Learn lymphatic drainage and fascial therapy from a practitioner who has done this work for 32 years — and taught it for most of them. Skills that grow your practice, increase your rates, and make your body last longer.
Lymphatic drainage and fascial therapy — high-demand skills that let you charge more, work smarter, and last longer in your career.
Learn to assess and work with the lymphatic system in real time — without stressing your body. MLD requires only the weight of a quarter for pressure, reducing physical strain while delivering results clients come back for. Lymphatic drainage specialists bill $135–$165 per session. This 40-hour hybrid certification is your path there.
A four-level practitioner training in Fascial Link Neuromuscular Therapy — learn to find and release the fascial patterns behind chronic pain, postural strain, and conditions that don't respond to general massage. Work that differentiates you and keeps clients coming back.
Allison Ishman has been a licensed massage therapist since 1993 — long before continuing education was marketable, when deep clinical work was simply the standard. Her practice spanned nearly two decades in Naperville, Illinois, and her clinical focus on fascial systems and manual lymphatic drainage shaped both the method and the curriculum now offered through Ishman Institute.
She has taught MLD for massage therapists since 1995, Fascial Link Therapy since the early 2000s, and served as adjunct faculty at The Soma Institute in Chicago for over a decade. Her NCBTMB approval has been active and current since 2007. She is the author of Fascial Link Therapy: Anatomy, Theory, Method & Practice (2011) and producer of the instructional video Manual Lymphatic Drainage with Allison Ishman.
"I've been teaching this work for over 20 years. You don't need to be advanced to start — you need to be ready to actually learn it. The skills will change what you can do for people."
Seattle Massage School, 708-hour program. WA & IL licensed.
Naperville Riverwalk. Began teaching MLD for home healthcare workers.
Athlete Medical Services provider, AMTA/Olympic team.
National School for Clinical Massage, Chicago. Taught through 2009.
Credential active and maintained continuously to present.
190-page practitioner text. Also produced MLD instructional video (77 min).
Structured around two primary disciplines, each with a clear clinical progression from foundational anatomy to advanced practice.
Watershed regions, lymph composition, volume mechanics, immune integration, and mast cell function. Kinesthetic mapping included.
Fascial naming and structures, musculotendinous junctions, Golgi tendon apparatus, and palpation lab development.
Lymph-immune relationships, mast cell activation, hormonal influence, electrolyte and fluid behavior, and clinical reasoning.
When to treat, when to refer, timing around immune challenge, and judgment under clinical ambiguity.
Chart review, case analysis, hands-on technique refinement, and protocol construction.
Meridian integration, triple warmer, spleen-kidney-large intestine interplay, and response tracking.
Lower body fascial anatomy, palpation of musculo-tendinous junctions, Dual Release technique. Conditions: plantar fasciitis, Achilles, sciatica.
Upper body fascial line assessment, neuromuscular connections, and treatment of carpal tunnel, bicipital tendinitis, and upper back conditions.
Head and neck fascial pathways, Distal Link Patterns, TMJ strategies, and full-body integration.
Complex conditions: migraines, chronic pain, fibromyalgia. Clinical case studies, Five Element integration, energy and postural system diagnosis.
Practitioner-level texts and video instruction — all authored by Allison, available on Amazon.
190-page practitioner text covering fascial anatomy, FLT theory, assessment methodology, and clinical application. Published 2011. The foundational reference for the FLT training series.
Order NowA practical guide to relieving back, neck, hip, and shoulder pain by balancing posture — rooted in the same stabilizing muscle principles that underpin FLT clinical work.
Order Now77-minute instructional video covering MLD technique for massage therapists. Clear, clinical demonstration of drainage sequences, contraindications, and client communication. Instant digital access.
Watch NowThese programs are open to licensed massage therapists, estheticians, nurses, physical therapy assistants, and other hands-on health professionals who want to add lymphatic drainage or fascial therapy to their practice.
The skills transfer completely regardless of your background. You don't need to be advanced — you need to be ready to learn hands-on work that delivers real results for your clients.
CE credit hours are NCBTMB-approved and apply directly to massage therapy license renewal. Participants in related health professions are welcome — please verify CE applicability with your specific licensing board prior to enrollment.
Ask about program dates, CE eligibility for your profession, group enrollment, or anything else. Real responses from real people.
Contact form coming soon — or email us directly at
info@ishmaninstitute.org
New classes start monthly. Get on the list and we'll reach out with details on the next available cohort.
info@ishmaninstitute.org · Ishman Institute is a division of Napermed Inc.
