Eddy Lugo

Why Neurosomatic Therapy

Imagine being a father with a little girl with developmental issues and getting no explanations as to why she has them or how to resolve them. She’s not walking on time, not looking into your eyes, not speaking in complete sentences, has no sense of empathy and she throws violent, emotional fits. Now imagine meeting someone that not only explains the reasons for her dysfunctions, but offers a logical, tangible, anatomical solution. Paul St. John treated my daughter, Zoe, when she was 4 years old. Three days after that first treatment she looked me in the eyes, patted me on the shoulder to console me and spoke her first complete sentence: “It’s ok, Papi, I can wait.” Tears in my eyes, I picked her up, suffocated her with a giant hug then fixed her the best PB&J sandwich she ever had. So then it might make some sense that after earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in music performance and having a long performing and teaching career I decided to become a Neurosomatic Therapy Specialist.

Life Long Education

I was an average student in High School because I practiced classical guitar 4 to 6 hours a day. I practiced instead of doing homework. College was a different story. Studying Classical guitar performance at Florida Southern College was like finally coming home. After completing my Masters at the Manhattan School of Music I realized my music career was over! Yes over… I had severe carpal tunnel syndrome pain, hip pain, back pain and headaches. I did limited performances and taught for a living.

After years of coping with the pain and seeing the amazing results Paul had with Zoe I asked Randy Clark to help me with my Carpal Tunnel woes. The first time Randy treated me was horrendous! Randy worked on spasm and trigger points in my forearms and shoulders that might have been there for 18 years. Still sore from the treatment, I went home and immediately picked up my guitar to see how it would feel. For the very first time in 18 years I played with absolutely no pain!

After three treatments I went on tour and started my performance career in earnest. I have since performed in concert throughout Florida and along the east coast of the United States. I am one of only three classical guitarists to have played in the Florida Orchestra. I founded my own Flamenco Troupe, SOMOS, and played commanding performances of authentic flamenco repertory for years.

One day I looked at my very intelligent and conscientious wife and asked “Why are we always broke?” With that we discussed ways we could make a difference in the world and live out some of our humble dreams. We decided to learn NST and start our own clinic.

Training Neurosomatic Therapy

Typically massage therapists are trained for 6 months in basic massage, overarching anatomy and little or no cohesive assessment and treatment protocols. In order for them to learn advanced techniques they attend CEU seminars every 6 to 24 months. At the Center for Neurosomatic Studies (CNS) we are taught far beyond the legally required basic massage techniques. The course work is 36 months. We learn a thorough and comprehensive assessment protocol based on Posturology. We learn deeply specific and detailed human anatomy and are rigorously trained in advanced techniques to specifically treat that anatomy from day one. Our mentors at CNS have had decades of experience successfully treating a broad array of pain and dysfunction symptoms.

Heart of a Teacher

I love to guide curious minds. As a music professor I taught Music Theory, Orchestration, Music History, Ensemble and Solo Guitar Performance at Florida Southern College, University of Tampa, multiple campuses of Hillsborough Community College and St. Petersburg College.

Now as an NST I teach Advanced Techniques and Student Clinic at CNS. I love to share what I have learned with CNS students and young therapists. My experience with teaching and performing music has allowed me to not only develop important teaching skills, but also hand and body mechanics skills. It has been very gratifying to be able to pass that knowledge on to the next generations of NSTs.

My love of education has developed in unexpected ways. Not only am I teaching new NSTs, I am teaching my patients as well. Here at BPTC we believe that the best kind of patient is a well-informed one. We have found that the more a patient is involved with their own health the more profound the effects of our treatments will be. My patients will leave their treatments not only understanding what my treatment plan and philosophy is, but also how they can change habits in order to better recover from their injuries. Ultimately this ensures that they will need fewer and fewer treatments as their health goals are met.

Experience Treating Kids

Who would ever think to take their child to a massage therapist to help with learning disabilities?! My wife, Melinda and I were trying every kind of therapy imaginable to help our beautiful 4 year old Zoe to speak, walk, write, read and behave on par with her age group. Paul St. John, the founder of NST, removed the barriers causing Zoe’s developmental challenges. When I started my practice I was determined to do the same for other kids and their families.

I have treated autistic kids with digestive issues to help them stim less and pay better attention at school. I have moved cranial bones into their correct positions to take the pressure of a child’s brain so that she can develop properly. I have treated the extremely painful muscle spasms of children with CP and allowed them to have a more normal walking pattern. I have released the spasms in a child’s suboccipitals causing the Atlas/Axis to be malpositioned then corrected the Atlas/Axis position in order to allow proper blood flow to her brain. Neurosomatic Therapy enabled my daughter to thrive. I feel so privileged to be able to continue that tradition by doing the same for families that come to me for help.

Ving Tsun Kung Fu and Posture

I have studied Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu for almost 20 years. I am a Sifu (Kung Fu instructor) and have my own Gwoon (Kung Fu school) at the same location as the clinic. Kung Fu, contrary to popular belief, is not only associated with martial arts! It loosely translates to “the best way”. A master chef could be said to have kung fu in cooking and he might even be called “Sifu”.

Ving Tsun is a system of martial arts that fundamentally seeks to answer the question: How can someone who is smaller and weaker effectively defend themselves against someone who is stronger? Ving Tsun pits leverage and structure against brute strength, sensitivity against physical domination, awareness against choreography.

In order to make Ving Tsun work the practitioner must have proper posture, an active inner core and a grounding stance. This makes the body efficient while standing, in movement, sitting and working on your feet. It conserves energy and reduces the likelihood of injury.

As with music performance and education, I use lessons learned from Ving Tsun Kung Fu to guide my patients and Todai (Kung Fu students) alike in living a peaceful and pain-free life.