship with Longevity fitness.