What’s the difference between Network Spinal and Spinal Flow?

When my friend Jen told me “Brandy, you’ve got to try Spinal Flow.” I did what I considered the next best thing… made an appointment with a Network Spinal practitioner (aka Network Spinal Analysis aka NSA). What I’ve realized since is that regardless of which technique you decide to try, your life will never be the same.

Network Spinal, Spinal Flow, and Your Nervous System

At the end of the day, both Network Spinal and Spinal Flow are techniques that regulate the nervous system. BUT! This ain’t your standard nervous system regulation.

“Nervous system regulation” is having a moment. Generally, when anything trends this hard, I find a new long tail keyword because I megaloathe looking trendy and being lumped in with Susan selling “nervous system coaching” cause she can’t get clicks for selling “manifesting” anymore.

Here’s what I’ve learned about nervous system regulation. You can’t think your way to a regulated nervous system. You can’t talk your way there, and if you’re as locked into Type A control freak as I was, you can’t breathe or meditate your way there either.

To stand a snowball’s chance in Hades of getting out of fight-or-flight survival mode and actually switching to rest-digest-repair, you need something that bypasses the thinking mind.

And, whether you choose Network Spinal or Spinal Flow, both bypass the thinking mind.

How does Network Spinal and Spinal Flow work?

Both Network Spinal and Spinal Flow rely on gently applying pressure at strategic touchpoints along the spine to communicate directly with the nervous system. The touchpoints differ between the two methods:

Network Spinal Touchpoints (Access points)

Network Spinal uses touchpoints at spinal gateways. The gateways are locations where either:

• the dura mater (the sheath wrapping the spinal cord) is tethered to the vertebra      

• biomechanical transitions occur: basically where either the shape of the spine (from curved to straight or inverse curve (concave to convex) or the mobility range changes abruptly (like at the bottom of the ribcage where vertebra gain freedom)

Spinal Flow Access Points

Spinal Flow uses touchpoints primarily in the sacral and also the cranial regions of the spine. These locations are where nerves of the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-digest-repair) exit from the spinal column.

A brief history of Network Spinal and Spinal Flow

Network Care, Network Chiropractic, Network Spinal Analysis (NSA), NetworkSpinal, and now Network 3.0:

Dr. Donny Epstein (founder of Network Spinal with or without the space) mapped out “spinal gateways”—small access points along the cervical, thoracic, and sacral spine. These gateways are associated with different neural strategies and levels of energetic “tone.” Practitioners contact specific vertebral levels (like C2, C5, sacrum) depending on what’s being accessed. Over time, the goal is to “thread” higher brain coherence into the body through these points, often moving sequentially from lower to higher gateways as the system becomes more available.

Network Spinal has been through several evolutions as Donny has further honed the practice for greater transformation, coherence, and stability both within the body and within the person’s life. At risk of veering too far into the spiritual and energetic aspects of Network Care, I’ll leave it at this.

Spinal Flow Technique (SFT):

Founded by Dr. Carli Axford, Spinal Flow simplified the map to access points and focuses on two regions—the sacrum and the cranium. Instead of contacting gateways throughout the spine, the practitioner works exclusively in the fused regions of the spine, where nerves of the parasympathetic (rest-digest-heal) pathway of the nervous system exit. In so doing, greater coherence of the spinal wave is achieved.

The common thread between both modalities is:

• Direct contact with the nervous system by way of the dura mater (sheath surrounding the spinal cord)

• Accessing the area of greatest ease in the region of the spine where the gateways or access points are located

To elicit a shift in consciousness (studies show that brain patterns shift) and an expansion of what is often referred to as a spinal wave or oscillatory wave throughout the spinal column. This wave is believed to improve the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) throughout the spinal column and allow more coherence throughout the spine making it possible to break through defensive postures and gaits allowing the person receiving the therapy to move and hold themselves in a more natural and easeful state with less energy.

Which modality is better?

At the end of the day, the choice between Network Spinal and Spinal Flow isn’t about which technique is “better.” Both approaches:

1. bypass the thinking mind

2. free bound energy

3. allow the body and nervous system to reorganize with greater coherence

Both modalities bypass the thinking mind and while these modalities work for anyone, my own personal experience is that when you’re someone who feels like you’ve exhausted every option, this is the thing that works when nothing else has.

My own thoughts are you don’t need both. You only need one. And, the single most important thing when considering Spinal Flow vs. Network Spinal is this… which practitioner is available to you that you have the best rapport with?

This matters because at its core, these modalities are nervous system work, and your nervous system will struggle to let go when you feel unsafe with the practitioner. I’ve experienced Network Spinal from some of the premier practitioners on the planet. And, every single experience felt safe (and the results, magical). I’ve also heard stories from others about Network Spinal practitioners they avoid and why.

I’ve been a practice body in a room full of Spinal Flow practitioners in training. With some practitioners, massive transformation happened in one session because the touch, the movement, the vibe was aligned with healing. With others, my body was used more like a mannequin than a soul temple, and my system braced the whole time unwilling to let go. (I needed to see my own practitioner after those sessions for damage control.)

If you’re curious what Spinal Flow looks like in real life (not just words on a page), check out this YouTube video.

And if you’re past researching and ready to feel the difference in your own body, book your first Spinal Flow session here.