Where the FUTURE is in your hands
a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization
The Trager® Certification Training Program
Starting January 9, 2025
at Blueberry Gardens Healing Center, Ashton MD 20861
The Trager® Approach
Learning through Movement and Touch.
Trager® and The Dancing Cloud
logo are registered service
marks of Trager International.
For your Clients and for You
Dissolves Poor Movement Habits
Reduces Pain and Restriction
Increases Ease and Openness
Teaches Natural Alignment
Frees Fuller Breathing
Opens Creativity and Expression
For You in your Practice
Builds Efficient Work Habits
Trains You in Lighthearted Ease
Brings Power to Your Presence
Connects You to the Source
Balances Peacefulness/Aliveness
Lifetime Self-Development
The Trager Certification Training Program is designed for students in the fields of massage therapy, physical therapy, body-centered psychotherapy, fitness training, yoga, and other somatic practices who want to offer Trager as a primary modality in their practice and for anyone who wishes to engage in this practice for self-development.
Each weekend workshop will introduce a wide variety of manual movement facilitation skills, starting from the simple and easy, moving into the robust and the subtle. You will learn specific protocols to help make your practice time rich and rewarding whether your practice partners are supine, prone, side-lying, sitting, standing, or walking. You will develop effective approaches for common client issues. Ethical and effective professional relationships are of utmost importance, and will be discussed and taught in tandem with the techniques.
Being certified allows the practitioner to market themselves with a tangible credential. Upon certification, the US Trager Association lists practitioners on its website as part of its referral network, and supports entry into the field of Somatic Movement Education and Therapy. This one-of-a-kind training program, developed by Roger Tolle, packs the entire Trager training process, which usually takes 2-3 years, into three 6-month semesters with lots of support and mentorship. Over the course of the program, participants will meet monthly, both in person and on Zoom to learn, practice, and ultimately apply for certification as Trager Practitioners. The program provides a total of 240 hours of Continuing Education (CEUs) for massage therapists.
Mr. Tolle will be supported by guest faculty who bring diverse backgrounds, exemplary professional practice experience, and compassionate presence. To further enrich students’ learning, we’ll have a rotating team of seasoned Tutors and enthusiastic assistants.
For maximum learning, it is recommended that students enroll in the entire training program, and there is a significant increase in learning support and reduction in cost for those who do. But it is also possible to enroll in some individual workshops, paying for each one separately, as long as prerequisites are met. See details below or contact workshops@PMTI.org
Program prerequisites:
Attend at least one Trager workshop (see Continuing Education Workshops on this website) and receive a professional Trager session, or receive at least two professional Trager sessions. Experience has shown that receiving a series of sessions before taking the training makes the learning process easier. It is not necessary to be a massage therapist to enroll in this course, but in some states, including MD and DC, a license to touch is required to practice Trager professionally.
Begin with the pre-program Somatic Foundations class, January 9-12, 2025
This class, whether with PMTI or in other locations in the region, may also be taken as a stand-alone workshop
Register for the complete training program with
PMTI by March 21, 2025 for a $300 discount
Coursework includes:
Somatic Foundations workshop, plus nine long weekends (Thursday-Sunday) starting in May 2025, and Sunday Supervised Practice Days alternating by the month (see schedule below). Monthly Zoom meetings to get support and guidance with at-home practice, as well as to discuss study material and online viewing material, including:
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24 hours of the brilliant work of Physical Therapist and Trager Practitioner, Eileen Dickinson connecting new paradigms and relevant scientific research with the subtle arts of Trager. These will be Zoom sessions woven throughout the program.
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Roger Tolle’s light and elegant Review Videos for each level of training
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The Trager International Handbook
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Study Guides and relevant reference material for each level of training
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Books about and by Milton Trager, MD
Fieldwork includes:
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30 Logged practice sessions (in each of the 3 semesters),
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10 sessions received, 2 of which must be from Trager practitioners (in each of the 3 semesters)
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8 Individual Tutorials for support and review throughout the program
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Short reading and writing assignments and self-assessments
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2 Recommending Tutorials at completion of the program. These recommendations plus completion of fieldwork are required to apply to the United States Trager Association for Certification as Trager Practitioner
Expectations of time and resources:
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Fifty classroom days over 22 months
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Approximately 6-10 additional hours per week to study, write assignments, view videos, schedule tutorials, and to give and receive practice sessions.
Program Costs
Registration Fee (non-refundable): $150.00
Paid separately with registration at the front desk, or contact PMTI's Continuing Education and Workshops Director at workshops@PMTI.org.
Tuition: $7,590
Includes class tuition for 3 semesters of 4-day trainings and practice days, membership in the United States Trager Association, the Trager International Handbook, Study Guides, and Review Videos for each level.
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$300 discount for recent PMTI graduates (within 2 years).
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$300 discount for those who have not taken Somatic Foundations but enroll in the program by March 21, 2025.
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$500 discount for registration by the end of the Somatic Foundations Class on January 12, 2025. (Cannot be combined with other discounts).
Payment Options
Monthly, quarterly, and full payment options are available. Please check with the PMTI Workshops Director
Additional costs
Membership in the USTA
$100 for two year Student Membership.
Tutorials and professional Trager sessions
During the program, you will need at least 8 tutorials and 6 professional sessions (some students may need or want more) – approximately $2,100 paid directly to Practitioners.
Required Books
● Moving Medicine ($20)
● Mentastics: Movement as a Way to Agelessness ($20)
● Question of Ease ($15)
For further information about the program, contact
Roger Tolle: rogertolle@gmail.com
434-227-6934 | www.RogerTolle.com
2025-2026 Schedule
In person classes – 300 hours
Each Training Weekend :
Thurs – 10:30-1:00, 2:30-5:30 (5.5 hours)
Fri – 9:30-1:00, 2:30-5:30 (6.5 hours)
Sat – 9:30-1:00, 2:30-5:30 (6.5 hours)
Sun – 9:30-12:30, 2:00-4:30 (5.5 hours)
Each Supervised Practice Day :
Sun – 10:00-12:30, 2:00-5:30 (6 hours)
PRE-PROGRAM
Jan 9-12, 2025 – 24 hrs.
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Somatic Foundations of the Trager Approach - Discovering the principle somatic movement practices that develop the touch and presence skills of the practice.
SEMESTER 1
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May 8-11, 2025 – 24 hrs
Level 1A
Manual therapy grounded in Trager principles; session practice protocol and supine tablework -
June 15, 2025 – 6 hrs
Sunday Supervised Practice -
July 10-13, 2025 – 24 hrs
Level 1B
Developing additional principles in Morning Practice; and prone tablework protocols -
Aug 10, 2025 – 6 hrs
Sunday Supervised Practice -
Sept 11-14, 2025 – 24 hrs
Level 1C
Seated and side-lying practice guidelines -
Oct 12, 2025 – 6 hrs
Sunday Supervised Practice
SEMESTER 2
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Nov 6-9, 2025 – 24 hrs
Level 2A
Supine Adaptations and Variations to address more variety of clients and their issues -
Nov 30, 2025 – 6 hrs
Sunday Supervised Practice -
Jan 8-11, 2026 – 24 hrs
Level 2B
Prone, Seated and Sidelying Adaptations and Variations to address more variety of clients and their issues -
Feb 8, 2026 – 6 hrs
Sunday Supervised Practice -
Mar 12-15, 2026 – 24 hrs
Level 2C
Reflex Response Basics. Super Subtle Touch. Stimulating Biotensegral Expansion -
April 12, 2026 – 6 hrs
Sunday Supervised Practice
SEMESTER 3
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May 14-17, 2026 – 24 hrs
Level 3A
Conducting a more effective interview. Building client-centered sessions. -
June 14, 2026 – 6 hrs
Sunday Supervised Clinical Practice -
July 9-12, 2026 – 24 hours
Level 3B
Challenging yourself in Presence, Touch, and Movement. Educating the public and leading groups -
Aug 16, 2026 – 6 hrs
Sunday Supervised Clinical Practice -
Sept 17-20, 2026
Relevant Science for the Art of the Trager Approach -
Oct 17-18, 2026 – 12 hrs
Program Wrap Up