Sue mills mcsp chartered physio & founder of Unlocking parkinsons (Romsey, UK)

Having worked as a chartered musculoskeletal physiotherapist since 1986 in a variety of NHS hospitals and private clinics, in 1990 I decided to set up my own private physio clinics in Hampshire and Dorset. 

Most of my work over the years has been in musculoskeletal medicine, sports injuries, back pain, headaches etc although I did a short spell in neurology too. However, despite a varied, full and exciting career, nothing has quite captured my attention and interest as to when I came across Douglas Heel and his Be Activated muscle activation system.

By using the Be Activated approach in combination with manual physio skills we tackled our patients conditions ranging from tennis elbow , headaches, back neck pain, post surgery, joint replacements you name it, with incredible and quick results. We were all hooked! My practice has never been busier.

BEV PORRINO - MNMPT & BE ACTIVATED THERAPIST & YOGA INSTRUCTOR

My first experience of Be Activated was bewilderment. How could one fat thumb create so much confusion and euphoria at the same time? I had my diaphragm released by Douglas Heel a number of years ago and I haven't looked back. It was on one of these courses that I met Sue Mills and I am truly grateful for that. She's inspiring, curious and ridiculously motivated which is why the Parkineers was born.  The pilot study was incredible. To be able to support these dear people who were brave and willing enough to explore unknown possibilities without question was a privilege. To see them experience changes every day was, to be quite frank, one of the most inspiring things I have ever witnessed.

Each person had different reactions and results but all of them showed significant improvement in balance, mobility, coordination and strength, and some also speech, and this happened throughout the tests and exercises that they were assessed on. By the 3 rd day I was shocked and thrilled that at least 3 people had lost the 'masque- like' expression that is familiar with Parkinson’s. They no longer looked like they had the condition. It was truly amazing. 

Using Activations in my work has changed the way I treat people. It completely re-educated me. I look at the body very differently now. I have more success treating injuries and because the technique is so methodical I can teach a good part of it on to my clients, which is seriously empowering. 

So far as a therapist it is the best thing I have very learned.

rebecca seal mcsp chartered physio & be activated therapist (Romsey, UK)

I joined the Romsey Physiotherapy Clinic knowing only a little about activations although I had been introduced to the idea a while back. I was intrigued but a little sceptical, mainly relating to the fact I couldn’t read up on this approach, to find the science to help me understand.

Sue’s enthusiasm and demonstrations of activations fuelled me to learn more and I subsequently went on the activations course run by Douglas Heel. I was amazed by some of the demonstrations yet again frustrated not to fully understand. Overtime I have come to realise that deep understanding doesn’t matter necessarily, but the art of the technique really reaps results, and fast.

The work we have done with Parkinson’s is outstanding, both in the clinic and beyond. The pilot study was incredible, patients changed beyond our eyes on more levels than I could attempt to describe...

Just a couples of examples

- The way the patients’ eyes were smiling again along with a true expression on their faces, expressions of pure joy, not the mask like expression often associated with Parkinson’s.

- Movement of course, fun exercises but with the important steps towards function and of course underlined with activations.

- unlocking a cricketers’ ability to throw again after 5 years and in a matter of minuets.

- discarding walking aids as a result of targeted activations, exercises, and gait retraining- using such a combination of our skills 

It was wonderful to work so closely as a team and with the patients both on an individual level and importantly as a collective. Goals were met and exceeded with new ideas coming to the surface each day.

I am so excited to help you unlock your Parkinson’s, in clinic or on a retreat.

Activations has really inspired my practice, adding another level which works so well with my prior knowledge and skills. I can’t wait to show you how.

Stephen POOLE MSCP CHARTERED PHYSIO & BE ACTIVATED THERAPIST (Romsey, UK)

I have been an MSK physiotherapist for over 20 years. I was fortunate to come across neuromuscular activation 6 years ago. It has been a revelation, and taken my clinical practice to a level that I had not experienced before. Being an MSK physiotherapist, I was sceptical at first about using the method on patients with Parkinson’s. However, I could have not been more wrong. With guidance from Sue Mills and Douglas Heel, I have been able to apply the method with a high degree of success. It has allowed me to help a group of patients who I would have been unable to do so before.

I have been lucky to participate in a pilot study with Unlocking Parkinson’s that was incredible, and very inspirational. Neuromuscular activation is not a cure for Parkinson’s, but it certainly is the next best thing

DOUGLAS HEEL - MCSP & FOUNDER OF BE ACTIVATED

I kept questioning  ‘If what I’ve been taught was actually right – should it not work much better? Is this really the way we function?”
The body is such an amazing thing, yet the results seemed so limited.

Now I am very clear, if we do the right thing, the body will respond immediately. I have been teaching this for over  a decade.  Not only can we overcome patterns of pain and limitation, but we can set the body on a new path that stops these patterns coming back, and allows the body to go from strength to strength.

Sharing and teaching these ideas brings me great joy and energy. People, their lives and their stories are amazing.  My role is to help facilitate you to unlock all that amazing potential.

Be Activated isn’t just about techniques, It is about helping you tune into to yourself, feeling what is right for you.

Your body knows what you need and the answers are usually way more simple than we think.

I always challenge practitioners on workshops with “What if everything you know to be true is wrong? And what if you were okay with that?” It means you stay open to all possibilities.

It’s what’s got me here, and I never stop asking it.

emily stevens mcsp chartered physio & be activated therapist(Romsey, UK)

I qualified from the University of Southampton in 2005 with a BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy and have worked predominantly in the musculoskeletal field since. I have experience across both the NHS and private hospital healthcare and joined Sue and her team in Romsey in 2018.  I have always taken a specific interest in helping those with musculoskeletal pain and when Sue introduced me to activations and learning the ‘Be Activated’ system it has inspired me and brought a whole new level to my work.

The Parkinson’s pilot study was a real eye opener. Seeing patients who I have never met walk in one way and walk out completely different was just extraordinary.

RACHAEL MITCHELL - BE ACTIVATED PRACTITIONER

When I was first introduced to the activations back in April 2019, I was fascinated and intrigued with the instant and profound results which took place in my body and mind. The release of tension, tightness, pain and even tears produced immediate, positive effects, which lasted up to 10 days for me.

As soon as the dates were released for the next Be-Activated course I booked myself on for the four full days. The following week, after the Be-Activated training, I coincidently found myself treating a client with Parkinson’s, he too (as with everyone I have treated) has found the activations to be instant, giving him more and more hope. As the weeks and months have progressed and the layers of tight tissue are slowing ebbing away, the changes to my clients (and his wife’s) quality of life have been nothing short of incredible. 

The Parkinson’s Pilot Study were four days of my life that I will never forget, to see with my own eyes what can be achieved when a small group of open minded individuals, come together, taking part in daily activations, keeping a positive point of focus and using personal power words to progress further than they themselves imagined possible, was just astonishing!

They were experiencing life as they once knew it, they had more expression in their facial features, years dropped from the faces, they looked younger and their eyes sparkled. Some reported being able to do things with their bodies that they hadn’t been able to do for years, such as being able to roll over in bed, sit up on their own from lying down, tie their own shoe laces, sleep with only one pillow and not two or three, throw a ball over arm and not under arm and be ‘still’ and free from constant muscle spasms, even just for a few minutes. Others reported improved speech, stronger voices, for some their sense of smell started to return. Each person felt a personal difference in an encouraging and positive way! 

From the day I personally experienced the amazing effects that activations can bring to someone’s life, I knew I needed to make this available to anyone willing to try this approach. Seeing what can be achieved for those that are told there is no hope for them, with such a disease like Parkinson’s, makes me even determined to make a difference in this world!