Your BRIDGE back to being active at every age and stage

What's new?

25 min. sessions for quick relief of a single issue, or a quick tune-up

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‘Restore Your Knee’ home program – coming soon

Let me know when

Begins Oct. 2, 2024

More info

  • June 12th, 2024 | 6:00-8:00pm

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  • September-November 2024
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Can Bridging help me?

Not able to be as active as you would like? There are often structural causes that exercise, massage, or chiropractic do not address. Bridging both identifies and addresses these causes and has helped thousands of people at every stage of life from 5 days old to 95 years old to be more active.

Developmental concerns for your child
Pain from past injuries
Pain following medical interventions
Balance and coordination challenges
Anxiety
Fatigue

What is Bridging?

What do you do?

The Bridging Technique uniquely uses an engineering-based approach to problem-solve the ways your body should move. In just 2-3 sessions you have less pain, are calmer, more confident, and able to be more active! Here are the three steps used in the Bridging Process:

Assess:

Micromovements of the core and limbs are passively assessed for flow and ease of transition. These micromovements form in early life and are foundational to all daily movement skills.
Analyze:

Assessment results and the causes for the micromovement disruption—injury, illness, medical intervention, and early life/birth events—are analyzed to develop an optimal plan to reset affected muscle relationships.
Reset Muscle Memory:

Gentle rocking and microstretches are used to reset muscle coordination. The results are fast and long-lasting!

What does ‘Bridging’ mean?

From an engineering perspective, a bridge structurally connects two separate segments to make them continuous. In an electrical circuit, a bridge is used to convert an unstable electrical current into a continuous one. The Bridging Technique embodies both meanings when resetting movements.

How can I get started?

Step 1
Schedule your appointment
Step 2
Complete our intake information form
Step 3

Dress in comfortable clothing
It does not need to be athletic wear, but should be easy to move in. Expect to take your shoes off to help keep our floors clean, as we play with little ones here.

 
Step 4
In your session you can expect us to:
  • Keep things safe! Our assessment is limited to what you can do, especially if you aren’t mobile or stable.
  • Photograph simple postural positions.
  • Observe how you move.
  • Move your core and limbs passively to assess movement flow, transition, and symmetry.
  • Play, bounce, and dance with little ones as a way to observe and assess their movement.
  • Rock, wiggle and stretch to gently reset muscle memory.
Step 5

After your session

  • (No homework!) Enjoy moving naturally without home exercises.
  • Be active to reinforce the new muscle memory.
  • Follow-up with your next session in 3-5 weeks.

How can I learn more about Bridging and staying active?

YouTube Channel

Bridging Insider features video sessions which cover a wide range of scenarios of how micromovement disrupters are tied to your pain, balance, and anxiety concerns. In each, you will see how Bridging is used to quickly help. Note: There are no sessions with children out of respect for privacy concerns.

If you've broken your leg then this video is for you! We'll share our strategy for assessing movement disruptions, and help you get back to smooth and easy movement, and secure balance as quickly as possible. Karen had her leg in a full leg cast years ago, and had a meniscus tear earlier this year. The Bridging Technique which is used to help, can restore your movement effectively and quickly! See how well she's doing! Thanks for watching! BACKGROUND: Today we followed up with Karen who had suffered a torn meniscus in her knee 5 months ago. It's been healing but her knee is still painful when going up and down stairs. A complicating factor in restoring knee movement is what happened years ago--she broke the bones in her lower leg and had a full leg cast to help them heal. She is doing better since we first met a month ago. Her knee is feeling good, and she's able to go down stairs more securely. Because the knee is a complex connector for the foot and hip, there were more relationships to reset. Check out what we found, and how it changed! For more insights on why Bridging following an injury is helpful, check out our BLOG for the related post. https://thebridginginstitute.com/blog/ In this episode of the Bridging® Insider you will be guided through an abbreviated session using the Bridging Technique to assess and reset the structural relationships of the body supporting easy, pain-free movement. Cara Lindell, the founder of the technique and of The Bridging® Institute, shows you how the process works and how easily getting the right change at the right place makes all the difference. You get to watch Cara assess a functional and developmental movement framework. Then she uses the gentle stretches and micromovements from the Bridging® Technique to guide and reset how his muscles are working together. Caution: although the technique looks simple, there is a specific process used to assess and interpret the movement of the body. Do not do it yourself without proper training. If you are a therapeutic professional and interested in the learning more, check out the info at https://bridgingtechnique.com/. Each episode we meet a new person wanting to feel better and more at ease in their body. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss any of these fascinating case studies! If you're interested in experiencing Bridging for yourself, you can schedule an in-office appointment with the Bridging team at our Northbrook IL office. Virtual session are also an option; all you need is a webcam and a helper that we guide through doing the movements for you. Each week we also publish a newsletter with interesting insights to pain, development and the background physics that allow the body to work well. website is at https://thebridginginstitute.com/
Resetting Karen's KNEE FUNCTION; next steps!
Chemo pains? Biopsy pains? If you, or a loved one, is having pain during or after cancer treatment then this video is for you! In this video interview, we meet with our client, Kathy. She has been undergoing testing and treatment for cancer. The tests were invasive, leaving painful reminders. The treatment is harsh and causes pain from the chemical reactions. "I feel so empowered by being able to care for myself in this supportive way." In this video, Kathy and Cara, the Bridging Founder, discuss how they devised ways to support disturbed muscle from the procedures and treatment. The Bridging® Technique supports micromovements. These are disturbed with the procedures, a hidden aspects of surgery which results in your discomfort and dysfunction. Thanks for watching! BACKGROUND: Today we chat with Kathy who has been going through medical procedures and treatment related to cancer. We discuss some of the issues which have surfaced along the way, how these were supported, and how we were able to help her support herself between treatments. We assessed the ease of how her muscles work together in specific interconnections. Next we supported the related muscles disturbed by the surgery. Check out the many ways the body's ability to move is upset by the process of treating cancer. And, the ways Kathy is able to support herself to reset some of the muscle function. For more insights on why Bridging is helpful for solving the cancer pain puzzle, check out our BLOG for the related post. https://thebridginginstitute.com/blog/ Cara Lindell, is the founder of the technique and of The Bridging® Institute. If you are a therapeutic professional and interested in the learning more, check out the info at https://bridgingtechnique.com/. Each episode we meet a new person wanting to feel better and more at ease in their body. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss any of these fascinating case studies! If you're interested in experiencing Bridging for yourself, you can schedule an in-office appointment with the Bridging team at our Northbrook IL office. Virtual session are also an option; all you need is a webcam and a helper that we guide through doing the movements for you. Each week we also publish a newsletter with interesting insights to pain, development and the background physics that allow the body to work well. website is at https://thebridginginstitute.com/
PAIN RELIEF amidst CANCER TREATMENT by innovative, gentle micromovements
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Insight and Research Blog

Bridging Insights are discussions about common movement and development issues and their relationship to being physically active. The discussion often ties together perspectives and events which we commonly find impacting our clients.

Research Insights share a variety of new or topical research findings on the relationship of being physically active, and why being active is essential to our physical, emotional, and cognitive health.

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Don’t miss any of our new content on how to stay healthy and active. Subscribe to our newsletter today.

Meet The Team

Cara Lindell

Cara is the founder, of the Bridging Institute and the innovative Bridging® technique.

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Becki
Becki Logan

Becki works with all ages to help them move better and to be active.

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Lynne Golden

Lynne loves to help people move better and feel better. With her NICU background she loves being able to help get babies off to a great start with their moves.

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Louise Dechovitz

Louise is the practice manager at the Bridging Institute and brings with her a variety of experiences–professionally in consulting, and personally in parenting.

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Franziska Malsy-Murphy

Franziska (Ziska) is the voice on the phone. As our Client Coordinator, she is able to help with your questions and scheduling.

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Leslie Teng

Leslie works extensively with the younger crowd, and also enjoys helping adults maintain an active life.

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Client Testimonials

Client Testimonials

When he started crawling, we knew we were good. Every time we have a session at The Bridging Institute he sleeps better after.”

Trisha (mom on William, 15 months)

What I appreciate about the Bridging process is that the body is all connected. I may have knee pain, but it might be the symptom of something else which is the real cause.”

Katie (41) elite runner

I have suffered from joint pain for years, maybe decades. After just one session I was relatively pain-free.”

Diane (56)

Bottom line, what changed was that I had a faster recovery time from surgery so I was able to get back to work and my daily activities.”

Lisa (51)

I thought it was regular aging. But after my first session I walked out saying, "Jeepers, I feel 10 years younger!"

Donna (80)

I was skeptical about the process until I tried it and it does work.”

Vic (91)

I’ve  been to so many specialists and had so many tests to try to find answers and relief from severe constant pain. I started to think it was all in head. After my first appointment I left crying because not only did I have significantly less pain, I felt heard, cared for and had a plan on how to continue to feel better. After only a few sessions the pain reduced enough that I was able to return to work as well as enjoy playing with my grandchild."

Nora (60)

After his fist session my 9-year old son said, ‘Mom, I never knew my muscles could work this way!” And he couldn’t wait for his next session.”

Leigh (mom)

The Founder’s Story

Cara’s original quest was to help women thrive through strength and balance.

The three key elements to the Bridging story include Cara’s:

Personal Passion
Professional Expertise
The Evolution of Bridging

For Professionals

How can Bridging help my clients/patients?

Looking for new options to help your patients or clients with pain, balance, calm, and even with learning motor skills? Bridging is a new option for you to consider.

Understanding More
Refer
Learn To Do

Why should you consider adding Bridging to your practice?

The three aspects of the Bridging process which set it apart from traditional medical perspectives on pain, movement ability, and self-regulation are:

Assessing...

...micromovent flows and transitions in the body. When these foundational basics of movement are stuck or asymmetrical there is often pain, poor movement control and sensory feedback imbalance.
Analyzing...

...why the movements may be suboptimal. A lifelong view of injuries, illness, medical intervention, and birth/early life are all factors which are taken into account.
Resetting...

...muscle memory to quickly and gently restore movement ease, and the postural transitions needed for easy and balanced movement.

There are two ways to add Bridging to your patient/client work:

  1. Learn to do the Bridging Technique yourself

  2. Refer your patients and we can work in tandem to bring faster/greater results.

How to be more engaged with Bridging?

Step 1

Learn what makes Bridging uniquely effective in our two hour Intro course. You gain insights into the history, science, process of Bridging, and a hands on movement to calm and center someone. This course is for anyone wanting a deeper understanding.

Step 2

Learn the full process and application of Bridging from simple to complex cases. This three-month long Basics program is a mix of online and in-person learning with three weekend workshops.

Step 3

Be involved in our professional community with monthly video and case study discussions, and quarterly advanced skills workshops, all of which count toward a Specialist Certification.

How do you learn to do Bridging?

A unique blend of in-person and online education allows you to learn at your own pace, have a support community, and review material when you need a refresher.

  • Intro to Bridging (2 hours)
  • Basics of Bridging (3 months/3 weekends)
  • Certification (12-18 months)
  • Skill building discussions and workshops (monthly/quarterly)

Bridging education incorporates best practices for adult learning in the following ways:

  • Mini-lessons online: Background and theoretical information is presented as mini-lessons online using the online portal, Teachable. Each lesson is approximately 5 minutes long. This makes learning highly effective, yet adaptable to your schedule. You can also review lessons and concepts at any point in time.
  • Observe, do, coach, and experience are the four learning modes for Bridging workshops. Whatever your learning style, there is a segment for you!
  • Weekend practical workshops: These are a mixed format of virtual and in-person with recordings posted from each discussion and demonstration segment. You experience Bridging with your cohort, yet do your case studies via video with our coaching. The confidence you gain, and range of case studies is amazing!
  • Cohort discussions monthly (with the Basics program). This helps you to build confidence by answering questions with your practical application.

Training Options

A Little Intro

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Full Basics

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Certification

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Want to be the first to know when training courses become available?

Student Testimonials

In my line of work we go through training and education. You graduate and think you have all the tools you need to help someone. What I have found in practice is that there are patients or situation where these tools didn’t work. Bridging® provides the missing link to help.”

Deb B Physical Therapist

Bridging® is something that could be utilized for the patients you just don’t seem to be able to help. If I’ve tried all of the things that I know and the patient isn’t improving, this is the missing piece that enables you to help a lot of people. It assists you. It is not threatening at all. It is just another really good technique that you can utilize.”

Deb B Physical Therapist, Certified Bridging Specialist

It’s a different way to think about how the pieces go together. Bridging® is where we help the body restore its natural movement disturbed by injury or trauma.”

Dina H Certified Bridging Specialist

This is a hands-on course. Not theoretical and I like that.”

Amanda B Certified Bridging Specialist

Find Us

  1. Park at the rear/west entrance
  2. Enter the building and turn to the right
  3. Proceed to the end of the hallway. That’s it!