Our mission is to bring Fascial Counterstrain to the world to address the impact of trauma, promote healing, and restore hope.
To do this we focus on three essential priorities that are essential to making quality Fascial Counterstrain available to as many people as possible - Accesibility, Education, and Research.
Lower barriers to access and subsidize Facial Counterstrain treatment as part of a holistic care plan to help people recovering from the effects of traumatic events and physical traumas.
Conduct clinical research trials to measure and verify Fascial Counterstrain outcomes, submit findings for peer review, and publish results in respected industry journals.
Disseminate information about Fascial Counterstrain to the general public as well as the medical and research communities.
We believe that individual and community well being is indivisible, and we continually work to create a better, more healed world for all. We meet people where they are, with warmth and without judgment. We value diversity and work to build a team that reflects that. We work to dismantle barriers and model emerging best practices to create an environment of dignity, respect, and welcome.
We stand behind and take responsibility for the impact our organization has on the individuals and communities it touches. We strive to lead by example and foster a brave, resilient organizational culture. We are committed to harm reduction, leaning into challenging dialogues, and showing up for effective repair. We hold ourselves to high standards of accountability and build trust by being transparent.
We pursue big dreams and bold goals. We embrace the learning curve, and see our failures as the pathways to further successes and advancements. Our innovative spirit comes from our willingness to challenge norms and our dedication to creative problem-solving and continuous improvement.
Everything we create is with the future in mind. We invest in building infrastructure designed to last for decades of impact to come. We invest in talent and growing relationships. We reject false urgency and embrace going slow to go fast so that our programs and systems are suited to long term success.
The rising tide raises all boats. Given the nature of our work, we encourage having fun, collaborating, and embracing opportunities to be grateful. We believe that celebration shared is expansive, generative, and creative.
In 2016, at a small clinic in a small town on the Kitsap Peninsula of Washington State, a naturopathic physician named Dr. Holly Christy treated a patient with a severe back injury using a little known technique called ‘Fascial Counterstrain’.
The patient bent over with pain and was unable to stand up straight. He’d tried several kinds of treatments, from physical therapy to acupuncture, but nothing had helped. In just six treatments, Dr. Christy had him standing upright again. Pain free. The treatments had saved him from what other doctors thought could only be treated with epidural blocks and likely back surgery.
After experiencing such too-good-to-be-true improvement in his body and how he felt, the patient asked Dr. Christy why more people didn’t know about this healing technique that was seemingly unmatched in its precision, effectiveness, and non-invasive nature.
“It’s because we are all artists. We’re all healers,” Dr. Christy explained. “Each practitioner ends up siloed from one another in their individual practices. We work individually with one person at a time. We don’t have a pool of money or even the time to put together a big research base, fund imaging studies, or anything of that scale. All we have is empirical and anecdotal evidence to support what we know to be true. The demand keeps us all too busy to take time away from our families and livelihoods to self-fund the research needed to understand Fascial Counterstrain at the cellular level.”
Dr. Christy could see a bigger vision beginning to unfold.
Along with other volunteers, she set out to form a 501(c)3 organization to be able to raise the funds needed to pioneer clinical trial studies that would measure the possible applications and impacts of Counterstrain. The Bridge Back Project was born.
When Dr. Christy was asked what the research would focus on, she knew without hesitation that she wanted to focus on post-traumatic stress injuries.
Dr. Christy - a former professional soccer player - began her medical career in sports medicine. There is an undeniable satisfaction that comes from relieving debilitating pain or restoring physical mobility to someone whose quality of life has been negatively impacted because their pain or reduced range of motion has shrunken the scope of their world.
However, in the years leading up to the founding of the Bridge Back Project, she’d begun to attract a new kind of patient. People seeking help and healing for the aftereffects of severe, complex trauma—ranging from the lasting impacts of involuntary violence, such as trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault, to the experiences of service members and professionals who had witnessed or endured trauma in their line of duty.
What they had in common was an extensive profile of symptoms that prevented them from thriving. They reported difficulties sleeping, feeling "tired but wired," being stuck in hypervigilance, and struggling in their relationships. Some avoided going out in public or found it hard to function “normally.” Tasks the rest of us take for granted as easy—like holding a glass of water or going to the grocery store—felt daunting or impossible for patients whose nervous systems were locked in overdrive. Their experiences affected their ability to trust, connect, stay calm, or be patient with others.
In the privacy of her clinic, she had first hand experience observing Counterstrain’s ability to profoundly improve the physical and emotional well-being of people recovering from complex trauma. Patients often felt as if they were getting their lives back and reported experiencing relief and hope for the first time in many, many years.
However, Dr. Christy knew that heartwarming stories alone wouldn’t be enough to build the awareness needed to make a large-scale impact and make Fascial Counterstrain accessible to the millions of people who could benefit from its healing potential.
She needed data.
The practitioner-research team spent more than 2 years developing and finalizing the ideas and protocol that would become Bridge Back Project’’s first clinical trial study, which ran from January 2020 to October 2021.
The goal was to answer the question: “Can Fascial Counterstrain effectively treat symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and its comorbidities?” The journey to publish research finding can often take years, and our paper is still undergoing peer review and editing. When our findings are finally published, we will share what we’ve learned far and wide.
As the research team recruited participants for the study, many interested candidates didn’t have “enough trauma” or had trauma that was “too complex” to qualify for the trial.
However, turning away veterans, military, and first responders trying to heal would go against everything they believed in and had founded the organization to achieve.
The team unanimously agreed that that no one from the communities they served would be denied care, thus marking the soft, unofficial start of what is known today as the Bridge Back Project’s Financial Assistance Program, which directly and fully funds 3 Fascial Counterstrain treatments for clients healing from severe or repeated injury and trauma.
Dr. Christy identified two key challenges to the Bridge Back Project’s mission: raising public awareness about Fascial Counterstrain and addressing the shortage of trained practitioners to meet the growing demand for healing. To tackle these issues, the team launched the Education Program, focusing on two goals: creating accessible educational resources to improve public understanding and increasing the number of qualified Counterstrain practitioners.
Current efforts emphasize raising awareness through free, user-friendly materials designed to introduce more people to the benefits of Fascial Counterstrain.
To address the shortage of trained providers, the Bridge Back Project is collaborating with leading Counterstrain education institutions in the U.S. to establish a Practitioner Scholarship Fund, planned for 2025 or 2026. This initiative aims to reduce financial barriers for aspiring practitioners and expand access to Counterstrain treatment in underserved communities.
Overcoming these challenges - the lack of public awareness and practitioner shortages – are central to the Bridge Back Project’s vision of transforming trauma treatment both domestically and worldwide.
A pivotal milestone for any nonprofit is transitioning from an all-volunteer team to a professionally managed organization.
In January 2023, cofounder Dr. Holly Christy and the Board committed to hiring paid, critical staff and implementing a diversified fundraising strategy to build organizational capacity and sustain program delivery without disruption.
This developmental leap has been a crucial next step in carving out a path to longterm sustainability for our Research, Accessibility, and Education programs.
Currently we are focused on building capacity so that we can expand the reach of our programs to more communities and regions, ensure continuity of services, hire and retain critical staff positions, and ramp up our fundraising efforts while building a devoted, passionate donor community so that we can continue to grow and deliver on the promise of our mission.
In order to do this, we rely on generous donations from friends of the project and past participants who want others to be able to experience the benefits they’ve received.
Please consider giving today to help us help bring this powerful technique to more people who need support and healing.
she/her
Board of Directors
Founder & Vice Chair
Dr. Christy co-founded The Bridge Back Project in October of 2017. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors, she also leads Bridge Back Project's research program as Principal Investigator. She is passionate about providing a research-based treatment to help ease suffering for those who have suffered from post traumatic stress injuries.
Dr. Christy is trained in the highly specialized technique of Fascial Counterstrain by Tim Hodges, LMP, JSCCI, CACI and Brian Tuckey, PT, OCS, JSCCI, both of whom have been pioneering an effort to expand the methodology of Counterstrain to effectively restore function to the fascial systems of the body: Visceral, Neural, Cranial/Dural, Musculoskeletal, Arterial, Venous and Lymphatic. She is an instructor for the Counterstrain Academy and the Jones Institute, and a graduate and clinical adjunct faculty member of Bastyr University.
he/him
Board of Directors
Chairman
Jay Fluegel joined the board in October 2023 after serving as a volunteer for over 9 months. Jay is a maker, strategist, and storyteller with 25 years of product leadership experience. He is the founder of Atomically, a transformation consulting company helping start-ups, scale-ups, nonprofits, and established enterprises transform their businesses, products, technology, and leadership.
He studied Entrepreneurship at Cornell University and in the Technology MBA program at University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. He has been on the management teams of startups including Jump Networks which was acquired by Microsoft, and built or turned around teams at Microsoft, Expedia, and Axon/TASER. Business strategy, product vision and demonstration, and idea incubation are his superpowers. People are his love.
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Board of Directors
Secretary
Dr. Kristin Barnes is a licensed Naturopathic Physician, licensed Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine Practitioner. She brings together a wealth of life experiences gained from 23 years of active duty in the US Navy with a passion for pursuing vitality and wellness. Kristin has a special interest in working with military veterans and any patient who wants to address chronic stress, optimize mental health and integrate trauma. She blends Traditional Chinese Medicine, botanical medicine, nutrition, physical movement, and Counterstrain® to address both emotional and physical pain. Kristin also has completed a certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. She focuses on patient education as well as journey preparation and integration counseling to facilitate the responsible, safe, sustainable and conscientious use of these traditional world medicines.
Kristin received her BS in Chemistry from the United States Naval Academy in 1992 and is a graduate of the Naval War College. She served as an F14 Naval Flight Officer with seven global deployments. She holds a master’s in nutrition, Masters of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine as well as a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. She has been practicing medicine since 2021 and completed her two-year residency in 2023. Kristin continues both in private practice in Port Townsend, WA and as an associate physician at a clinic in Poulsbo, WA near Bremerton.
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Executive Director
With a background in entrepreneurship, organizational development, and extensive training in relational intelligence and coaching, Theora is proud to serve as the Bridge Back Project’s Executive Director.
She was a student-athlete and world adventurer who sustained both head and back injuries defending goals and chasing new destinations. She found Counterstrain after 14 years of chronic pain and reduced mobility that were negatively impacting her quality of life. Counterstain treatmentss effectively treated her symptoms, which other healthcare providers had concluded were untreatable. She now lives mostly free of both symptoms and pain, and is a “converted skeptic” passionately advocating on behalf of making Countertrain accessible to as many people in need as possible.
Advisory Council Member
Brian Tuckey, the originator of “Fascial Counterstrain,” graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland, School of Physical Therapy in 1990. He has 30+ years of outpatient orthopedic experience and has been certified as an orthopedic specialist (OCS) by the American Board of Physical Therapy Examiners since 1995.
After several years of sports medicine practice, Mr. Tuckey took a strong interest in manual medicine and began training intensively in various osteopathic manipulation techniques. In 1992 he began training under Dr. Lawrence Jones D.O., the originator of Strain and Counterstrain technique, and eventually became one of only 4 physical therapists in the United States to be personally certified to teach “Strain and Counterstrain” or “Classic Counterstrain technique” by Dr. Jones.
In the late 1990’s Mr. Tuckey made the connection between Jones neuromuscular tender points and the human fascial system. This discovery led him to develop over 1000 new Counterstrain (CS) treatments that impact virtually every anatomical structure in the human body. Mr. Tuckey named this new, multi-system version of Counterstrain, “Fascial Counterstrain (FCS).” Most practitioners trained in FCS believe that the scope, specificity, and clinical impact of this newly developed technique is unmatched in the manipulation world.
In addition to practicing full time as the owner of Tuckey and Associates Physical Therapy he teaches FCS classes to an expanding audience of medical practitioners in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
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Advisory Council Member
MS I/O Psychology; Director of Recovery at Alltru
Alex Robinson is an Army Special Operations Forces (SOF) combat Veteran with a decade of active-duty experience in the Special Operations community. During her service, she led the unit’s Cultural Support Team program, undertaking multiple combat cycles with the 75th Ranger Regiment and other Tier 1 organizations. Her pivotal role in the selection of women for Special Operations and her contributions to policy changes for the integration of women into male-centric teams helped open doors for full integration.
After her military service, Alex pursued education at the University of Southern California (USC), achieving a Master's degree in Organizational Psychology. Her focus on gender equity initiatives and LGBTQ advocacy showcased her commitment to fostering inclusivity. In 2021, facing numerous mental and physical challenges, Alex sought unconventional treatments beyond the VA system. Discovering solace and recovery through plant-based medicines, breathwork, writing, yoga, and meditation, she emerged on a new path of supporting herself and others on their healing journey.
Alex is a leadership and human performance coach, and serves as an Oregon psilocybin facilitator, supporting Innertrek and the Heroic Hearts Project on domestic and international veteran healing retreats. Her mission revolves around empowering and supporting the success and healing of the next generation of leaders, fostering a legacy of resilience and growth.
Advisory Council Member
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Consultant and Trainer; Seventh Generation
Carolyn Hartness, Eastern Band Cherokee/Norwegian, is a consultant committed to a life of service assisting individuals, families, communities and organizations and Tribes to create holistic, collaborative, evidence and spiritually based wellness for themselves, and future generations.
For over 34 years, Carolyn has served Indigenous and non-indigenous communities, in the United States, Canada, Norway, Australia and New Zealand, offering consultation to agencies, schools, families and individuals around cultural diversity and wellness, and prevention/intervention strategies relating to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (F.A.S.D.), wellness and recovery.
Carolyn works on projects with counties, Tribes, state projects and organization, designing programs, curricula, intervention strategies, and assessment tools. She facilitates many gatherings and circles, to bring healing to individuals, including veterans, incarcerated individuals, families, Tribal people, communities and providers through honest, open and transformative sharing.
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Advisory Council Member
Vi is a process improvement specialist and certified ScrumMaster with a background in traditional, hybrid, professional, academic, and SEO publishing. They help nonprofits and startups scale sustainably, operate efficiently, and elevate their offerings during growth phases and restructures.
For the last decade, Vi has worked in marketing and hybrid publishing as Head of Content at SEO marketing startup First Page Sage, and then as Content Division Operations Manager for Scribe Media, a hybrid book publisher. Most recently, they work as a Publishing Editor for Sage, one of the “Big Five” global academic publishers.
Vi has been active in the nonprofit sphere alongside their corporate career. In 2019, they were a primary show host and community spokesperson for the Atheist Community of Austin, sitting on the events committee and fostering brand awareness and donor commitments as a conference speaker. They then co-founded Skeptic Generation, a donation-based startup that built a community of 15K weekly participants and raised over $50K in individual support in the first year of operation.
Since returning to Portland in 2023, Vi has been putting their community first by founding Media Alchemy Guild, a collective of content creation experts who provide ghostwriting, editing, marketing, and production services to self-publishing authors and hybrid publishing startups. They also volunteer as Media Manager for Portland Radio Project, a non-profit station dedicated to partnering with small businesses and fostering the careers of diverse local artists.
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