Roman Torgovitsky, Ph.D, founder of Soma System and www.WoundedWarriorUkraine.org, is a Harvard-trained biomedical scientist, structural bodyworker and practitioner of internal martial arts. He teaches soma system internationally at variety of venues including IDEA Fit World Convention, Perform Better Functional Training Summits and Yoga Conferences.
Roman’s Story
In early 2000s Roman started doctoral program at Harvard School of Public Health and became fascinated by wonders of circadian biology and sleep medicine. At the same time he started studying internal martial arts under Russian master Alexander Kodysh. He was also passionately involved in the middle eastern peace process, political activism and journalism.
While studying the detrimental effects of acute insomnia and sleep deprivation on human health and performance at the Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine, he somewhat ironically experienced a protracted bout of insomnia as result of overwhelming emotions of political activism. He experimented with a number of treatment approaches, but nothing seemed to resolve the severe insomnia.
He then decided to investigate effects of deep tissue bodywork on releasing muscle tightness and improving sleep. He was fortunate to encounter a Chinese practitioner of Tui Na. The first appointment was a true discovery – Roman realized how tight many of his muscle tissues are. After months of working to resolve the tightness, his sleep normalized and Roman recognized how profoundly one’s emotional state could be altered simply by changing the properties of muscles and fascia.
His experience created a passion and raised a question: Could muscle tightness be the undervalued puzzle piece, not only of sleep medicine but of mind-body medicine and spiritual practice in general?
Roman became intrigued with myriad of practical questions:
What is soft tissue tightness? What causes it? What are its effects on body and mind?
Investigation of these questions led Roman to explore research in mind-body medicine, extensively study various forms of bodywork, and ultimately create a system of self-bodywork to complement his martial arts training.
Today, Soma System is comprised of a wide range of interdisciplinary professionals ranging from mechanical engineers to physical therapists. Soma System offers the most effective selection of self-bodywork tools and educational trainings available to movement art practitioners, fitness instructors, and healthcare providers. Soma System trainees seamlessly incorporate bodywork and mindfulness methods into their fields of practice. Scientific research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and each team member’s personal physical & spiritual practice form the foundation of the company.