Ep 544 – Clinical Experience: Asset, Liability, or Both? with Doug Nelson

Does more experience always lead to better outcomes? In this episode of The ABMP Podcast, Doug Nelson explores both sides of the experience debate—when years in practice enhance clinical insight, and when they can quietly become a limitation. Doug also digs into the concept of therapeutic drift, how habits form over time, and why even well-intentioned clinicians can stray from best practices. Finally, Doug discusses practical ways to maintain a beginner’s mind while still honoring the wisdom that comes with experience, helping practitioners stay curious, adaptable, and effective throughout their careers.

Douglas Nelson

Douglas Nelson is Board Certified in Massage Therapy and Therapeutic Bodywork, beginning his career in massage therapy in 1977. Seeing over 1,200 client visits annually for decades, he is also the owner of BodyWork Associates, a massage therapy clinic in Champaign, IL. with 21 therapists that was established in 1982.
He is the founder of NMT MidWest, Inc., providing training in Precision Neuromuscular Therapy™ across the USA. He has personally taught more than 13,000 hours of continuing education and is the author of three books. Doug is a past president of the Massage Therapy Foundation.

Anatomy Trains

Anatomy Trains is a global leader in online anatomy education and also provides in-classroom certification programs for structural integration in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, and China, as well as fresh-tissue cadaver dissection labs and weekend courses. The work of Anatomy Trains originated with founder Tom Myers, who mapped the human body into 13 myofascial meridians in his original book, currently in its fourth edition and translated into 12 languages. The principles of Anatomy Trains are used by osteopaths, physical therapists, bodyworkers, massage therapists, personal trainers, yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonics, and other body-minded manual therapists and movement professionals. Anatomy Trains inspires these practitioners to work with holistic anatomy in treating system-wide patterns to provide improved client outcomes in terms of structure and function.    
               
Website: anatomytrains.com    
Email: [email protected]          
Facebook: facebook.com/AnatomyTrains 
Instagram: www.instagram.com/anatomytrainsofficial
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2g6TOEFrX4b-CigknssKHA 
Precision Neuromuscular Therapy

Precision Neuromuscular Therapy seminars (www.pnmt.org) have been teaching high-quality seminars for more than 20 years. Doug Nelson and the PNMT teaching staff help you to practice with the confidence and creativity that comes from deep understanding, rather than the adherence to one treatment approach or technique.
Find our seminar schedule at pnmt.org/seminar-schedule with over 60 weekends of seminars across the country.
Or meet us online in the PNMT Portal, our online gateway with access to over 500 videos, 37 NCBTMB CEs, our Discovery Series webinars, one-on-one mentoring, and much, much more! All for the low yearly cost of $167.50. Learn more at pnmt.thinkific.com/courses/pnmtportal!
Follow us on social media: @precisionnmt on Instagram or at Precision Neuromuscular Therapy Seminars on Facebook.

Ep 544 – Clinical Experience: Asset, Liability, or Both? with Doug Nelson

Meet our hosts

Douglas Nelson

This episode is brought to you by