The Team
If you want to learn a craft, study with someone who is successfully doing it every day. Simple, but profoundly important. Each of the PNMT teaching staff is not only an excellent instructor, they are also seasoned and very successful clinicians who have been doing Precision Neuromuscular Therapy for many years. That matters to you as a a participant in the seminars. Theories are easy, results are often much more difficult. The staff can answer questions about clinical practice because they are in the clinic every day, and for many years. That gives substance and credence to what they have to share.
Doug Nelson
Founder
Douglas Nelson is Board Certified in Massage Therapy and Therapeutic Bodywork, beginning his career in massage therapy in 1977. He is the President of BodyWork Associates, a massage therapy clinic in Champaign, IL. The clinic has twenty-two therapists and was founded in 1982.
He is the founder of Precision Neuromuscular Therapy™, and the teaching institute has trained thousands of therapists since 1997. Doug is the past president of the Massage Therapy Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to advancing the knowledge and practice of massage therapy by supporting scientific research, education, and community service.
Having published many articles in numerous journals and magazines, he is also the author of three books- Table Lessons: Insights in the practice of Massage Therapy (two volumes) and The Mystery of Pain. Doug is the recipient of the 2013 Educator of the Year and 2015 Pioneer Award by the Illinois Chapter of the AMTA and was inducted into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame in 2018. He also received the 2020 President’s Award from the AMTA National President Angela Barker. Most recently, Doug was awarded the 2024 Meritorious Service Award from the Massage Therapy Foundation.
Apart from his career, Doug is passionate about service to the community, both locally and globally. He was president of Champaign Rotary from 2024-2025, leading many impactful local and global service initiatives. For his years of leadership with several initiatives, he was awarded the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the University of Illinois Alumni Association.
James Ivaska
Instructor and Administrator
James Ivaska has been practicing therapeutic massage since 2003. Originally from Evanston, IL he received his training with the Chicago School of Massage Therapy. He has also received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois which has given him a love for all things anatomy. James has been a T.A. for multiple kinesiology courses at the University level and has been teaching with PNMT since 2011. Since his training he has treated thousands of people for chronic pain or injuries. James now has a private practice in Little Rock Arkansas. James is always looking to learn about the human body and loves to teach about it.
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Julie Nichols
Instructor
Julie is a native of Cincinnati. After earning her B.A. in Anthropology from U.C., she attended the Ohio College of Massotherapy, where she was first introduced to Douglas Nelson and PNMT seminars. Julie has taught PNMT seminars since 2007, and her teaching style has been described as energetic and interactive.
Licensed by the Ohio State Medical Board since 2002, Julie enjoyed a busy private practice for 18 years before founding Cincy BodyWork, a group practice providing pain relief and wellness care. Julie continues to see clients and is passionate about using her years of clinical experience to educate and mentor the next generation of PNMT therapists, including those in her group practice as well as those who attend the PNMT seminars she teaches.
Seth Will
Instructor
Seth Will is the developer and teacher of the Precision Mobilization courses (Muscular and Neural), as well as a regular presenter on all other Precision Neuromuscular Therapy Seminars for the past 20 years. He has dedicated over 10 years of formal and informal training and education to massage therapy, acupuncture, neuroscience, theology, anatomy (human dissection) and various methods of physical rehabilitation. Seth has maintained an active clinical practice for over 23 years. In past years he has been heavily involved with community supported agriculture, focusing on small scale rearing of hygienic queen bees and intensive small-scale vegetable farming. In recent years he has run and coached a scholastic chess and archery program where he lives in Milwaukee, WI, with his wife, children and pets.
Sarah Lashley
Instructor
Sarah teaches the TMJ Intensive and has always been a natural educator. She first taught English as a second language, then worked as a school administrator in the inner-city of Chicago, before she discovered her passion and gift for healing through massage and PNMT. Sarah began studying PNMT 6 months after receiving her IL massage license in July 2008. Treating her husband's TMJD was the driving force behind her PNMT education and has become her specialty. Nearly 40% of her practice is working with clients that have TMJD. Since 2010, Sarah has had a successful practice, which has recently grown into Somavida Pain Relief Center, where she now hires and trains passionate LMTs to become World Class Precision Neuromuscular Therapists.
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Matthew Fecteau
Instructor
Matt has experience in psychology research at Duke University and has been a massage therapist since 2004. He’s worked extensively with athletes and is the owner or Durham
Massage Company.
Jennifer Crozier
Instructor
Jennifer has been practicing Precision Neuromuscular Therapy since 2004 at Doug Nelson’s BodyWorks Associates clinic, where she also serves as clinic manager. She’s nationally certified through the NCBTMB and has been a proud member of the AMTA throughout her career.
With a busy clinical practice focused on helping clients with chronic pain, she brings real-world experience and a grounded, relatable approach to teaching PNMT. Known for her curiosity and down-to-earth style, she’s passionate about helping fellow therapists build confidence, think critically, and apply PNMT in a way that truly makes sense in the treatment room.
Sarah Ernst-Edwards
Instructor
Sarah was introduced to bodywork and movement therapies when she was a Music major at Smith college. She graduated from the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, MA in 2005 and quickly began learning NMT along with other modalities to help her patients with chronic and persistent pain.
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Sarah is the co-owner of 360 NeuroMuscular Therapy, a clinic outside of Boston. She loves learning and aims to share that passion with others.
Lauren Lane
Instructor
Lauren Lane has been a massage therapist since 2013 and has a private practice in Greenville, SC. Her practice focuses on TMD and other musculoskeletal disorders. Lauren has taught continuing education seminars for many years and brings her wealth of instructing knowledge to connect with students and help them in their learning journey.