Dr. Mark Olson: Neuroscience and Massage Therapy

Dr. Mark Olson, Ph.D., LMT is that rare bridge between the treatment table and the neuroscience lab. With an M.A. in Education and a Ph.D. in Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Illinois, he has spent two decades studying how memory, attention, eye movements—and even our sense of beauty—are wired into the brain. Outside the lab, Mark is an aquatic therapist, a certified NARM® practitioner, and a licensed massage therapist who translates cutting-edge research into hands-on, trauma-informed care. His recent publications on chronic pain and nervous-system regulation have become go-to resources for clinicians, and the multidisciplinary courses he teaches attract helping professionals—and curious laypeople—who want the “why” behind the “how” of healing.

In this episode, Dr. Mark Olson reframes massage therapy through a modern neuroscience lens, moving beyond the old “muscle-knot” narrative to explain pain as a brain-generated protective signal that can be recalibrated through skillful touch, sensory-rich inputs, and trauma-informed communication. We unpack how stress heightens nociception, why “deep-tissue” requests are often a search for safer sensory data—not brute force—and how breath work, tempo, and therapist presence modulate the autonomic loop. Mark also explores posture as “stored story,” the psychological impact of chronic pain, and practical ways manual therapists can employ theory-of-mind skills, graded exposure, and narrative reframing to help clients rewrite their pain experience and foster true healing.

00:00 Introduction

02:15 The Psychology Behind Massage

10:36 Debunking Massage Therapy Myths

15:37 Rethinking Pain and Its Relationship to Tissue

18:15 Communicating the True Nature of Massage Therapy

20:39 Exploring the Connection Between Stress and Pain

26:08 Engaging with the Nervous System

30:19 The Power of Sensory Activation in Therapy

34:01 Navigating Pain Requests in Therapy

38:37 The Complexity of Pain Perception

42:38 The Importance of Pain as a Signal

44:34 The Psychological Impact of Chronic Pain

47:51 The Role of Massage Therapy in Healing

49:52 Understanding Emotional Responses in Massage Therapy

51:54 Posture as a Psychological Expression

54:54 Trauma and Its Impact 1:00:55 Changing Perspectives

1:07:09 Exploring Chronic Pain and Its Causes

1:09:43 Expanding the Role of Massage Therapy

1:11:32 Theory of Mind

Full episodes are available on all podcast platforms and on https://nielasher.com/podcast

For more information about NAT online courses, please visit https://nielasher.com/